THE REGION OF MURCIA

The European Week of Regions and Cities (OPEN DAYS) 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 event was created in 2003 and is organized by the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission's DG for Regional Policy. Developing from the initial concept, the event has become a European networking platform for experts in regional and local development. Exchange of best practice in economic development and social inclusion, cross-border cooperation, public-private partnerships, regional innovation and community-led local development have become some of its many topics.

The OPEN DAYS are celebrated every October by around 6000 participants followed by some 100 working sessions, talks, and exhibitions.

Murcia Region has been involved in the OPEN DAYS since 2005

 

The European Week of Regions and Cities 2021 

This event will take place from 11 to 14 October 2021, in a digital format with a possibility of limited in-person participation.  

Four main topics will be addressed: 

Green transition 

Cohesion: Health focus, from emergency to resilience 

Digital transition for people 

Citizens engagement for an inclusive, participative and fair recovery 

 

The European Week of Regions and Cities 2020 

The 18th edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities, organised by the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio), and the European Committee of the Regions, was held in Brussels from 12 to 15 October. 

The topics discussed in this new edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities were the following: 

Green Europe 

Cohesion and Cooperation 

Empowering Citizens

The European week of Regions and cities 2019

This 17th edition of the event was marked by the European elections and the continuation of the inter-institutional negotiations on the EU budget and the cohesion policy package for the period 2021/2027. 

The topics that were addressed are the following: 

The Future of the EU and the roles of the Regions and Cities 

A Europe Closer to Citizen 

A greener Europe 

The organisers of this event invite regions and cities to create partnerships, which are groups of regions and cities that organise a working session between the 8th and 10th of October, with the aim of exchanging experiences and good practices and facilitating cooperation and networking. These partnerships must be subject to the rules established by the organisers (Guide for Regional Partnerships 2019). 

In addition, the European Week of Regions and Cities planned other activities, such as: University Programme; Master Class; Parallel Events; Media Programme; Youth4media Programme. 

More information. 

The European Week of Regions and Cities 2018 

Under the title "For a strong EU Cohesion Policy beyond 2020", the 16th European Week of Regions and Cities was a key platform to gather and present the views of European regions and cities on the budget and legislative proposals related to cohesion policy and rural development, as well as to discuss the future of Europe from a regional and local perspective. 

Discussions during the event were the following: 

the need for a strong cohesion policy after 2020 to overcome structural barriers, boost human capital and improve quality of life; 

growth and regional development, understanding and managing the territorial impacts of globalisation and digital transformation, the regional dimension of climate change and energy transition; 

integrated territorial development, as well as effective regional and local strategies on youth, integration of migrants and social exclusion. 

Region of Murcia 

This year, under the theme 'For a strong Cohesion Policy beyond 2020', the EWRC took place from 8 to 11 October. 

The Region of Murcia participated this year in the consortium "European Regions for Active, Healthy and Intelligent Ageing", together with the regions of Extremadura, Alentejo (Portugal), Lodzkie (Poland) and Pomurska (Slovenia). 

During this workshop the partners discussed and presented their best practices on the theme of "active and healthy ageing", a key challenge shared by all EU states, and particularly, on how EU funds should support the development of the full potential of ICT in healthcare and in improving older people’s quality of life. 

 

The European Week of Regions and Cities 2017 

187 regions and cities from 28 countries, grouped in 22 regional consortia, worked to contribute to the success of this initiative, which celebrated its 14th edition. 

The regional consortia, together with the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, organised around 100 seminars and debates in Brussels during that week. Specific activities were also organised for universities and the media. 

In the framework of the "European Week of Regions and Cities", each regional association organised a local event under the title "Europe in my region/city". 

These dialogues are an integral part of the CoR's "Reflecting on Europe" initiative. 

The Region of Murcia hosted one of these events, aimed especially at young people and in the framework of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme, in collaboration with the Universities of the Region and Europe Direct Región de Murcia, as well as with other European information networks present in the Region: 

"30 years of Spain in the European Union: The impact of the European Regional Policy in the Region of Murcia". 

"Citizen's Dialogue: Climate and Energy. 

 

More info at CDR