From 13 to 15 October 2025, Brussels, Belgium, will host the European Week of Regions and Cities (EURegionsWeek), a key European event in the field of regional policy. The event provides the largest annual platform for dialogue between representatives of regions and cities, as well as European institutions and experts.

As part of EURegionsWeek, a roundtable discussion will be held on 14 October on the topic: "Regional Development as the Basis for Ukraine’s Path to EU Integration". This event is organised by the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA) in partnership with the Swiss-Ukrainian project "Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development" (UCORD). UCORD is implemented with support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, by NIRAS Sweden AB, in partnership with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

The event aims to reinforce the role of regional development agencies in Ukraine as key stakeholders in processes of recovery, sustainability, and European integration. Participants will share their experiences of effective governance, fund management, and innovation in regional policy.

The main event of the roundtable will be the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between EURADA and the Ukrainian Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). This will consolidate institutional cooperation and strengthen the integration of Ukrainian RDAs into the European community of development specialists.

Invited to participate in the event are representatives of six pilot regional development agencies from the Vinnytsia, Volyn, Odesa, Sumy, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi regions, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, as well as regional state administrations, European experts from the OECD, the Regional Council of Brittany (France), the CEEVO agency (France) and the ZG RAZVOJ agency (Zagreb, Croatia).

This roundtable is an important practical step towards Ukraine’s accession to the EU. It is aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of key stakeholders in regional development in Ukraine.

The Decentralisation Portal will report on the events of the European Week of Regions and Cities, enabling Ukrainian communities, development agencies, and local authorities to be among the first to learn about the key messages, decisions, and opportunities arising for Ukraine on its path to the EU.

The European Week of Regions and Cities is the biggest annual Brussels-based event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union Cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance.

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.