The deadline for the submissions of applications for the #EURegionsWeekis the 31st of March 2022. The communications regarding the submission’s results will be made on the 16th of May. Important information on how to apply to be a partner of the #EURegionsWeek and the key dates can be found here. Furthermore, the organisers of the #EURegionsWeek have elaborated a detailed guide for the potentially interested partners, that can be accessed at this link.
The event is envisaged to take place between 10-13 October 2022 and will be hybrid by default, depending on the evolution of the pandemic situation.
Who can apply
The applicants should have the residence established either in an EU member state, either in a country that is participating or contributing to an EU programme.
There are two categories of applications that can be submitted: partners application and regional partnership application. Within the kick-off meeting, the organisers outlined that applications in the form of regional partnerships are strongly encouraged.
The partners’ guide provides detailed explanations on the conditions that the applicants for each category have to fulfill. Furthermore, the guide defines the legal entities that fall into the partners category. As far as regional partnership applications are concerned, they define groups that are entirely composed by regional or local authorities. One of the requirements for the regional partnerships applications is the participation of a CoR member and/or a political representative.
The is a unique online application form for the two types of applications.
Outlines from the kick-off meeting
The kick-off meeting gathered over 450 participants and it took place in an interactive manner, with participants being invited and offered the opportunity to express their opinions on specific questions through the employing of the Slido platform.
The #EURegionsWeek 2022 will be focused on 4 main topics: green transition, territorial cohesion, digital transition and the empowerment of youth, in correlation to the designated 2022 European Year of Youth. The side events will be expected to have a strong correlation with these 4 thematic priorities
At the beginning of the meeting, a representative from DG REGIO outlined the ground-breaking character of the #EURegionsWeek event, the success that the event registered through last year’s edition and the organisers’ willingness that this success will be replicated with the occasion of the 2022 edition. Furthermore, the representative from DG REGIO highlighted that the 2022 will offer the fertile ground to look into the post-pandemic future, to reverse the negative consequences that the pandemic has had upon our regions and to build back smarter and greener. Hence, the upcoming edition will continue to give an active voice to the stakeholders. In addition, the organizers invited the stakeholders to actively disseminate the 20th edition of the #EURegionsWeek.
Subsequently, a representative from the European Committee of the Regions outlined three main points. First of all, in line with the Political Priorities 2020-2025, the Cohesion will continue to represent a fundamental value and that place-based policies will be adopted. Furthermore, it was highlighted that, looking back to the future, Cohesion is changing. Hence, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is strongly committed to put energy into the Cohesion Alliance for a cohesive, sustainable and resilient Europe. Last but not least, the CoR representative drew attention on two main upcoming important events: the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Summit of the Regions and Cities, that will take place in Marseille between 3-4 March 2022.
Furthermore, the organizers of the European Week of the Regions and Cities outlined in detail each of the 4 main goals of the 2022 edition. First of all, regarding the green transition, the organizers of the event will want to see how the stakeholders will contribute to the promotion and implementation of the green goals. The 20th edition of the #EURegionsWeek will precede the COP27 (UN Climate Change Conference 2022). As far as the second goal on the digital transition is concerned, the 2022 edition of the #EURegionsWeek will represent an opportunity for the fostering of debate on how the digital transformations are changing our European territories.
The organisers offered detailed explanations for each of the sessions’ formats: workshop, info session, participatory lab, exhibition, exhibitors’ pitch. Furthermore, in the framework of the 20th anniversary, there will be special formats: high-level workshops and testimonials.
Within the kick-off meeting, the organisers pointed out that they will expect the participants to have high communications standards and to follow the gender balance criteria when choosing the speakers. In addition, special attention was drawn to the importance of the communication strategies that the stakeholders will employ.
Contact and further information
Shall you have further questions regarding the application process and the finding of partners, please do not hesitate to contact our colleague Roxana Chiriac.
The organizers of the 2022 #EURegionsWeek have launched a newsletter on the event. If you would like to receive all the relevant information on the event, you may subscribe to the newsletter by accessing this link.
The recording of the kick-off meeting can be accessed here, while the slides from the meeting can be found at this link.
