The annual gathering of European regions and cities starts today 9 October at 14:30 in the European Parliament in Brussels. For the 15th edition of the European Week, the organisers have imagined an unusual Opening Session. Non-registered participants can follow via via web streaming. The Opening Session will officially kick-off a programme of 130 workshops spread across some 30 Brussels-based venues. Over 5 600 people and 800 speakers are registered for this four-day event on EU regional policy.

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When you arrive at the event, please first come to pick up your conference badge in person, equipped with your ID card. The badge delivery is organised at the European Commission's Charlemagne building, and at the European Committee of the Regions premises. You can check the location and opening times online.

The conference badge will give you access to all workshop venues. Registered participants without access badges will not be able to access European institutions' buildings.

Security measures have been strengthened in European institutions. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the workshop venue at least 30 minutes before the start time of your workshop.

If you have been accepted for the Opening Session today at the European Parliament, please arrive one hour in advance at the Altiero Spinelli building at the Agora Simone Veil entrance (on the Esplanade Solidarnosc). Your conference badge (with OS mentioned) and an identity card with photograph/passport will be requested at the door. Please note that no luggage is allowed in the meeting rooms for security reasons, and cloakrooms are not supervised.

Some Belgian trade unions have announced a 24-hour rail strike on Tuesday, October 10, disrupting  traffic from 10 p.m. on Monday 9th until 10 p.m. on Tuesday 10th. Brussels bus, tram and metro lines (STIB) are joining the strike. Please anticipate severe transportation delays and seek alternative transport. For registered participants to the Official reception on Tuesday, the #EURegionsWeek organisers have organised bus transfers to the Square Meeting Centre – seats on "first come first served" basis. As alternative: walk to the Square, only 20 minutes walking distance from the Schuman area.  More information will be available at the European Committee of the Regions and at the European Commission (CCAB and Charlemagne buildings).

All #EURegionsWeek participants, speakers, media and workshop organisers have been invited to download and get familiar with the Event's mobile application. If you need help on how to use the app or even on how to download it, please visit our App Helpdesks. At the European Committee of the Regions as well as at the European Commission Charlemagne and CCAB buildings, qualified and multilingual personnel are there to assist you. Also technicians will be present on site to help and answer possible questions.

Dowload the app from GooglePlay or AppStore.

A number of workshops will be web streamed during the European Week of Regions and Cities. Check the web streaming list on the event's website. To see the day's highlights at the end of each day check our online daily reports.

How does the European Union bring concrete benefits to the life of your city/region? What should the EU do to improve your quality of life? What are the main concerns you would like to share with representatives of the European institutions?

The European Committee of the Regions goes local to hear and collect citizens’ and regional/local authorities' proposals on how the EU should evolve in the next decade. Get involved in the debate: take the Reflecting on Europe eSurvey! Besides receiving real-time results, respondents will also be informed about the CoR action to represent their views. Over 3000 responses to the survey have been registered so far. To stay informed, follow #EUlocal.

#LocalResilience #TakeAction #SharingKnowledge – share your views!  Follow the European Week on Twitter and Facebook, post using the #EURegionsWeek, share our posts, and join our LinkedIn group. We post at @EU_Regional and @EU_CoR. Tag us in your photos so we can share!

Discover the daily photo reportage of the event on our new Flickr gallery. And if you want to keep a personalised photo as souvenir of your visit – or share your opinions on the #EURegionsWeek pictured with regional peers – look for our photo booths!  There will be some located at the European Committee of the Regions and in the European Commission Borschette building.

Some spare time in Brussels? Go to the Visit.Brussels information desk at the European Committee of the Regions for more information on the Brussels-Capital Region. The desk is available from Monday to Wednesday. You can also check out the visit.brussels website.