Their specific potentials and opportunities of mountain areas need to be considered as much as their challenges. Mountain areas are too diverse to elaborate an integrated European strategy. However, a framework for development strategies in mountain areas can be developed, taking into account the specific challenges and importance of mountain farming, the high levels of biodiversity in mountain areas, and their specific exposure to climate change. Cohesion policy could use such a framework to better address the demographic challenges of many mountain areas and to promote their economic and social development more efficiently with an enhanced sustainable development perspective. This also presupposes more flexible multi-level governance arrangements.