With the headline of 'Europe's regions and cities: partners for investment and growth', 2015 will be structured around three thematic priorities under which participants are invited to address challenges and solutions related to management and implementation issues as well as the cross-border, inter-regional or transnational dimension. The thematic priorities are:

1) Modernising Europe: The regions in the Energy Union and the Single Digital Market

Policies to promote the European Energy Union and the Single Digital Market offer important new opportunities for growth and jobs. The new EU regional and urban policy programmes can make a significant contribution to policy implementation in both cases. Drawing on past experience, this sub-theme presents an opportunity to discuss how the new programmes and projects can help to make the EU the world number one in renewable energy and energy efficiency and create a vibrant knowledge-based society.

2) Regions open for business: SME development, innovation and job creation

Some 99% of businesses in Europe are SMEs. They provide two out of three jobs in the private sector and contribute to more than half of the total value added generated by EU businesses. The new EU programmes (2014-2020) can draw on considerable experience in SME promotion in the regions. This sub-theme provides an opportunity for an exchange of experience in this field covering the best practices in the conception and implementation of SME aid schemes and how to foster innovative capacity in SMEs, including links to Smart Specialisation Strategies and how regions can develop more micro enterprises.

3) Places and spaces: Urban and rural development, urban-rural integration

EU actions in the urban areas have played a key role in using the potential in cities for innovation and new economic activities, addressing acute problems of social cohesion often arising in deprived urban areas and promoting greater balance in the national and European urban network.  This sub-theme will focus on how EU regional and urban programmes can promote more balanced territorial development, how to promote rural competitiveness and reduce the rural-urban drift of population. The special challenge of border cities and border rural hinterlands will be addressed under this theme.