Nearly 5,000 people from across Europe have gathered in Brussels for the 24th European Week of Regions and Cities to discuss the future of EU cohesion policy.
The three-day event is being convened by the Commission and hosted by Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto, in partnership with the European Committee of the Regions, the European Commission announced on Monday.
Attendees include local and regional authorities, policymakers, researchers and journalists.
The opening ceremony featured European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Council President António Costa and European Committee of the Regions President Kata Tüttő.
Discussions are set to cover the role of cohesion policy — an EU programme that funds projects to reduce economic and social gaps between regions — including work linked to a “Right to Stay” initiative intended to support people to remain in the places they call home.
Population loss and a “Right to Stay” plan
One in three Europeans — 149 million people — have lived in a region that lost population over the past two decades, according to the Commission.
A high-level session with Fitto and other meetings on Tuesday will feed into preparation of a Commission strategy on the “Right to Stay” that is planned for adoption in early 2027.
On Wednesday, talks will focus on how cohesion policy can support competitiveness, with €220 billion in cohesion funds in the 2021–2027 period already contributing to priorities set out in the EU’s “Competitiveness Compass.”
A mid-term review found that regions and member states voluntarily reallocated €34.6 billion towards areas including competitiveness, housing, defence, water and energy resilience, with €15.2 billion redirected specifically towards strengthening competitiveness.
The week also includes the REGIOSTARS Awards, for which 274 applications have been submitted and 25 finalists selected, with winners to be announced on Wednesday 14 October at 19:00.
Three winners of the Megalizzi-Niedzielski Prize for young aspiring journalists will also be announced the same day at 17:30, with the award commemorating Antonio Megalizzi and Bartek Niedzielski, who were killed in the Strasbourg terrorist attack in December 2018.
