The milestone 20th edition of the European Regions Week, an annual, large scale event focused on the cohesion of, and cooperation between the regions of Europe, was held between 10 and 13 of October.
The event, comprising of more than 260 workshops, sessions, and participatory labs in total, hosted participants and speakers from various backgrounds: regional political and administrative representatives, academics, and experts from industry. The sessions were similarly versatile. The key topics were ranging from digital and green transition to youth empowerment with subtopics concerning a variety of specific fields, including research, innovation and regional cohesion in knowledge valorisation as well. These events were held in numerous European countries, and while a fair share of them were accessible in person, all of them could be viewed online. Online interaction and social media exposure was emphasized to promote participation all across Europe.
The opening ceremony, attended by EuChemS, was held in the European Parliament in Brussels. High profile speakers addressed the participants: amongst others, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, emphasized the role of young elected representatives, as well as President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, discussed regional cohesion, focusing on the highlights of the 8th Cohesion report. In addition, many regional representatives also addressed the achievements and challenges of their respective regions.
The session “Zero Pollution: a driver for sustainability” of the EU Regions Week have was connected to the “Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform”. EuChemS is an invited stakeholder of this platform, which held its 3rd meeting on the same day.