The Opening session, the Regiostars ceremony, the State of the European Union: the view of regions and cities address by CoR President Karl-Heinz Lambertz and the high-level event 'Energy Union in motion' will be webstreamed. Check the web streaming list on the event's website. The event will also be broadcast live everyday on social media and event's website: discover the Agora as if you were there; get inspired with regions and cities interviews; meet the EURegionsWeek partners and speakers and follow a talk with Anthony L. Gardner, Former US Ambassador to the EU. And to get a flavour of what happened on each day, check out the daily highlights published on the event's website, join the online conversation with the hashtag #EURegionsWeek, and follow the EU Regions week youtube channel. Tell us what you think of the sessions by leaving a comment in the dedicated forum "any comments?" - there is one for every session!
News
When you arrive at the event, please first come to pick up your conference badge in person, equipped with your ID card and your confirmation letter. The badge delivery is organised at the European Committee of the Regions premises on 5th October and at the Square Convention Centre from Monday 8 to Thursday 11 Oct. You can check the location and opening times online. The conference badge will give you access to all the sessions for which you have registered to, regardless of their venue. Security measures have been strengthened for European events. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the session venue at least 30 minutes before the start time of your workshop. If you have been accepted for the Opening Session today at the Square Convention Centre, please arrive one hour in advance. Please note that no luggage is allowed in the session rooms for security reasons. A cloakroom is available at the Square Convention Centre next to the registration hall.
The annual gathering of European regions and cities starts today 8 October at 14:30 in the Square Convention Centre in Brussels (Mont des Arts/Kunstberg). For the 16th edition of the European Week, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker will speak at the opening session and debate with the audience, together with Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of the Regions, Corina Creţu, Commissioner for regional policy and Pavel Telička, Vice-president of the European Parliament. Non-registered participants can follow via web streaming. The Opening Session will officially kick-off a programme of 170 workshops spread across some 27 Brussels-based venues. The closing session will also be live-streamed. Over 6000 people are registered for this four-day event on EU regional policy.
A new dataset was published showing the cumulative payment history 2007-2013 of each ERDF/ Cohesion Fund programme showing over 97.7 % payment execution until September 2018.
We are pleased to announce a new State aid seminar. The thematic focus of the seminar is RDI. When? Monday, 26 November 2018, 09:00-16:45 Where? Brussels Who? Practitioners involved in the management of the European Structural Investment Funds who have knowledge of State aid in RDI projects.
The 10th Anniversary of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) will be held in Gdańsk on 12-13 June 2019. The Forum will be hosted by the Pomorskie Region together with the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation in close cooperation with the European Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and other partners. About 800 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses will come together to discuss developments and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region. Please book the date in your calendar and visit Gdańsk – city of freedom and solidarity - in June 2019! More information will soon follow at the EUSBSR website.
Just like a tailor-made suit, this week you will receive your personalised programme, listing all the workshops to which you have been accepted. The European Week's secretariat will also email you your personalised barcode needed to collect your conference badge – please print it and bring it along with you together with your valid ID Card. You will need both items at the entrance of the venue to collect your badge, which will grant you access. The countdown has official started – 1 week to go!
With its 13 000m² the Square Convention Centre might make you feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz ("We’re not in Kansas anymore") – meaning that the venue might seem quite vast at a first look. But don't worry; we have arranged for plenty of signage and posting to make sure you always know where you are, in which direction you need to go and most of all that you feel at home. Have a look at the floor map we have created. This map has all the information you need about the venue. From the session rooms to the refreshments areas. There will always be a red dot telling you where you are – look out for it! The Agora map was made to help you navigate the exhibition area. There are many stands, networking areas, cosy corners and meeting points and we want to make sure you don't miss anything of this wonderful space. The Agora will be shortly online on the event webpage.
From the 7th to 11th of October, 30 PhD students and early-career researchers from 14 EU Member States and two non-EU countries will attend the 6th EURegionsWeek Master Class. Participants were selected from almost 70 applicants, on the basis of their academic background and achievements. The objective of this unique format is to meet and exchange views with EU politicians and officials on the state of the art of EU Cohesion Policy, whilst connecting young researchers. The Master Class will focus on EU Cohesion Policy implementation and its research potential, and debate its future.
Do you have a regional policy challenge to solve or a good practice to share? Keen to meet peers from other regions? Check the Policy Learning Platform stand in the Agora exhibition! Between the 8th and 11th of October the stand will host a lively programme of matchmaking sessions with regional policymakers. From ‘cultural tourism and innovative technologies’ to ‘energy efficiency in buildings’, offering a wide range of policy topics. Check the full programme and join a #policylearning session today!
Don't want to miss a beat of the EURegionsWeek? Get your smartphones, tablets and pcs out and make sure to follow the event on social media. There is a long list to choose from and if you can't decide…then follow all of them! The hashtag that has been buzzing around Brussels lately is #EURegionsWeek, so it is high time for you to join the conversation! The European Committee of the Regions will bring to you all the latest updates from the conference with the most useful info on their Facebook Page, Twitter channel and Linkedin Group. And do not miss the LIVE videos on the spot. Start follow us now for the latest details. Follow the Facebook live of the #EURegionsWeek opening session and the Regiostars ceremony on DG Regio's facebook account. Check out the videos on CoR and DG Regio's youtube channel and pictures in the event's flickr album. The #EURegionsWeek is just one click away.
Registration for the EURegionsWeek 2018 closed on Friday 28th September. We hope you didn't wait for the last minute to secure a place at one of the biggest events of the year in Brussels! A dense and interesting programme of sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, exhibitions and high-level events are waiting for you in just one week’s time. If you did miss the deadline and are looking for other interesting events around the same topics, have a look at our list of selected side events. Side events are connected with the European Week of Regions and Cities on account of their theme and Brussels-based venue. Many more side events will be happening around Brussels – check our list and make your pick!
Statistics are essential for understanding and quantifying the impact of political decisions on your region or city. Visit the Eurostat information stand during the European Week of Regions and Cities, where interactive data visualization tools like Regions and Cities Illustrated and the Statistical Atlas will be presented. What is more, you will also have the chance to meet the European Parliamentary Research Service and discover their range of publications and products focusing on Cohesion Policy. Their stand will be located in the Agora (Square Conference Centre, Hall 1&2).
On 10 Octoberfrom 18:00 to 19:30 in the Gold hall of the Square Convention Centre we will show five short films directed by prominent European filmmakers which demonstrate how the rights and benefits enjoyed in the EU improve people’s lives. The films aim to spark a dialogue with young Europeans about the impact of the EU on their daily life. The EU believes that this campaign gives young people the chance to make their own films through the 'Young Directors’ Competition', giving them the opportunity to tell their own #EUandME story with the help of an award-winning European director. More information on https://europa.eu/euandme/en/yfc/ Before the films, some refreshments will be served. Come take a break from the workshops and enjoy some good movies!
Find out more about the Road Trip Project of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, in the Agora section of the event (level -2 of the Square Convention Centre). Come hear the incredible stories the protagonists will have to tell after having travelled 12 000 km in more than 20 countries along four routes. This 4-month journey was first and foremost a human experience, narrated through the eyes of four successive duos of young travellers.
Two of the most important initiatives of the European Committee of Regions will be present at the European Week of Regions and Cities. The #CohesionAlliance is a coalition of those who believe that EU cohesion policy must continue to be a pillar of the EU's future. The Alliance was created through cooperation between the leading European associations of cities and regions and the European Committee of the Regions. It demands that the EU budget after 2020 makes cohesion policy stronger, more effective, visible and available for every region in the European Union.
As a key action under the Energy Union Strategy, the Commission has launched the initiative to support coal regions in transition, assisting Member States and regions in modernising their economies and preparing to deal with the related structural and technological transformation. EU Cohesion Policy makes a crucial contribution in this context, providing tailored support to guide structural change and helping regions achieve economic transformation by building on their "smart specialisation" assets, i.e. the regions' niche areas of competitive strengths, with the aim to embrace innovation and decarbonisation. This high-level event with European Commission’s Vice-President Šefčovič, Commissioner Creţu and representatives from coal regions in transition will provide a valuable opportunity to bring together national level and regions taking active part in this initiative, looking at first results and discussing the work ahead.
Last few days to register for the sessions. The choice is vast make sure you don't miss out on the chance to learn more on so many interesting topics! Have you seen the BRAIN DRAIN: a one way ticket? - Workshop on youth and workforce migration? It covers the subject of workforce migration and the brain drain phenomenon which constitutes a real problem in Europe. This represents a challenge from the point of view of free movement and there is a great need for a common proposal by all decision making bodies on the development of an effective EU employment and youth strategy - sign up to know more. Interested to know more about the French based project of "Local communities without long-term unemployment"? Their aim is to offer anyone denied employment in a local community a job based on skills with a permanent contract and a chosen time frame – sign up to Make communities of voluntary full employment to get the bigger picture.
Registration for workshops and events at #EURegionsWeek is open until 28 September at midnight. Share our eNewsletter and invite your colleagues and stakeholders to register online. Please note on-site registration will not be possible. Access to sessions and all venues hosting events at the #EURegionsWeek is reserved for pre-registered participants only, who are invited to collect their personal conference badge upon arrival (with valid ID card). Brussels-based and early arrival participants will be able to collect their badge already on Friday 5th October at the European Committee of the Regions. The badge delivery point from 8 to 11 October will be Square Conference Centre, Mont des Arts/Kunstberg B-1000 Brussels (Metro: Gare Centrale/Centraal Station - lines 1 and 5). Check locations and opening times in practical information. Remember to allow time for security checks at the doors – arrive well on time!
Registrations are open to join the 1st Joint Conference of the Fora of the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce, Cities and Universities: ROOTS and PATHS: Past, Present and Future for the Adriatic-Ionian Region.