On 12 October, an international discussion “Regional pathways to turn crisis into competitive advantage: from adversities to opportunities” will be held in Brussels. The event is organised by “Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development” (UCORD) Project, in partnership with the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA).

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The event will be held within the framework of the EURegionsWeek Close to You programme, part of European Week of Regions and Cities.

The event will bring together representatives of European institutions, financial organisations, the expert community, and regional development agencies. The discussion will focus on the ability of regions to maintain and strengthen their competitiveness in a time of geopolitical and economic instability, technological change, energy challenges, and military threats.

The event will open with welcoming remarks from Vitalii Bezgin, Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, and Cristina Oyon, Vice-President of EURADA and Deputy Director of the Basque Agency for Business Development (SPRI).

The closing session will host a presentation by Maryna Bryl, UCORD Project Leader, and Theo Föllings, President of EURADA and Director of Programs at Oost NL.

The programme will consist of two thematic sections.

The first section is a political debate “Rethinking competitiveness in an era of uncertainty”. Its participants will discuss new approaches to supporting research and innovation, investment strategies in times of uncertainty, the role of the European Investment Bank in the EU future cohesion policy, and how to measure regions’ ability to adapt to crises.

The discussion will feature Paolo Pasimeni, Chief Economist at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation; Anabela M. Santos, an expert at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre; Bianca Faragau Tavares, a representative of the European Investment Bank; and Hannah Abdullah, a senior fellow with the GMF Cities programme.

Ukraine will be the focus of particular attention. Its private sector is demonstrating resilience in the face of unprecedented losses and is playing a vital role in the country’s recovery and reconstruction. At the same time, public authorities, regional development agencies, and innovation intermediaries are building institutional capacity to support economic activity, business continuity, and the planning of regional recovery and modernisation.

The second part of the event is a discussion “Stories of Regional Resilience”. It will focus on the practical experiences of the regions: the work of regional development agencies in wartime conditions, combining responses to immediate needs with preparations for recovery, and opportunities for inter-regional cooperation.

The session will be attended by Tetiana Shulha, Sector Manager at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy; Daniel Janeiro, Head of External Relations at the Alentejo Regional Development Agency; Vitalii Rastorhuiev, Director of the Sumy Regional Development Agency, and Serhii Kononenko, Director of the Odesa Regional Development Agency.

The event will be held within the framework of the EURegionsWeek Close to You programme during European Week of Regions and Cities.

European Week of Regions and Cities, or EURegionsWeek, is the EU’s biggest annual event dedicated to cohesion policy and regional and urban development. It has been jointly organised since 2003 by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the European Committee of the Regions.

The 24th European Week of Regions and Cities will be held in Brussels on 12–14 October 2026 under the slogan “Strong regions, strong Europe”. It will bring together representatives from European, national, regional, and local authorities, the business community, the academic and expert community, the media, and civil society.

The programme includes political debates, thematic sessions, practical workshops, presentations of successful projects, networking, and the REGIOSTARS awards ceremony, which recognises the best regional development projects. The week is a platform for exchanging experiences, forging partnerships, and discussing how cohesion policy can address the diverse needs of territories: from economic transformation and skills shortages to the development of services and strengthening the resilience of communities.

EURegionsWeek Close to You programme offers the opportunity to hold themed events not only in Brussels, but also in communities and regions across Europe and beyond. It will run from 12 October to 20 December. As part of this programme, UCORD and EURADA are organising a discussion on regional competitiveness, resilience, and recovery of Ukraine.

Follow the Decentralisation portal – we will report on this discussion and other events during the European Week of Regions and Cities that are important for Ukrainian communities and regions.

UCORD is implemented with the support of Switzerland by NIRAS Sweden AB.