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.

This year, due to the pandemic, the event will spread over three consecutive weeks in October dedicated to one topic each:

• 5-9 October: Empowering Citizens,
• 12-16 October: Cohesion and cooperation,
• 19-22 October: Green Europe, in cooperation with the Green Week.

Regions4 at the 2020 #EURegionsWeek

Like every year, Regions4 is bringing the voice of regional governments to the #EURegionsWeek co-organising a series of sessions with different partners to highlight the importance of subnational leadership for better European governance and contribute to the ongoing discussions in terms of sustainability, climate adaptation and protection of biodiversity. Below is an overview of the sessions co-organised by the Regions4 Secretariat

Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through cohesion policy

15th October, 11:30-13:00 CET

When it comes to the implementation of the SDGs, cohesion policy plays a central role. Developed through a process involving authorities at European, regional and local level, social partners and organisations from civil society, cohesion policy is the main EU investment instrument for regions and cities to achieve sustainable and inclusive development across Europe.

Jointly organised with the Assembly of European Regions, this workshop will aim to address the main question of “How cohesion policy can make regions deliver for a sustainable and fair Europe and progress on the implementation of the SDGs?”. To answer this question, a panel debate will be convened with key stakeholders that will share their views and inputs and engage in a discussion with the audience on how cohesion policy supports regional efforts towards the SDGs. 

Biodiversity 2030: your say, our future

20th October, 14:30-16:00 CET

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that direct and indirect human-induced biodiversity loss and degrading ecosystem services destroy the system that supports human life. The more biodiverse an ecosystem is, the more difficult it is for a pathogen to spread rapidly or dominate. Loss of biodiversity provides an opportunity for pathogens to pass between animals and people. 

Investing in biodiversity protection and conservation is, therefore, a strategic investment both in the long-term as a preventive measure to feature pandemics and epidemics; but also in the short-term as a socio-economic recovery measure. 

The session co-organised with CoR and ICLEI, will share successful experiences of EU cities and regions already committed to halting biodiversity loss and ecosystem services degradation, especially after COVID-19. It is also an invitation to hear from EU cities and regions on their long-term goals and vision for 2030 on biodiversity.

The role of SDGs in the crisis recovery

21st October, 11:30-13:00 CET

While the world needs to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate urgency remains, the achievement of the SDGs is more urgent than ever. SDGs and recovery are linked; the current global health crisis reveals systemic interlinkages between all dimensions of sustainable development. It also reinforces the need for accelerating progress in the transformation pathways that are required by the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, scaling up commitment and action on SDGs implementation will ensure that the recovery is inclusive and sustainable while contributing to resilient societies, both in Europe and beyond.

Co-organised with CoR, CEMR, EUROCITIES and Platforma this session will show how cities and regions implement SDGs in a post-pandemic Europe and beyond, and call the EU not to delay their implementation.

​Objectives:

• Highlight the link between SDGs, the recovery, and the creation of resilient societies
• Show how regions and cities work together to “localise” SDGs
• Call on the EU not to lose the momentum on SDGs and recognise the leading role of local and regional governments to achieve the 2030 Agenda

Registration

Registration for all sessions is available from 27 August – 27 September. To register for each session it’s necessary to create and sign in with a EU Login account and complete your personal profile. Afterwards you can add each session to the “sessions list”.