At the invitation of the Metropole Ruhr (Germany), the coordinator of the Network of Regional Hubs, Rainer Steffens, participated in the discussions with representatives of cities and communities from the Ruhr area last week. With about 5 million inhabitants, the Ruhr area is one of the largest and economically strongest regions in Europe. Many of the participants expressed their positive view on the work of the network and would welcome the opportunity to be included in the consultations as stakeholders.