On 12 October 2020, Roberto Ciambetti, the President of the Veneto Regional Council and head of the Italian delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, spoke on behalf of the ECR Group during the opening ceremony of the 18th edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) and subsequent debate on "Cohesion and Cooperation". Elisa Ferreira, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms as well as Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), were present and participated in the debate. 

The EWRC is the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to regional policy, jointly organized by the CoR and DG REGIO. This year, the event "virtually" brings together regions and cities from all over Europe, with more than 800+ partners and thousands of attending participants.

The opening session highlighted the role of new cohesion policy 2021-2027 for the European recovery post COVID-19. The debate focused on the need for a reinvigorated cohesion policy helping regional and local authorities to manage the COVID-19 emergency as well as to respond to possible future emergencies.  

In his opening speech, Mr. Ciambetti said: "The pandemic has reminded us of the importance of cohesion policy, which is one of the pillars on which the European Union is founded. In Veneto, we used the resources still available on the 2014-2020 Regional Operational Programs to provide an effective response and concrete to the emergency. Overall, € 254 ​million were directed towards four priorities: health emergency, economic activities, work and social".

Throughout his speech, Mr. Ciambetti devoted significant attention to cohesion policy and how it may evolve in the coming years, "I hope that in the future cohesion policy will not be influenced by ideology and will remain an instrument from which all regions can benefit, while respecting the same conditions, regardless of their political positioning".

​In conclusion, Roberto Ciambetti reiterated the diversity and specificities that make individual regions unique, "we will be able to remain united only by respecting our differences."