European Week of Regions and Cities 2025

This flagship event brings together +6000 participants, including local and regional authorities, policymakers, civil society, academia, practitioners and citizens from across Europe to share ideas, shape policy, and build partnerships around regional and urban development. 

Locations: Brussels. Opening session (European Parliament Hemicycle), other sessions (SQUARE Brussels at Mont des Art and Jacques Delors Building, Rue Belliard)

Important note: Online registration prior to the event is mandatory. It will not be possible to access the Square conference centre without registration. On-site registration at the Square conference centre will not be possible due to security measures. Please make sure to register online before 30 September.

Some sessions will be live-streamed (Opening, high-level sessions, Megalizzi-Niedzielski prize and REGIOSTARS awards). 

Highlights 

• A high-level Opening session bringing together EU leaders, regional and local representatives on 13/10/2025
• 3 high-level policy sessions (EU Agenda for Cities - Shaping Europe’s Urban Future, 14/10/2025 - 11:30, Eastern Border Regions = EU’s Border, A Pact for the Eastern Border Regions, 14/10/2025 - 14:30 and Fostering Vibrant and Resilient Regions: Open Dialogue on Ensuring an Effective Right to Stay, 15/10/2025 - 14:30)
• Exhibition area (Square Brussels) showcasing projects and initiatives (14-15/10/2025)
• 2 prize ceremonies: the Megalizzi-Niedzielski prize for young aspiring journalist (14/10/2025) and the REGIOSTARS Awards ceremony (15/10/2025).
• Over 200 sessions spanning thematic clusters, policy debates, and participatory formats designed and implemented by selected partners (14-15/10/2025)  

Motto & Thematic Focus 

The guiding motto for 2025 is “Shaping Tomorrow, Together”. Under this umbrella, the programme is structured around three key thematic pillars:   

• Cohesion and Growth for the Future 
  Exploring how cohesion policy can evolve to support sustainable prosperity, competitiveness and EU-wide priorities. This includes aligning regional investments with reforms, simplifying instruments, and maximising impact.
• The Right to Stay: Unlocking the Potential of Every Territory 
  Ensuring that citizens can thrive in their communities by improving public services, connectivity, education, health, and local economic opportunities. Topics include depopulation, place-based development, and reversing regional decline.
• Cities Building Tomorrow 
  Recognising cities as engines of innovation, resilience and sustainability, this theme addresses challenges such as housing, climate adaptation, mobility, digitalisation, inclusion, and cross-border cooperation. 

What is EURegionsWeek? 

Organised jointly by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Week of Regions and Cities is the largest annual Brussels-based gathering focusing on cohesion policy, regional development and multilevel governance.  

Over the course of the week, participants converge to:  

• Showcase how regions and cities drive growth, social inclusion, sustainability and resilience
• Share best practices and lessons learned in regional and urban policy
• Engage in peer-learning through workshops, labs, interactive forums, exhibitions and networking
• Discuss the future direction of EU cohesion, regional investment and territorial strategies
• Connect policymakers, project managers, researchers, civil society and local actors