The 2025 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), Europe’s mayor event on regional policy debate, was held in Brussels from 13 to 15 October. The key themes of the overall event focused on:
- Cohesion and Growth for the Future: aiming to modernize EU policies to drive growth and investments across regions, especially border areas
- The Right to Stay: unlocking the potential of every territory, that means supporting communities with essential services and addressing regional disparities to reverse depopulation.
- Cities Building Tomorrow: strengthening cities as engines for innovation, resilience, and sustainability through collaboration and best practices.
Over three days, policymakers, city leaders, researchers, and civil society representatives gathered to explore how Europe’s territories can accelerate the green and digital transitions while strengthening social cohesion and economic resilience.
The event kicked off on October 13 at the European Parliament under the motto “Shaping Tomorrow, Together”. The opening session at the European Parliament Hemicycle brought together leading EU figures including: Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commissionaddressed the audience via video message; Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission; and Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, who stressed the vital role of regions and cities in shaping Europe’s sustainable and inclusive future.
The President Metsola called for “building a better Europe in every region and city,” highlighting that cohesion policy remains central to reducing poverty and unlocking local potential. Von der Leyen described regions and local communities as “the backbone of our democracies,” meaning that future EU partnerships must be shaped with regions, not just for them. Commissioner Fitto outlined the priorities for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) (from competitiveness and energy transition to affordable housing, innovation, and security) insisting that cohesion funding must stay simple, flexible, and close to citizens’ needs.
Presenting the Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities in the EU, Tüttő called on Europe to “step up for Cohesion Policy,” emphasizing its importance for resilience, sustainability, and balanced growth across all territories.
Organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the event is the largest annual gathering dedicated to regional development in the European Union. During these days local and regional actors can connect directly with EU institutions to exchange experiences, explore funding opportunities, and shape the future of European cohesion policy.
Financing the Green Transition and Local Empowerment
This year, the discussions focused also on how cities and regions can access into innovative financial tools to support the green transition. Most of the speakers pointed out how crucial it is to expand the options for financial tools (from green bonds and guarantees to blended finance and technical assistance) to make projects more resilient and predictable.
While significant funding opportunities exist through programmes such as InvestEU, the Just Transition Fund, LIFE, and Horizon Europe, many local governments still face barriers in navigating the complex financial landscape. Building technical and administrative capacity was therefore identified as a critical step for municipalities, particularly smaller ones, to fully benefit from EU support.
Participants agreed that public funding alone cannot meet the scale of the climate challenge. Closer cooperation between public institutions, private investors, and local enterprises is essential to bridge the investment gap and mobilize the vast resources required to achieve Europe’s ambition of climate neutrality by 2050.
Smarter Together: Planning, Data, and Cooperation in Action
Several sessions during the week highlighted the growing importance of smart planning, data, and cross-border cooperation in driving Europe’s green and digital transitions. Alongside financing, discussions focused on how integrated planning and data-driven decision-making can support sustainable development. The PLENTY-Life project, coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, was presented as a best-practice example, promoting a participatory and cross-sectoral approach to energy and spatial planning through the HISEP (Holistic Integrated Spatial and Energy Planning) model, helping cities design tailored pathways toward climate neutrality. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) also showcased the upgraded Data Hub of EU Border Regions, a tool improving the accessibility and comparability of regional data to support evidence-based policymaking in areas such as transport and healthcare. In parallel, the session “Cities Leveraging Data for Impact” explored how European cities are using data to design better policies, enhance transparency, and engage citizens. Speakers, including Carlos Martins Ferreira from the Publications Office of the EU, Mani Dhingra from Dublin City Council, and Olaf Osica from the City of Warsaw, shared how open data platforms and digital twins can transform urban planning and strengthen democratic governance. The overall message was clear: collecting data is not enough since cities and regions must use and share it strategically, embedding it in predictive models that enable informed, transparent, and inclusive decision-making for sustainable growth.
Driving Regional Development: How the EIB Supports Cohesion and Sustainable Growth in Europe
One of the key workshops at the event, titled “Regional Development and Cohesion: The EIB’s Role in Shaping Sustainable Prosperity for EU Regions,” highlighted the critical role the European Investment Bank (EIB) plays in supporting regional development across Europe. The director of the EIB, Tanguy Desrousseaux, explained that social and economic cohesion is essential for the future of the European market, with investment being key to achieving this goal, and described the institution as a “local bank” due to its deep impact at the regional level, works closely with cities and local governments, offering public support through a range of financial instruments.
In 2024 alone, the EIB Group provided €38.3 billion in financing to cohesion regions, that is to say nearly half of its total EU investment, supporting projects in green infrastructure, innovation, and affordable housing.
Over the 2021–2024 period, the Bank’s total investment in cohesion regions exceeded €140 billion, helping to create jobs, stimulate innovation, and strengthen infrastructure in less developed areas. These investments are expected to boost GDP in targeted regions by up to 2.5% by 2040, underscoring the long-term value of sustained financial support for territorial cohesion.
Tackling the Housing Crisis in European Cities
Another important issue experts discussed during the event is the growing housing crisis in Europe. One of the speakers in the workshop “European cities facing the housing crisis”, Marta Farrés Falgueras, Mayor, of Sabadell City , stressed the need for balanced policies on homeownership and rentals, as people are increasingly priced out of their homes. In addition, Mar Jiménez, Councillor of Barcelona, pointed out that housing has shifted from a right to a luxury, highlighting the disconnect between unaffordable living costs and global challenges like climate change. Maurizio Veloccio, Councillor of Rome, highlighted how investments from Next Generation EU and the Jubilee have improved infrastructure but also fuelled price hikes in the city of Rome. He called for public investments in housing, new social housing agencies, and tax reforms to make housing accessible to everyone.
A Vision for a Cohesive, Climate-Neutral Europe
The 2025 European Week of Regions and Cities highlighted that, beyond funding and policies, building skills, fostering innovation, and empowering local communities are key to shaping Europe’s future. By investing in people, data, and partnerships, regions are better equipped to translate EU ambitions into tangible local action. Throughout the discussions, a shared message resonated: achieving the EU’s climate and cohesion goals will depend on how effectively local and regional actors are supported to act.
The 2025 EWRC highlighted that giving more power to cities and regions is essential to building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient Europe. Through collaboration, innovation, and equitable access to finance, Europe’s territories continue to lead the way toward a climate-neutral continent.
For more information about the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025 click here.