What is the European Week of Regions and Cities?

The European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek) is the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to regional policy. It is organised by the European Committee of the Regions.

The event has grown to become a unique communication and networking platform, bringing together regions and cities from all over Europe, including their political representatives, officials as well as experts and academics. Over the last 17 years, it has done much to promote policy learning and exchange of good practices.

In 2019, the #EURegionsWeek reached a record high of more than 9000 participants and more than 330 sessions, which shows the event’s relevance and potential as a platform for political communication in relation to the development of EU cohesion policy, raising the awareness of decision-makers about the fact that regions and cities matter in EU policy-making.

What is the purpose of the EURegionsWeek?

  • Discuss common challenges for European regions and cities and to exchange ideas on possible solutions by bringing together political representatives, decision-makers, experts and practitioners of regional policy, as well as stakeholders from business, banking, civil society organisations, academia, the EU institutions and the media;
  • Provide a platform for capacity-building and the exchange of experience and good practices for those implementing EU cohesion policy and managing its financial instruments;
  • Facilitate cooperation and networking between regions and cities;
  • Feed into the debate on EU cohesion policy in a wider context, including recent research and views from third countries and international organisations.

Who can participate?

The European Week of Regions and Cities and its events are aimed at:

  • European, national, regional and local government officials and experts in the field of managing and evaluating cohesion policy programmes;
  • representatives of private companies, financial institutions and 1 European and national associations;
  • members of the European Committee of the Regions, members of the European Parliament, and national, regional and local politicians including young elected politicians (YEPs);
  • citizens, who want to express their views and contribute to the debate on the future of Europe and their regions and cities;
  • academics, researchers, PhD or masters students and practitioners in the field of European regional and urban policy;
  • journalists from European, national, regional and local media outlets.

What are the themes for the 2020 edition?

  • Green Europe
  • Cohesion and Cooperation
  • Empowering Citizens