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. Following a call for participation, 214 regions and cities from 33 countries now grouped together in 24 partnerships are busy preparing seminars in Brussels and at home together with the event's organisers, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission's Regional Policy Directorate General. The EU countries with most regions and cities participating are Italy (25), the United Kingdom (20), Spain (19) and France (18). Other EU institutions, private companies and financial institutions will also participate in the OPEN DAYS via the Meeting Place, a showcase for best practice in public-private partnerships at local level, which will take place in the CoR's headquarters, the Jacques Delors building in Brussels. Each OPEN DAYS partner will host or take part in events grouped around four key themes: restoring growth through innovation; regional responses to climate change; territorial cooperation and the future of EU cohesion policy. The final programme will published in June and on-line registration will be possible as of 6 July. As in previous years, the OPEN DAYS are designed to bring together political representatives, decision-makers, experts and practitioners of regional policy as well as stakeholders from the banking and business sectors, civil society organisations, academia, EU institutions and the media to discuss the common challenges facing European regions and cities, and to discuss possible solutions. The event also provides a platform for capacity-building for those involved in implementing EU cohesion policy and in managing EU funds, as well as facilitating cooperation and networking among regions and cities on best practice in regional development. Finally, it offers participants the opportunity to discuss the European cohesion policy of tomorrow in a wider context, involving views from third countries and international organisations. With this in mind, for the first time this year the event will feature the OPEN DAYS University, providing a platform for academic debates. Until 8 May, institutions and other bodies still can apply to become a 'local OPEN DAYS' event organiser. For more information, please contact: Athénais Cazalis de Fondouce +32 0)2 282 24 47 Christopher Jones +32 0)2 546 87 51

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