The 14th European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), formerly known as Open Days, is around the corner. More than 100 working sessions will be held on 10-13 October in Brussels, Belgium. The themes of the event will revolve around sustained and sustainable economic growth, inclusive economic growth, making ESI Funds simpler. The Interact Programme, in cooperation with the European Commission, will be organising four workshops:

• The work of the Interact Programme on harmonised tools for the Interreg community
  • Date and time: Tuesday, 11 October at 14.30h.
  • Venue: European Commission, Centre Borschette, Room 2A.
  • Speakers and chair(s): Nathalie Verschelde (Chair), Vanessa De Bruyn, Ioana Glavan, Monika Balode, Frank Schneider.
  • Description: The beginning of the programming period 2014--2020 offers a great opportunity for Interreg programmes and Member States to maximise the synergies between the different bodies. Against this background, Interact’s work has undertaken an approach towards simplification and improvement of capacity in Interreg programmes. This is done through the design of harmonised tools: the development of KEEP, a database of projects and beneficiaries of Interreg projects; the production of HIT, a set of templates, fact sheets and model forms to support and guide Interreg programmes throughout the programme and project life cycles; the creation of eMS, an online monitoring system used by the Interreg community to record and store data of project and programme implementation; the joint branding of Interreg, a currently ongoing project that includes initiatives like European Cooperation Day.

• Pathways to a circular economy in cities and regions
  • Date and time: Wednesday, 12 October at 09.00h.
  • Venue: Committee of the Regions, Jacques Delors, Atrium 5.
  • Speakers and chair(s): Eilish O’Loughlin (Chair), Kai Böhme, Zuzana Caputova, Tamás Kállay, Ania Rok.
  • Description: The transition to a circular economy is a priority of the European agenda. Policy makers seek to encourage the shift from traditional linear ’take-make-consume-throw away’ economic patterns to a more sustainable closed-loop system of production, distribution and consumption, and at the same time to develop the green economy in their cities and regions. ESPON, Interact, Interreg Europe and URBACT have joined forces to explore and share with participants in an interactive session: the European diversity of challenges and potential for moving to a circular economy; the practical meaning of circular economy for cities and regions; good practices in circular economy approaches.

• How Interreg-IPA CBC has coloured the grey spots of the Western Balkans on the map of Europe
  • Date and time: Wednesday, 12 October at 11.15h.
  • Venue: European Commission, Centre Borschette, Room 0D.
  • Speakers and chair(s): Ivana Lazic (Chair), Melita Bircic, Marija Geras Dochovska, Marina Hristeva, Ana Ilic.
  • Description: Have you ever wondered how EU money is changing regions and cities at the EU’s external borders? Or how the cooperation between Member States and Accession countries looks at the project level? At the workshop 'How Interreg-IPA cross border cooperation has painted grey spots on the Western Balkans map of Europe' not only you will learn about the concrete examples of cross-border cooperation projects in the Western Balkans financed by the Instrument for Pre-Accession, but also you will see how EU money is already fostering energy efficiency and sustainable growth in the Accession countries. Finally, the workshop will also provide an opportunity to discuss the future improvements of cooperation between these countries and Member States.

• Interact talks 'the role of Interreg in addressing current territorial challenges': the use of ESI funds tackling labour market inclusion, migration and refugee crisis
  • Date and time: Wednesday, 12 October at 14.30h.
  • Venue: Committee of the Regions, Van Maerlant, Room 1.
  • Speakers and chair(s): Ulf Wikstrom (Chair), Ronald Hall, Denis Haveaux, Susan Russam, Marie Thibault, Béla Soltész, Jara Henar, Anelise Gomes de Araujo.
  • Description: The workshop will focus on labour market and social inclusion policies for disadvantaged sections of the population (migrants and refugees); sharing experiences on the use of ESI funds to address issues such as the migration and refugee crisis. The workshop aims to promote Interreg results and the added value of cooperation; demonstrating how Interreg works and how this model could be enlarged and applied for the benefit of people and territories in Europe. The projects and their results (achieved thanks to cooperation) will be presented by their stakeholders through an extensive talk and interaction with the audience. This workshop will be followed by a networking session.

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