2024 #EURegionsWeek

Summary

The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance.

The 2024 Week takes between 7-10 October 2024 and is held in-person in Brussels. More on the #EURegionsWeek can be found here.

As in previous years, the learned societies (European Regional Science Association ERSA, Association of European Schools of Planning AESOP and the Regional Studies Association European Foundation RSA Europe) led by RSA Europe have collated and developed a session that showcases the best of new research to the largely policy audience at the #EURegionsWeek.

The 2024 themes of #EURegionsWeek are:

• Competitiveness and Convergence: Two Sides of the Same Coin
• Regions Strengthening European Democracy
• Smart and Sustainable Growth for Regions
• Regions got Talent

As part of the main European Week of Regions and Cities programme, RSA Europe will be involved in the following three sessions:

The end of the trade-offs? Competing and Converging for European Democracy

Albert Borschette Congress Center, Room AB-2A, Thu 10/10/2024, 11:30- 12:30 CEST

 This workshop engages with academic and policy debates in relation to the EU’s long-standing balancing act of encouraging and facilitating competitiveness across its regions and at the same time promoting social and territorial cohesion.  The session is jointly proposed by three learned societies with significant and pertinent academic and policy expertise and active members whose work has long been influencing relevant EU publications such as the EU Regional Competitiveness Index, the Reports from Experts on Cohesion Policy and the Convergence of EU Regions redux. The session will explore ways in which regions can compete at the same time converge, considering recent developments pertaining to flagship EU policies, such as the Twin Transition and the European Green Deal. It will also consider the possible impacts of convergence and competitiveness policies in relation to geographies of happiness, discontent, ‘left-behind’ people and places and the implications for European democracy.

This session is organised in partnership by three leading learned societies in the fields of regional studies, policy, science and planning (RSA Europe, ERSA, AESOP).

Speakers:

• Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr Franziska Sielker, Head of Research Unit, European Spatial Development and Territorial Cohesion | Governance Research | Border Regions | Smart Cities, TU Wien, Austria
• Professor Dimitris Ballas, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
• Professor Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Princesa de Asturias Chair and a Professor of Economic Geography, London School of Economics, UK. He is the Director of the Cañada Blanch Centre LSE and Visiting Professor at the Centre for Innovation Research, University of Stavanger, Norway.

Moderator: TBC

Registration here: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2024/sessions/32899

How to reconcile Growth and Convergence. Exploring Cohesion Policy Neglected Dilemma

Albert Borschette Congress Center, AB-3A, Wed 09/10/2024, 09:30 - 10:30 CEST

Can cohesion policy promote overall growth while also delivering regional convergence? Can the objectives co-exist under the policy remit without tensions? Where should the balance lie between the two? The workshop aims to host a discussion among scholars and experts about equity-efficiency trade-offs faced by cohesion policy and avenues to address them. The topic will be addressed from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, by presenting work from academia, RSA #CPnet Research Network, the JRC REMO team. This session is supported by RSA Europe.

Speakers:

• Anabela Marques Santos, Project Manager, Joint Research Centre, Belgium
• Ida Musialkowska, Professor, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland
• Ugo Fratesi, Professor, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

 Moderator:

• Serafin Pazos-Vidal, Head of unit, European Association for Innovation in Local Development, Belgium

Registration here: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2024/sessions/35694

 

EU Regions Week Close to you
RSA Europe is also involved in a side event that will be held at the premises of the Representation of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region in Brussels.

Good Management of EU Cohesion Policy for a Strong EU Democracy

The Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region (https://www.europeenauvergnerhonealpes.fr/) in its capacity as Managing Authority of the Regional ERDF and ESF programme, and in cooperation with the Regional Studies Association and RSA Europe is organising a workshop during this year's European Week of Regions and Cities (https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/).

When: 8th October 2024, 09.30-11.00 CEST
Where: at the Representation of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region in Bruxelles
(Address: Conseil Régional Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Délégation de la Région à Bruxelles, Place des Barricades, 11; B-1000 Bruxelles).

Workshop description:
Local projects financed by EU Cohesion Policy are the most visible aspect of the EU to citizens. However, the perceived complexity of EU Cohesion policy financing can have a negative impact on public perception of the EU. Therefore, it is the responsibility of local and regional authorities, tasked with implementing EU Cohesion policy funds, to ensure that beneficiaries, and ultimately citizens, are satisfied with their experience with EU Cohesion policy funds.

This workshop aims to explore concrete measures and actions that local and regional authorities can take to enhance the effective management of EU Cohesion policy. The outcomes of this workshop will significantly contribute to the ongoing debate on the future of EU Cohesion policy.

Agenda

• From 09.00 - Registration and Coffee
• 09.30 - Welcome, Hortense Lutz-Hermellin, Head of Representation of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region in Brussels
• 09.45 -  Anabela Santos, Francesco Molica, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
• 10.00 -  Fabian Gal, Directorate for European Funds, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, Researcher at the University of Rennes
• 10.15 -  Cristina Zerbinati, Researcher at the University of Padua, Councillor of the Municipality of Fiesso Umbertiano and Member of Building Europe with local councillors network
• 10.30 -  Ann-Kerstin Myleus, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission, DG REGIO – Administrative Capacity Building and Solidarity Instruments
• 10.45 - Q&A and wrap-up

Moderator: Fabian Gal, Directorate for European Funds, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, Researcher at the University of Rennes

Registration:
Registration here: EWRC@auvergnerhonealpes.fr