2026 #EURegionsWeek

Summary

The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual 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 2026 Week takes place between 12-14 October 2026 and is held in-person in Brussels. More on the #EURegionsWeek can be found here.

The motto for EURegionsWeek 2026 is: Strong regions, strong Europe.

Building strong regions lies at the heart of cohesion policy: the European Union supports regions so that Europeans can thrive where they live, businesses and new ideas can flourish, and communities can benefit from quality services.

Yet regions across the Union face very different realities: from common geopolitical pressures to specific territorial challenges, from demographic change to economic developments, from skills shortages to the need to strengthen essential services.

As challenges differ, so too must solutions: they should be place-based and tailored to local and regional needs. This year’s European Week of Regions and Cities will be an important opportunity to exchange ideas, grow partnerships and share experience on how cohesion policy can help every region succeed. Because when our regions are strong, Europe is strong.

For 2026, RSA Europe, European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA), OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities - Geospatial Lab and Regional Studies Association have collaborated together to develop the following session which will be part of the main EURegionsWeek programme:

Aligning Cohesion Policy with the New Industrial Competitiveness Agenda for Balanced Growth and Stronger Strategic Resilience

This session discusses the potential tensions and synergies between the European Union’s assertive new industrial policy and its core mission of cohesion. Under initiatives to promote strategic autonomy and technological leadership, investments are likely to favour established innovation hubs, deepening the divide between industrial powerhouses and peripheral regions. Cohesion policy is already a major contributor to the industrial transformation agenda, supporting smart specialisation and strategic value chains. Can global competitiveness be pursued without cost to territorial balance? An opening interview sets the scene, three speakers add their views and the audience is invited to debate.

Speakers:

• David Bailey, University of Birmingham, UK
• Simona Iammarino, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy
• Dorothee Allain-Dupré, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Moderator:

• Alison Hunter, Economic and Public Policy Consultancy