The 2018 European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) will take place in Brussels from October 8th to 11th under the headline “For a strong EU Cohesion Policy beyond 2020”.

An annual event, the EWRC brings together representatives from local and regional authorities, universities, EU networks, private businesses and practicioners in regional and urban policyto showcase how regions and cities can create growth and jobs, tackle key challenges and implement the objectives of Cohesion Policy. The EWRC also provides opportunities to exchange best practice and to network.

In total, more than 160 sessions (workshops, seminars, conferences) will be organised by local and regional authorities and European institutions and up to 6,000 participants will attend. The discussions will revolve around themes highly relevant to local authorities such as the future of cohesion policy post-2020, regional development, territorial development, energy, climate and the urban agenda.

Several Irish local and regional authorities will take part in events including:

• Sligo County Council as part of the “Making a difference” partnership for a session on “Building cohesive communities through solidarity and volunteering”
• Donegal County Council as part of the “ETC regions supporting SMEs to internationalise” for a workshop on “Internationalisation of SMEs – Interreg Europe projects highlight their impact”
• Northern and Western Regional Assembly in a session on “Improving access to markets for SMEs: European Entrepreneurial Regions experience” organised by the Committee of the Regions
  Those interested in attending can consult the programme and register online.