Halfway through its six month run, the World Expo has already attracted some 37 million visitors, and shown them what sustainable urban development is all about. Among its attractions, the Expo is presenting a vision of the future for the world's city-dwellers. Cultural and sportive expressions will continue to fill the agenda at the European Expo pavilion.

So far, around 30 000 visitors a day have been coming to the Belgian-EU pavillon, in tune with overall theme of the Expo: 'better city - better life', to explore European ideas about the sustainable cities of the future with its 3D animated tour on 'green Europe' covering EU initiatives on climate protection and urban environments.

EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht stressed the importance of the trade in cutting-edge environmental technology when he visited the Expo for the "Trade Days" at the end of July. China is Europe's fastest-growing export market, importing EU goods worth €82 billion in 2009.

'A greener Europe for a greener world' will be the theme for a meeting between European and Chinese experts in September. One topic for discussion will be the increased cooperation on urban development, a topic which has been developed in several times as it was addressed by Commission's report 'World and European Sustainable Cities'.The publication examines how continuous urbanisation can be reconciled with sustainable and inclusive growth.

Culture and Sport at the European Shanghai Expo Pavilion

Aside from the big displays on cities of the future, the next 3 months will feature plenty of European culture for visitors to experience first-hand. In early September, visitors to the EU pavilion, in the Shanghai World Expo 2010, will have a chance to sample live opera at the European opera festival. That will be followed by European Night of the Arts in October, when young artists from all over Europe will turn the whole European zone into a gigantic open-air stage.

And football will feature again in the second half of the Expo. During the World Cup, matches were screened live in front of the Belgian-EU pavilion; at the end of September, pavilion-patron and UEFA-president Michel Platini will be drawing crowds to the EU pavilion for the European football festival.