The Europe of ‘Brussels’ and the Europe of member states continue to turn off European voters. Reversing a hierarchical and pyramid approach, taking the most innovative grassroots initiatives to a higher level and sharing them with the greatest number would be in keeping with the way our societies are evolving. The spirit and practices of participatory democracy would make Europe more effective and more exciting.

In the United States, the Conference of Mayors, present this week in Brussels, is an association of 1,000 American cities pushing the federal government towards energy and climate solutions based on partnership with the states. In Europe, the Covenant of Mayors for sustainable local energy, created in early 2009, has a similar discourse and so far has more than 700 signatories. Some 20 presidents of European regions launched the idea, in July, of a European ‘territorial pact’ to push the EU and member states to involve infrastate players in their economic recovery strategies as a means of ‘emerging stronger from the crisis’. The Committee of the Regions’ white paper, adopted in June and which includes a consultation process until 30 November, invites the EU institutions and member states to involve regional and local authorities more closely in the development and implementation of all EU policies.

The spirit of this necessary and much sought-after reform permeates the programme of the European Week of Regions and Cities, the seventh and largest ever Open Days, taking place in Brussels, from 5 to 8 October 2009. The event is organised by the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, in collaboration with more than 200 public and private partners. It is a unique opportunity for interaction between national, regional and local authorities, civil servants and experts from every region in Europe, representatives of major European companies and the banking sector, professional federations and NGOs, civil society organisations and media from around the world.

Europolitics, the benchmark publication for EU affairs, presents in this special issue - written by independent journalists - some of the key subjects on this year’s agenda. The articles make it clear that a Europe of partnerships is a fundamental demand and that the fate of the Lisbon Treaty would have been different had there been a change of tack sooner. It is time for this appeal to be heard.