TerritoriALL - EURegions Week 2022

“We look to the future with many questions, a few fears and a great many expectations”. This is how the then Mayor of Prague, Pavel Bém, summed up his intervention in the closing event of the first Open Days, in October 2003. Czech Republic was not even a member state yet.
Fast forward to 2022, Czechia holds the presidency of the EU Council, and Europe celebrates 20 consecutive editions of the European Week of Regions and Cities. In these 20 years, thanks mainly to the support of Cohesion Policy, many of these expectations have been met, while new fears and new questions arose. But as EU Commissioner Elisa Ferreira notes, one thing remained the same: “Cohesion Policy has stayed faithful to its mission, and the partners of ESPON and the European Week have been key to this mission”.
But how did the event that started with the participation of some 1800 participants became the most influential gathering of politicians, researchers, policymakers and experts on regional and territorial issues? “The secret of its success”, writes the President of the CoR, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, “is its capacity to constantly evolve, adapt to new priorities and at the same time influence the policy-making debate”.
You can read about this evolution in our flashback article that navigates us from 2003 to 2022, through quotes - selected from their opening or closing speeches - of the protagonists: presidents of the Commission, presidents of the CoR and EU Commissioners.
You can also read testimonials and some of this year’s participants and speakers that share their views on Youth empowerment, Green transition, Territorial cohesion and Digital transition - the four themes of this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities.

TerritoriALL EURegions Week 2022 Articles

Editorial
Wiktor Szydarowski, ESPON EGTC Director
20 years of achievements
European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms
The future of cohesion policy starts today
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions
EURegionsWeek: a platform for regions and cities to display their success stories
Corina Crețu, Member of the European Parliment, former European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms
An amazing kaleidoscope!
Agnès Monfret, EU Commission, Head of Unit Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia (Deputy to REGIO Director Administrative Capacity Building & Programmes Implementation II)
20 years of the European Week of Regions and Cities: how it all began (as I remember it)
Wolfgang Petzold, Committee of the Regions 2008-2022; EU Commission DG Regio 2001-2008 DG EMPLOI 1992-1995
EURegionsWeek: Connecting People and Territories for 20 Years
Anna Rizzo, Team Leader & Coordinator of the EURegionsWeek, EU Commission, DG Regio
EU Regions in 2050
Lewis Dijkstra, Economic and Policy Analyst, EU Commission, DG REGIO
Territorial cohesion: All EU policies should contribute to convergence, cohesion and solidarity
Nathalie Sarrabezolles, member of the Finistère Departmental Council and rapporteur of the EU CoR on the 8th Cohesion Report
Cohesion – Ukraine (CARE/FAST CARE)
Nadler Benoit, Deputy Head of Unit Policy Development and Economic Analysis, DG REGIO
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
Linartas Ramunas, Policy Analyst, EU Commission, DG Regio (Unit G1 – Smart and Sustainable Growth)
Digitalization is essential in implementing the EU Missions
Markku Markkula, President of the Helsinki Region, Vice-President of the CoR - rapporteur on the EU missions
Realising the potential of digital health transformation in Europe
Birgitta Sacrédeus, Dalarma Regional Councillor and Chair of the CoR Interregional Group on Health and Wellbeing
The Veneto region and young people
Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto region, Italy
«Zesummen hei uewen» How a region develops through synergies and partnerships
Romy Karier, Member of Clervaux municipal council, CoR member
Green transition: are the cities doing enough, fast enough?
Linda Gaasch, Member of Luxembourg City Municipal Council, CoR rapporteur on new EU framework on urban mobility
Green transition for the city of Weyhe
Pascal Seidel, city councillor of Weyhe, Germany, district councillor of Diepholz and member of the CoR
Connecting people
Lieke Muller, municipal councillor in Leidschendam-Voorburg, The Netherlands, and member of the CoR
Cohesion policy boosts REPowerEU
Unit G1 Smart and Sustainable Growth - DG REGIO
The Just Transition Fund, a fund to leave no one behind in the climate transition
Unit G1 Smart and Sustainable Growth - DG REGIO
Reducing territorial and social disparities in EU regions
Karina Mikelsone, Deputy Chairman of the Municipal Council of Ādaži municipality (LV), member of the CoR
Territorial Cohesion for Brittany
Tugdual Le Lay,city councillor of Guingamp, Brittany, France, CoR Member
Democracy is a verb. Let’s get working
Pepijn Kennis, member of the Brussels Regional Parliament for the citizens’ movement Agora.Brussels and CoR member
Cohesion as a proof and tool for recovery
Mateusz Cebula, city councillor of Dębica, Poland, CoR member
Hungarian support for Ukraine
Oszkár Seszták, President of County Council of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Megye, Hungary; member of the CoR
Kohesio: discover EU projects in your region
Roberto Musmeci, Data Expert - Kohesio project DG REGIO
Discovering the next generation in European journalism: the Megalizzi–Niedzielski Prize
Florin Rugina, Information and Communication Officer DG REGIO
20 years European Week of Regions and Cities
Nikos Lampropoulos, Andreea China, ESPON EGTC