"One week before the opening of the registrations, one thousand people have already registered with the Open Days 2008 European Week of Regions and Cities". The event, which is run by the EU Commission and the Committee of the Regions, is targeted to the local authorities (216 have already registered) and to economic and political players. Every year, the event draws thousand of people to Brussels. This year’s event will be held from 6th to 9th October. The opening session will be attended by the French Prime Minister François Fillon and the president of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso. The schedule includes conferences, exhibitions, round tables and 143 workshops on four major themes: "Innovating the regions"; "Sustainable development"; "Cooperation and Networking"; "A glance to the future: the European cohesion policy". The organisers say they expect 5 thousand delegates to come to Brussels and make an appeal to speed up the registration formalities so the event can be organised in the best possible way. Participation in the workshops is free, for up to 15 thousand people. The official website for enquiries and registrations is www.opendays.europa.eu. In addition to the Brussels events, another 235 will be held in 32 European countries on those same days.
