Dear Members of the Regio Peer2Peer Communities,

We would like to remind you about the upcoming Festival of Peer2Peer Communities, scheduled for June 3-4, 2025, in Brussels. This event is a unique opportunity to meet in person after a year of online meetings, allowing us to deepen our connections and explore topics that matter most to our communities.

Registration Update

We e have last places available, and the registration deadline has been extended to April 14th. This extension provides additional time for those who have not yet registered to secure their spot at the event. 

You can fill in the registration survey HERE. 

Attached below you will find the updated agenda of the Festival. What’s new?

We can now confirm the venue. The event will take place in Brussels, Cardo Hotel. 

Update from the HoMA Network meeting in Brussels

Last week, DG REGIO hosted the 3rd Meeting of the Heads of Managing Authorities (HoMA) Network in Brussels, bringing together leaders of Managing Authorities from all 27 EU Member States. The event provided a timely platform to discuss the European Commission's recent communication on A modernized Cohesion policy: The mid-term review.

Discussions centred on integrating new priorities into existing programmes. Managing Authorities shared practical approaches to these evolving demands, including the use of AI tools in programme implementation, practical knowledge on utilizing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), first-hand experience with Financing Not Linked to Costs, and many other innovative solutions. These exchanges underscored ongoing efforts to enhance the responsiveness and effectiveness of Cohesion Policy in addressing current and emerging EU priorities.

Topics discussed at the HoMA Network in Brussels highlighted the most pressing challenges Managing Authorities currently face. 

Goals of the Festival

The Festival of Peer2Peer Communities aims to bring together practitioners from across Europe to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing. We planned the event with following objectives in mind:

- In-person engagement and networking: After a year of virtual interactions, this event offers a valuable chance to connect face-to-face, build trust-based relationship necessary for meaningful exchange of experiences and expand professional networks.

- Dynamic discussions on important topics: Back in February we asked Members about your current interests to ensure that the Festival’s discussions are relevant and tailored to the needs of our Members. 

- Knowledge exchange: Sharing insights, experiences, and best practices to enhance the implementation of Cohesion and Just Transition Funds. We’re hoping that exchanges between Members of different communities will result in some cross community discussions continued after the Festival.

- Celebrate Communities’ Achievements: The event will also serve as a platform to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our Communities’ Champions, whose engagement, dedication and leadership have been instrumental in driving progress.

Next steps

We plan to close the registration on the 14th of April. By then we will know which communities gathered enough participants to have a breakout session and we will start communicating results individually.

After the registration we will help our Members develop detailed agendas and materials for breakout sessions. We will update you on the process in our next newsletter.

Should you have any questions in the meantime feel free to contact us at gbl_regio_p2p@pwc.com.  

We look forward to seeing you in Brussels!