PRESS RELEASE: The 2011 OPEN DAYS Investing in Europe's future: Regions and cities delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth This year 2011 OPEN DAYS featured 110 workshops and 5700 participants debating the proposed cohesion policy regulations and the three themes Europe 2020, better delivery and geography matters. Each edition has seen a growing leading role of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) in providing scientific input and in coordinating an increasing number of technical sessions. This year the RSA offered five well attended sessions coordinated by international scholars - namely:
Towards a European Union of smart cities and regions. Planning territorial strategies chaired by Gordon MacLeod; Beyond the capitals: Prospects for middle sized cities, chaired by John Tomaney; Regional Resilience, chaired by Martin Jones; Smart Specialisation and EU Cohesion: Theory, empirics and policy, chaired by Philip McCann, and; Mono sectoral cities, chaired by David Bailey. th
th
Held between 10 and 13 October, the 2011 OPEN DAYS was timely in the middle of an intensive political debate with the European Commission's proposals cohesion policy 2014-2020 just published some days earlier .Committee of the Regions' President Mercedes Bresso regarded this year’s OPEN DAYS as “(…)the first opportunity to discuss the legislative package on the future regional policy. In these times of crisis, we have to ensure that every Euro spent at EU level delivers real impact on the ground and strengthens the citizens' feeling of solidarity." The event saw the participation of Regional Policy Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, who defined the OPEN DAYS 2011 as “…a golden opportunity for our regional partners to join in on the debate on the future of cohesion policy which is now in full swing (…). David Bailey, chair of the RSA commented: “the 2011 OPEN DAYS is a tribute to exchanging, sharing and advancing knowledge, truly reflecting the Association mission and modus operandi.” The Regional Studies Association was also the coordinator of the 2011 OPEN DAYS Poster Competition for early career researchers, which this year saw almost 80 entries from more than 20 countries.
From the left: Veronica Gaffey , Acting Director, Policy Development , DG for Regional Policy, European Commission and Anne Nygaard Tanner, winner of the 2011 OPEN DAYS Poster Competition
The Poster Where do high tech industries of the 21st century locate? And how can regional policy attract new industries? presented by Anne Nygaard Tanner (Technical University of Denmark) won the Poster Competition, while Andrei Mitrea (Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning Bucharest, Romania) was the first runner-up.
Veronica Gaffey, Acting Director, Policy Development, DG for Regional Policy European Commission thanked Sally Hardy, RSA chief executive officer for the continuous support provided by the Association in promoting the activities of DG Regio, and for being an essential partner in the policy debate around key themes in the EU. ends INFO FOR EDITORS: Founded in 1965, the Regional Studies Association (RSA) is the leading international learned society in the field of regional studies, providing an authoritative voice of and network for academics, students, practitioners and policy makers working in regional studies. The association provides and promotes a rich mix of opportunities for building collaborations and knowledge exchange. It supports and funds research and its dissemination, including the publication of two international journal Regional Studies and Spatial Economic Analysis, two magazines Regions and Regional Insights, and Regions and Cities book series. Regional Studies Association, PO Box 2058, Seaford, BN25 4QU, United Kingdom Tel: 00 44 (0)1323 899 698 – Fax: 00 44 (0)1323 899 798 Email: rsa@regionalstudies.org – www.regionalstudies.org Reg. Charity No. 1084165 – Reg. in England and Wales No. 4116288
facebook.com/regionalstudiesassociation linkedin.com/in/regionalstudiesassociation twitter.com/RSA_learned thersablog.com