Regional representatives from around Europe will participate on the biggest annual event in the world of regional and urban policy, the OPEN DAYS 2012 – that will take place on 8-11 October, in the frameworkd of final talks on the EU budget, and when major reforms of how the structural funds operate are on the table.

Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, will open the OPEN DAYS 2012with a debate which will also count with Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Regional Policy, and Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President of the Committee of the Regions. The debate will focus on the central role of EU Cohesion Policy in investing in Europe's economic recovery, and realising the Europe 2020 goals. Open Days 2012 were announced in July 2012.

According to the organisers, the OPEN DAYS 2012 will help to show how EU Regional Policy is being delivered by redirecting funds where they are most needed our estimates show how EU investment has provided access to finance for at least 56,000 SMEs; also, combined with the Barroso Initiative it has helped 460,000 young people into programmes to combat unemployment, and 450,000 jobs have been created by enterprises supported by EU structural funds since 2007.

Furthermore, the organisers underlined that the Open Days will help define the policy for the future: Regional policy representatives will take part in more than 100 seminars and workshops – under the banner of 'Europe's Regions and Cities: Making a Difference'. The focus will be on key priorities for the next funding period 2014-2020.