This session takes the form of a debate between senior EU officials on the European Recovery Plan and cohesion policy. The panel will include the Director-General of the European Commission's DG REGIO and a member of the European Parliament, and will be chaired by John Bachtler, Head of the European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde. It will focus on questions related to the dynamics of the negotiations, the influence of different players and the role of evidence and research in the reform of EU cohesion policy.

The #EURegionsWeekCollege is the replacement for the face-to-face masterclass that has taken place in previous years. The online format offers a unique opportunity to open the masterclass to a broader and more inclusive audience and hence an open invitation is issued to the European early career and student community.

The #EURegionsWeekCollege is specifically designed for students and early career researchers and forms part of the capacity-building efforts of the #EURegionsWeek partners. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussions.

The #EURegionsWeekCollege webinar series is organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), advised by the Regional Studies Association European Foundation (RSA Europe), and with the cooperation of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) and the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP). This combination of input ensures an expert-led and balanced programme of events aimed at building capacity in the European research community.