Strength to strength

Danuta Hübner welcomes the sixth edition of Open Days and looks forward to a week of stimulating discussion

Iam delighted that from 6 to 9 October, Brussels will once again play host to the EU’s Open Days European Week of Regions and Cities. From Vilnius to the Azores, Lulea to Lampedusa, participants will come together from across Europe and as far afield as China and Brazil for the sixth edition of the event.

With over 6000 participants and 216 regions and cities from 32 countries involved, it promises to be the biggest and best Open Days yet. Organised by the European commission’s regional policy department and the Committee of the Regions, Open Days is now firmly established as the headline event in the EU’s regional policy calendar, and is almost certainly the largest gathering of its kind in the world. But Open Days is not just about Brussels.

Throughout the month of October, over 30 countries are hosting more than 230 local ‘fringe’ events under the banner of ‘Europe in my region’. The aim of these events is to raise awareness of the added value provided by European-level policies and, in particular, of cohesion policy.

Open Days has come a long way since its modest beginnings six years ago. The event has developed in ambition, both in scale and scope. It epitomises the benefits of working in partnership in a challenging world and I have no doubts that this year will prove more successful than ever.

All partners come with their own experiences, keen to share ideas and chart new and innovative ways of harnessing European investment. It is this dialogue between the public, private and academic sectors that sets the Open Days apart.

And it is also in this collaboration where we see the lasting value. The event provides a platform where cities and regions can showcase what they are doing to stimulate sustainable economic development. But perhaps even more importantly, it also helps lay the foundations for partnerships, which are vital for learning from each other and embarking on joint projects.

As in previous years, the event brings together policymakers and practitioners, banking and business, and civil society groups. I am extremely pleased in particular with the levels of interest from the private sector.

Leading companies such as Siemens, Motorola and Michelin will be present at the Investors’ Café, the main exhibition space of the event, hosted by the Committee of the Regions. The café is an opportunity for regional and national decision-makers to learn more about the economic benefits of public-private partnerships, as well as a shop window to promote the investment potential of their regions and cities.

The centrepiece of this year’s Open Days will be the launch of a debate on territorial cohesion, following the adoption of a European commission green paper on 6 October [see page 116 for more on the green paper]. One of the hallmarks of the EU is its incredible territorial diversity. Territorial cohesion is about turning this diversity into an asset to contribute to sustainable growth. I hope that the green paper will trigger a far-reaching discussion, identifying the challenges common to certain types of regions, and which will be more effectively addressed with better cooperation.

Better cooperation and working together on issues that touch all our regions in Europe is at the heart of this year’s programme. Under the heading ‘Regions and cities in a challenging world’, more than 140 seminars and debates have been organised around four themes: innovating regions by promoting research, technological development and innovation; sustainable development and regional responses to climate change; cooperation and networking by exchanging of best practice in regional development; and looking forward, a European cohesion policy for tomorrow.

Creating an environment that encourages research, development and innovation is of the highest priority for European regions. Learning from good practice elsewhere in Europe and learning how to maximise support available will be at the forefront of discussions under the first theme. Sustainable development, meanwhile, has been a European policy goal for many years. But it has been given added impetus by the unfolding climate change crisis.

Workshops under this second theme will allow participants the chance to share their experiences of efforts underway to tackle global warming. And this is where the third theme comes into play. Cooperation and sharing experience between regions can be a key trigger in stimulating a dynamic, forward-looking regional development process. The EU has an important role to play in brokering and supporting such partnerships. As for the fourth theme, 20 years since its inception, cohesion policy has become one of the most prominent EU policies.

The last group of workshops will offer a chance to feed into reflections on the future shape of cohesion policy. Would we like to see a radical shift in priorities? How do we envisage the future of cohesion policy?

I am hoping that Open Days will offer a sounding board for participants to share their views on these issues and many more.