Homepage
Sitemap
Larger
Smaller
Login
Registration
Help
Terms of use
Record number of partners sign up for OPEN DAYS 2008
04.04.2008, 16:44
A record 217 regions and cities from 32 countries have signed up as partners for the OPEN DAYS 2008 European Week of Regions and Cities, the biggest annual gathering of EU and regional policy-makers, experts and representatives of banking, business and civil society groups operator in the regional policy sector. OPEN DAYS, organised by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission's Regional Policy Directorate General, is centred in Brussels from 6-9 October 2008 and also involves more than 200 linked events throughout October in the Member States.
Following two calls for participation - one for regions and cities and the other for the financial and private sector, representatives were officially informed of the full list of partners at a meeting in Brussels today, 4 April.
As in previous years, the regions and cities have divided themselves into thematic conglomerates. Partners from 26 Member States are represented while others come from Turkey, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland and - for the first time - Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland. The highest number of regions and cities come from France (22), Italy and Spain (19), the United Kingdom (18), and Poland (17).
More than 5,000 participants are expected to take part in the event.
Under the overall title of "Regions and cities in a challenging world", the Brussels programme will feature 120 seminars and debates on four themes:
- Innovating regions: Promoting research, technological development and innovation
- Sustainable development:Regional responses to climate change
- Cooperation and networking:Exchange of best practice in regional development
- Looking forward:A European cohesion policyfor tomorrow.
Thirty partners from the financial and private sector and civil society organisations will hold up to 40 seminars in the framework of the OPEN DAYS Investors' Café, the main meeting place for public and private stakeholders in the Committee of the Regions building.
To date, there are five financial institutions, banks and associations taking part (including the European Investment Bank and the European Association of Public Banks), around 10 European associations and networks (Business Europe, the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Eurochambres, European Association of Development Agencies, European Citizens' Action Service, and the European Regions Research & Innovation Network) and up to ten major private companies (including Siemens, General Electric, Philips and Veolia).
The main institutional partners for the sixth OPEN DAYS will include the Presidency of the Council, the European Parliament, and various Directorate-Generals of the European Commission. The Commission Directorate-General for Communication will actively support regional and local events through its Representations in the Member States and information networks.
Committee of the Regions President Luc Van den Brande and Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner will announce more details about the OPEN DAYS at a press conference at the European Commission's Berlaymont headquarters on 24 April.
Source: www.cor.eu