OPEN DAYS - European Week of Regions and Cities - October 5th to 8th in Brussels
05/10/09
The seventh annual OPEN DAYS - European Week of Regions and Cities, which this year takes place on 5-8 October in Brussels, is set to be the biggest yet. This year, the event will feature more than 100 seminars, workshops, debates, exhibitions and meetings with 7,000 participants, expected in Brussels alone, most of them experts in regional and urban development from ministries and other bodies. In addition, another 300 local events in countries all over Europe will reach out to a wider public increasing the number of potential visitors to more than 30,000.
As in previous years, the purpose of the event is multiple: First, it brings together political representatives, decision makers, experts and practitioners of regional policy as well as stakeholders from banking, business, civil society organisations, academia, EU institutions and the media to discuss common challenges for European regions and cities and debate possible solutions. Second, it provides a platform for capacity-building to those involved in implementing EU cohesion policy and in managing its financial instruments. Third, the event aims at facilitating cooperation and networking among regions and cities on good practice in regional development. And finally, it offers the opportunity to debate the European cohesion policy of tomorrow in a wider context involving recent research and views from third countries and international organisations.
Among the challenges that regions and cities face, it can be expected that the economic crisis will still prevail debates at European, national and regional level. With the newly elected European Parliament and the incoming new European Commission, discussions on the EU's political priorities and the review of its budget after 2013 will be kicked-off in autumn 2009. Finally, the date of the OPEN DAYS 2009 is just a few weeks ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and an opportunity to showcase regional and urban best practice in developing a low-carbon economy. The OPEN DAYS 2009 will be an ideal framework for Europe's regions and cities to present the message of maintaining a forceful and effective cohesion policy helping to enhance sustainable and innovative responses to global challenges.
The four themes of the OPEN DAYS 2009 are
Regions, cities, public institutions, companies, universities and other organisations in the field are invited to check out further details at: www.opendays.europa.eu
Among the challenges that regions and cities face, it can be expected that the economic crisis will still prevail debates at European, national and regional level. With the newly elected European Parliament and the incoming new European Commission, discussions on the EU's political priorities and the review of its budget after 2013 will be kicked-off in autumn 2009. Finally, the date of the OPEN DAYS 2009 is just a few weeks ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and an opportunity to showcase regional and urban best practice in developing a low-carbon economy. The OPEN DAYS 2009 will be an ideal framework for Europe's regions and cities to present the message of maintaining a forceful and effective cohesion policy helping to enhance sustainable and innovative responses to global challenges.
The four themes of the OPEN DAYS 2009 are
- Restoring Growth: Innovation in Europe’s regions and cities
- Regions and climate change: Europe’s way
- Territorial cooperation: Working together across borders
- Achieving results, looking ahead: EU cohesion policy’s evaluation and future prospects
Regions, cities, public institutions, companies, universities and other organisations in the field are invited to check out further details at: www.opendays.europa.eu
