Event
28/09/2026 - 01/10/2026 Brussels, Belgium

Connecting Europe Days 2026

Do not miss the European Commission's mobility flagship event. Connecting Europe Days will take place from 28 September to 1 October 2026 in Brussels, Belgium.

Connecting Europe Days brings together policy-makers, financial institutions, industry leaders, and transport stakeholders to discuss and shape the future of the European transport sector.

This year's edition will focus on competitiveness, resilience, and global connectivity as pillars of Europe's transport system. Given the rising uncertainty in global relations, this conference will examine how transport and connectivity policies can enhance not only competitiveness, autonomy, and resilience of supply chains, but also the role of military mobility.

The draft programme is available here. Registrations are now open.

Register here


POLIS and member sessions

Find out more about where to find POLIS members and staff during the CED, both through the official programme and through side events.

Official programme
  • Session 11: Multimodal hubs in urban nodes
    • Description: The session will explore how urban nodes enhance multimodal transport efficiency along the TEN-T network. By emphasising coordination between long-distance and local transport, the session looks at how seamless first and last-mile journeys shift urban nodes from bottlenecks to facilitators of better connectivity.
    • When: 29 September 2026 | 11:00-12:30
    • Where: Studio 214+216
    • Featured POLIS members:
      • Françoise Guaspare, Senior Policy Advisor, Île-de-France Europe, Urban Nodes subgroup leader, Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM)

  • Session 13: Connecting transport and tourism through the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy
    • Description: This session will look at solutions for more efficient local transport, smart mobility and seamless first- and last-mile connections that shape the overall visitor experience. Connectivity shapes travel choices, helping to attract and distribute tourism flows towards lesser-known destinations and attractions.
    • When: 29 September 2026 | 11:00-12:30
    • Where: Studio 311+312
    • Featured POLIS members:

  • Session 14: The role of the Social Climate Fund in addressing transport poverty
    • Description: The session will provide a platform to explore ways to address transport poverty and understand how the Social Climate Fund can be effectively utilised for a socially fair transition towards sustainable mobility, to support vulnerable households, microenterprises, and transport users.
    • When: 29 September 2026 | 11:00-12:30
    • Where: Studio 314+316
    • Featured POLIS secretariat:

  • Session 17: Safer roads and streets: infrastructure to support vulnerable road users
    • Description: This session presents work on the EU’s ‘Guidance on the design of “forgiving roadsides”, “self-explaining and self-enforcing roads”, and quality requirements for road infrastructure for vulnerable road users’, focusing on urban and other key settings.
    • When: 29 September 2026 | 11:00-12:30
    • Where: Studio 313+315
    • Featured POLIS members:
      • Maria Jose Aparicio Sanchiz, General Coordinator of Mobility Madrid



Members' events

The Nordic Gateway, formed by POLIS member Helsinki-Uusimaa and the Southwest Finland and Tampere regions, is organising a reception on 'Strengthening strategic cross-border connectivity in Northern Europe
– advancing the TEN-T network between the Nordic and Baltic cities'. Today, Finland remains heavily dependent on maritime transport through the geopolitically sensitive Baltic Sea, with 97% of its exports and imports transported by sea. Better connections across the Baltic Sea would diversify transport routes, improve crisis preparedness, and strengthen Northern Europe's integration into the European transport network.

The event will bring together Nordic Gateway stakeholders, along with representatives from Stockholm, Tallinn, and Scandria Alliance. 

  • When: 28 September 2026 | 18:00
  • Where: Helsinki EU Office, Rue Guimard 7, 1040 Brussels

Register here


Working Group events

POLIS' Urban Nodes Taskforce and Access Working Group, together with the Scandria Alliance and the BSR Urban Mobility Interreg project platform, are organising an in-person workshop to take stock of where urban nodes stand in meeting their new obligations and what still needs to happen. It will examine how cities are being integrated into TEN-T corridor governance, where multi-level cooperation is working, and where gaps in policy, capacity, and funding remain. The goal is a frank dialogue between urban nodes, national authorities, and EU policymakers to identify what support cities need and how EU funding under the next MFF can better align with TEN-T requirements.

  • When: 1 October 2026 | 13:00-15:30
  • Where: Oslo Region European Office, Nordic House, Rue du Luxembourg 3 / 5 1000 Brussels

Register here