From 12 to 14 October, the European Week of Regions and Cities takes place in Brussels, offering sessions on the role of cities and regions across Europe.
Eurocities will participate in several sessions. Come and join us!
Monday, 12 October
16:00 – 18:00
From traffic corridors to living spaces: Reimagining European streets to meet climate and social challenges
Streets are the backbones of urban life; when designed with people at their heart, they transform into vibrant social spaces where communities gather, play, rest and move. Streets are also critical infrastructure for climate resilience, for example providing shelter from the heat. Yet, reimagining streets as spaces for people, rather than mere traffic corridors, can face significant backlash.
This policy dialogue brings together a representative of DG MOVE with elected representatives from Brussels-Capital Region, Utrecht, and Zagreb to share the challenges they face and positive steps they are taking in transforming European streets to address today’s social and climate challenges.
Where? Maison d’Irène et Frédéric Joliot-Curie.
More info and registrations here.
17:00 – 19:30
Preparedness in cities: Lessons from Ukraine for a resilient Europe
How can European cities strengthen preparedness for a wide range of risks, from climate impacts and energy insecurity to public health emergencies, cyber threats, and the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine?
On 12 October 2026, Eurocities and the City of Oslo, within the EU-funded SUN4Ukraine project, will host an in-person round table. The event will bring together city practitioners, Ukrainian municipal representatives, and EU stakeholders to exchange practical lessons on emergency management, infrastructure protection, crisis communication, and citizen engagement.
The round table will be opened by the Governing Mayor of Oslo and moderated by André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities. The discussion will draw on Ukraine’s experience of maintaining essential services and supporting residents under sustained threat, while exploring how those lessons can inform preparedness across Europe.
Where? Norway House, Brussels
Registration: Places are limited. Please register in advance to attend here.
Tuesday, 13 October
10:00 – 12:00
Climate resilience in action: An interactive policy dialogue for European municipalities
Climate change impacts are becoming increasingly visible across Europe. From drought, heat waves and water scarcity to extreme rainfall: Europe has experienced them all in 2026. With cascading effects like forest fires, heat stress and flooding as a result. Cities and regions face growing challenges in preparing for future climate risks. Meanwhile, the European Commission is developing a new Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework, which is expected to shape Europe’s approach to climate resilience in the years ahead.
During this interactive policy dialogue, you explore what this new framework could mean for regions, cities and local authorities to explore what support, governance arrangements and investment frameworks are needed to accelerate climate resilience across Europe.
Contributions will include perspectives from the EU institutions, Eurocities, the Urban Agenda Partnership on Water Sensitive Cities and best practices from Twente and Bologna. Heather Books, Eurocities Project and Policy Advisor on Climate, will speak at this session, and insights from the Eurocities Pulse survey on climate resilience will be presented.
Where? Warwick Grand-Place Brussels, Duquesnoystraat 5, 1000 Brussel
Register here by 1 October.
Wednesday, 14 October
8:00 – 18:30
Exploring the world together with Citizen Observatories: Lessons and tools from CitiObs
The CitiObs Horizon Europe project invites you to attend its exciting stand at this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities. The stand will showcase work done with and by Citizen Observatories involved in the project. Visitors will not only find demonstrations of citizen science results, they will be able to test the tools used and developed by CitiObs first-hand and ask our experts about them.
Curious about how Citizen Observatories can boost citizen engagement in your city or region? Ask the project’s Chatbot about citizen-led action and other toolkits and case examples. Not sure if citizen-generated data is for you? Explore the CitObs sensors and air quality maps developed to support policy-making, and ask our experts and citizen scientists to explain common data challenges and how to overcome them.
Where? Square Brussels, Exhibition area, Grand Hall 2
More info and registrations here.
9:00 – 10:30
NetZeroCities: Scaling and implementing climate neutrality across Europe by 2030 – The way forward
Four years after its launch, the EU Cities Mission – helping 100 cities become climate-neutral by 2030 – has moved from strategy to implementation. The NetZeroCities platform supports 112 mission cities in this transition. While cities account for just 4% of land, they house 75% of the population and emit 70% of CO₂.
This workshop will feature testimonies from four mission cities and speeches from targeted stakeholders sharing critical lessons (setbacks, successes, challenges and innovative solutions), followed by a facilitated group discussion. Outcomes and insights from this session will feed into future mission implementation, creating a replicable blueprint for cities across Europe.
Where? Square Brussels, Copper Hall
More info and registrations here.
9:00 – 15:15
Covenant of Mayors Ceremony
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Andriy Sadovyi – Mayor of Lviv, Ukraine
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Aleksandra Dulkiewicz – Mayor of Gdańsk, Poland, Member of the EU Covenant of Mayors’ Board & Member of the European Committee of the Regions
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Luisa Salgueiro – Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal, Member of the EU Covenant of Mayors’ Board & Member of the European Committee of the Regions
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Emil Boc – Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Member of the EU Covenant of Mayors’ Board & Member of the European Committee of the Regions
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Martin Horn – Mayor of Freiburg, Germany, Member of the EU Covenant of Mayors’ Board
More info and registrations here.
11:00 – 12:30
No child left behind: building bridges to adulthood
Too many vulnerable children experience a sharp drop in support as they move into adolescence and adulthood. Early school leaving, leaving care settings or child-focused services can mean facing fragmented systems alone, with education, employment, housing, health and social services working separately.
This workshop will explore how local and regional actors can build more integrated, youth-friendly pathways around young people at key transition moments. It will focus on coordinated support, early guidance, tailored referrals and accompaniment, helping young people. Participants will discuss promising local approaches and ways to strengthen cooperation across sectors and governance levels.
Eurocities Project and Knowledge Sharing Director Nathalie Guri will be the moderator, and Dennis de Vries, Deputy Mayor of Utrecht, will participate as a speaker.
Where? Square Brussels, Hall 400
More info here.
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The European Week of Regions and Cities is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and the European Committee of the Regions. You can view the full programme here.
