News archive - Open Days: 9th European Week of Regions and Cities

Since 2003, the OPEN DAYS has become an annual key event at which cities and regions showcase their capacity for creating growth and jobs, implementing European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local level for good European governance. This year EU local and regional representatives meet in Brussels from 10 to 13 October to share ideas on boosting competitiveness, growth and jobs.

OPEN DAYS 2011 will consist of about 100 sessions - workshops and debates – exhibitions and networking opportunities for the about 6,000 participants coming to Brussels. OPEN DAYS is organised in partnership with regions and cities from all over Europe, and including contributions by companies, financial institutions and international associations and academic organisations.

Under the headline 'Investing in Europe’s future: Regions and cities delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth', the OPEN DAYS 2011 will be structured around three thematic priorities:

"Europe 2020"

will focus on discussing and visualising how Cohesion Policy contributes to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. This thematic priority will include issues such as; research and innovation; "Digital Europe"; creative industries; regional and urban low-carbon development strategies; energy efficiency; cooperation on climate action; regional and local employment strategies; tackling poverty and social exclusion.

"Better delivery"

Under this thematic priority, workshops and debates will focus on how to improve delivery of Cohesion Policy in the current period, but also after 2013. Exchange of good practice between practitioners will be mixed with discussions on certain aspects or novelties of the regulatory framework post-2013 proposed by the Commission. Seminars could focus on sub-themes like "moving from grants to loans", "more focus on results", on-going evaluation, new evaluation methods, the right balance between concentration and flexibility, how to ensure visibility of EU's Regional policy through results and projects, Common Strategic Frameworks and Partnership contracts etc.;

"Geography matters"

Under this thematic priority discussions will focus on highlighting the usefulness of territorial approaches when identifying regional needs and exploiting regional potentials. Experiences and specific solutions in the fields of e.g. urban and local development, territorial co-operation and the European Grouping on Territorial Co-operation (EGTC), macro-regional strategies, regions with specific geographical/demographic challenges etc. could be exchanged. In addition, new research on regional and urban development will be debated under the roof of the 'OPEN DAYS University'. Seminars with third countries will also take place under this theme.

Local Events 2011

In an effort to get the messages of the OPEN DAYS closer to the citizens, each participating region and city is requested to organise at least one local event on their home ground to be held between September and November 2011 under the label and graphical chart "Europe in my region/city".

Alongside the Brussels seminars and workshops organised for the OPEN DAYS 2011 European Week of Regions and cities, more than 250 local events "Europe in my region/city" are planned to take place all over the European Union and beyond (including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey). Most events are scheduled in Italy, France, Spain and Poland.

The vast majority of local events (215) will be organised by partner regions and cities, while the rest (39) are held by European associations, European networks, universities and specialised agencies. Most events take the format of seminars, workshops and roundtables and focus on the theme Europe 2020.

Throughout September, October and November, participants from European, national, and regional public entities, financial and business representatives, NGOs, media, students and the general public are expected to attend the events organised by the local and regional partners of the OPEN DAYS, and others mounted by European organisations and universities.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia - 14 events will take place in different cities and under different topics. Further information on events in WBC is available here or is provided in country leaflats attached below.

Open Days 2011 is organised by the Commission and the Committee of the Regions, the EU body that gives regional and local governments a say on the bloc’s policies.

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