Brussels, 13/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - With around 7,400 participants mainly representing specialist local, regional and national administrations, and with140 workshops, 217 regions being represented and 900 speakers, the 6th “Open Days” event, as part of the cities and regions European week, came to a close on Thursday 9 October in Brussels and can be described as a great success. “Open Days” was organised by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission's regional policy directorate general. The event again took place in Brussels but 227 decentralised activities also took place in other member states. The Brussels programme, “Regions and Cities Facing the Challenge of Globalisation”, focused on four themes which were discussed in workshops and debates: innovative regions: promoting research, technological development and innovation; sustainable development: regional responses to climate change; cooperation and networking: exchanges of best practices in regional development; looking to the future: cohesion policy for tomorrow. This sixth edition of the Open Days included a presentation on 6 October of the Commission's Green paper on regional cohesion (EUROPE 9755), a boost for an extensive consultation of the regional and national authorities, associations, NGOs, civil society and other organisations, with the aim of deepening a mutual understanding of regional cohesion and its consequences on the future of the Union's regional policy. Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner, French Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Michel Barnier, the representative of the Presidency of the Union and President of the Committee of the Regions Luc Van den Brande used the “Open Days” opening ceremony to begin a new debate on the themes broached in the Green Paper - the publication of which responds to a request made by member states, the European Parliament and Commission. (O.L./transl.rh)