On Europe Day, 9 May 2025, mayors, civic innovators, and international organisations from across the continent gathered online for the Cities for Democracy and Innovation Virtual Summit. Jointly hosted by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and Eurocities, the summit was both a celebration of European unity and a resounding call to defend democratic values at the local level.

The event also served as a platform for solidarity with local leaders from Turkey, where Ekrem İmamoğlu, the elected Mayor of Istanbul, was recently imprisoned. His arrest has triggered widespread condemnation, with over 84 European mayors and four international organisations signing a statement in his defense.

“On Europe Day, we don’t forget about Istanbul’s situation, its mayor, or any political leader under threat,” said André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities. “A more democratic Europe starts in cities.”

Eurocities has made defending democracy a central priority under the leadership of Burkhard Jung, its current President and Mayor of Leipzig. In the past two years, the network has adopted a shared declaration of values centred on democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

When İmamoğlu first faced politically motivated prosecution in 2022, Eurocities dispatched a delegation of mayors to Istanbul in solidarity. Upon his arrest in March 2025, the organisation’s leadership swiftly called for his release and urged the EU to act.

And most recently, in April 2025, cities leaders adopted the Eurocities Leipzig declaration on local democracy at the ‘Upgrading Local Democracy’ event in Leipzig, which gathered city leaders, democracy advocates, and youth representatives from across Europe to rethink and reinvigorate democratic practices from the ground up.

Speaking at the summit, Professor Doctor Volkan Demir, Secretary General of Istanbul, reminded participants of the broader values at stake: “Europe Day is a moment to commemorate the founding ideals of peace and unity in Europe, but also to reinforce our commitment to democracy and solidarity at every level of governance. Innovation and inclusion are at the heart of our democratic transformation.”

Cities: the first line of defence for democracy

Cities are the closest level of government to the people, and that proximity gives them both power and responsibility. Throughout the summit, local leaders reiterated that safeguarding democracy requires constant vigilance and meaningful participation from both officials and citizens.

Vassil Terziev, Mayor of Sofia, shared how his city is actively working to embed democratic practices into daily governance. “Democracy is expensive, but it is the best model we have,” he said.  For Terziev, the key lies in proximity: understanding citizens’ realities, being transparent, and making participation both accessible and meaningful.

Sofia has made strides in opening up financial and urban planning data to the public, enabling citizens to understand when and how to get involved. Through participatory funding models and local engagement, residents become active contributors, and not just observers, in shaping the future of their city. “Citizens have rights, but they also have a responsibility,” he added. “Democracy starts with educating people on freedom and the consequences of their choices.”

Erik Lae Solberg, Mayor of Oslo, echoed these views, highlighting the transformative potential of citizen engagement. Oslo has invited residents into complex policy decisions, such as restructuring the city’s school system. “Citizens must be empowered to be active actors of democracy,” Solberg said. “If we as leaders speak out and listen, our citizens will respond with a sense of solidarity.”

He also stressed the role of accessible information and a free press in enabling citizens to make informed decisions. In his words, “transparency builds trust, and trust is the foundation of democratic resilience”.

Dario Nardella, former Mayor of Florence and Eurocities President, and now Member of the European Parliament, placed the discussion in a broader geopolitical context. “Democracy is not an achievement we can take for granted, it must be nurtured every day,” he said. Citing worrying trends in democratic backsliding, from Hungary to Turkey, Nardella called for cities to be “protagonists” in the democratic renewal of Europe.  He stated: “Cities are places of dialogue, not division. They don’t build walls, they build bridges.”

The Mayor championed the idea of cities as social laboratories, where innovation and civic engagement intersect to create inclusive, bottom-up democratic models. For Nardella, the future of Europe depends on empowering cities to act beyond administrative boundaries and to take on leadership in shaping democratic values and partnerships.

Strengthening multi-level governance

A recurring theme throughout the summit was the need for collaboration between cities, national governments, and European institutions. While local leaders can act quickly and effectively, structural challenges such as centralisation often hinder their potential.

Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga, emphasised that cities must help bridge the widening gap between citizens and larger political institutions. “People trust local authorities more than national or international bodies,” he said. “We are closer and more available to listen to them, to realise their ambitions, and to respond directly to their concerns.”

For Rio, a healthy democratic system depends on well-functioning local governance that is not isolated from broader policy-making, but actively contributes to it. He warned against viewing decentralisation as a threat to national unity, arguing instead for collaboration: “This is not a competitive approach with central governments. We are making our capacity to deliver more available, for the common good.”

André Sobczak outlined how city networks, such as Eurocities, are already operationalising this collaborative model. With over 50 working groups on themes from participatory budgeting and climate adaptation to social inclusion and child welfare, Eurocities fosters a space where local administrations can share challenges, develop innovative solutions, and co-create policies.

“Cities are better placed to meet citizens’ expectations than national or EU institutions, which can feel distant,” Sobczak noted. “Mayors are in a unique position to broker compromises that benefit their communities.” He also highlighted the importance of enabling cities to access EU funds and influence regulations that directly affect local realities.

A united stand for democratic values

The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu was a central concern, uniting city leaders in a strong expression of international solidarity. Mustafa Ostan Turan, Advisor to the Mayor of Istanbul, issued a powerful reminder of what is at stake. “The role of cities in strengthening democracy and innovation is more vital than ever,” he said.

Against the backdrop of democratic erosion in Turkey, and the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Turan described city diplomacy not just as a political strategy, but as a matter of democratic survival. “We will not allow our city to become isolated, nor our democratic memory to fail,” he declared. Turan called for multilateral cooperation among cities and likened international municipal alliances to state-level diplomacy: building strategic partnerships through shared values and practical cooperation.

Turan and Sobczak both emphasised that cities cannot face today’s complex challenges alone. From the climate crisis to social inequality and political repression, solutions must be co-designed and scaled through meaningful intergovernmental cooperation. “When national institutions are weakened,” Turan warned, “cities must rise. And when cities rise together, they are stronger.”

Beyond city halls: citizens, youth, and innovators

The summit also highlighted that democracy is not the sole responsibility of public institutions. Civic innovators, youth activists, startups and cultural organisations all have essential roles to play in shaping democratic societies.

Rukiye Aydin Türktas, Director of the Department of Information Technologies in Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, stressed that cities must equip citizens to be “ready for change,” by creating real opportunities for participation.

Turan pointed to digital tools as a way to involve residents in urban planning and decision-making, helping bridge the gap between citizens and policy. Youth representantives challenged city leaders to protect civil spaces: “If you cannot be on the streets with us, make the streets safe for us.”

Cultural diplomacy was another powerful theme. Rio highlighted how Braga’s engagement in international creative city networks fosters not just cultural vibrancy but also economic development, inclusion, and social cohesion. “Culture is a key element in strengthening community ties and promoting democratic values,” he argued.

Civic tech startups, youth organisations, academics, and cultural institutions all play a role in strengthening democracy at the local level. Speakers stressed the need for closer cooperation between city governments and these actors to improve transparency, increase citizen participation, and respond more effectively to social and political challenges.

The summit highlighted that building democratic resilience cannot be achieved by public institutions working in isolation, but requires collaboration between different levels of government, with other cities, and with the involvement of social and civic actors, including citizens. Given their proximity to all these elements, cities are uniquely positioned to realise this vision.

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Learn more about the discussions at Eurocities Upgrading local democracy event, held in Leipzig on 7-8 April 2025.

Read the Eurocities Leipzig declaration on local democracy.

Read Eurocities statement in support of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, signed by 75 mayors.

Rewatch the livestreaming of the Virtual Summit.