Cities and regions at the forefront of innovation: Highlights from European Week of Regions and Cities 2025
How European cities are turning open data into impact through collaboration, innovation, and citizen engagement
The European Week of Regions and Cities 2025 brought together thousands of participants in Brussels to explore how local and regional authorities are shaping Europe’s future. With over 200 sessions covering topics from climate resilience to digital transformations, the event showcased the future of regional innovation under the theme ‘Shaping tomorrow, together’.
In collaboration with Mastercard Europe, the European Data Portal team hosted a session titled ‘Cities leveraging data for impact – showcasing real-life success stories’. In this session moderated by Katarina Kakalikova, Carlos Martins-Ferreira, alongside Mani Dhingra and Olaf OSICA highlighted how the cities of Dublin and Warsaw are using data to drive meaningful change. Through real-life examples, they demonstrated how data-informed decision-making is enhancing public services, improving urban mobility, and promoting inclusive development across both cities.
This session, along with the broader European Week of Regions and Cities programme, underscored the growing importance of open data in empowering cities. By making data accessible and usable, municipalities can foster transparency, stimulate innovation, and engage citizens in co-creating solutions. The EU’s commitment to open data was reinforced throughout the week, emphasising that data is not just a technical asset, but a strategic tool for inclusive and sustainable development.
As cities continue to evolve, the lessons from the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025 serve as a call to embrace data, share knowledge, and collaborate across borders to build smarter, more resilient communities.
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