ICLEI Europe, its Members and partners will be part of the 20th edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy. This year’s EWRC will take place in-person on 10-13 October 2022.
Event sessions will all sit under the overarching theme “New challenges for Europe’s cohesion”. This will provide the opportunity to debate and exchange best practices and ideas across four themes: green transition, territorial cohesion, digital transition, and youth empowerment.
ICLEI Europe has a long legacy of being closely involved in the EWRC, and this year is no exception! Browse through the links below to see how you can connect with ICLEI and our community at the event.
11 October 2022
Farm to Fork Procurement for regional food resilience
Online - 16:30 PM to 18:00 CET
This 20th anniversary high-level workshop calls for a minimum standard for public canteens, and in particular for healthy school meals and food education for every child in every school in Europe. The EU Farm to Fork Strategy aims to develop minimum mandatory criteria for food procurement and to revise the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme. This session will show the potential of public canteens, and in particular schools, as catalysts for sustainable food system transformation and for resilient food economies and regions in Europe. Within the scope of this session and the current momentum for organizations, networks and other actors to convey their expectations towards the transformation of our current food system, ICLEI launched a EU-wide petition, offering the general public the opportunity to support ICLEI’s efforts. Sign the petition here!
Transformative pathways for a more resilient, regional development in Europe and beyond
Online - 16:30 to 18:00 CET
This participatory lab will summarise and leverage regional innovation for climate adaptation, featuring case studies and good practices on a variety of topics, from Nature-Based Solutions and biodiversity to flooding prevention, tackling droughts and heat waves and fighting water scarcity. The session will not only target local and regional governments, but also individuals, policy-makers and businesses.
12 October 2022
The EU Nature Restoration Law and its urban greening targets: implications for local policy makers
Online - 09:30 to 11:00 CET
This workshop will shed light on the recently launched proposal for an EU Nature Restoration Law from a European, regional and city perspective and how it fits within the framework of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030; how it forms a key part of the EU's contribution to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; and, finally, describing the main elements of the legal proposal and its urban greening targets. Experts in sustainable regional and local policy and planning will reflect on the implications of the Nature Restoration Law for local and sub-national authorities, and for decision-makers, in terms of planning, governance, management and monitoring mechanisms.
Assessing Climate services for ecosystem-based adaptation in European Coastal Cities and Towns
Online - 09:30 to 11:00 CET
This participatory lab will gather coastal cities and towns, exploiting world café format discussions to foster peer-to-peer learning. The session will critically assess and provide early feedback to the initial outputs from the fast-track version of the platform developed within the CoCliCo project, to better understand their challenges, needs and opportunities.
Climate-neutral and resilient historic districts : Findings from the EU R&I Task Force
Online- 11:30 to 13:00 CET
This workshop will focus on climate-neutral and resilient historic urban districts, established by EU-funded research projects ARCH, HYPERIOn and SHELTER. The session will explore methods and tools for assessing the resilience of historic districts; and research and policy recommendations to address resilience challenges facing historic districts.
The Green City Accord: Driving the green transition through political will and practical action
Online - 12:30 to 13:30 CET
The Green City Accord information session will offer exclusive insights from signatory cities about how cities can boost local environmental activities as part of the European Commission initiative, while meeting and advancing local priorities. The interactive conversation, led by ICLEI Member Munich (Germany), will explore cities' rationale for joining the Accord and will offer ample time for the audience to ask questions and interact.
13 October 2022
Launch of the urban greening plans: what it means for my city or region
Workshop - Online 13/10/2022 11:30-13:00 CET
To help reverse biodiversity loss within and around urban areas, the EU has called on European cities of more than 20,000 inhabitants to develop ambitious Urban Greening Plans (UGPs) aligned with its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. In this workshop, the EC Urban Green Platform will be launched which includes crucial guidance as well as a toolkit to support cities in developing and implementing their UGPs. The session will further inform about the linkages of the UGP initiative with major EU policies and about how cities can access key resources, including financing and funding.
For more information and to register for the 2022 European Week of Regions and Cities, click here.