By Burkhard Jung, President of Eurocities and Mayor of Leipzig.
The story of my city, Leipzig, in 1989 illuminates the power of local communities, and why Europe’s city leaders are committed to protecting our shared democratic values.
On 9 October that year, more than 70,000 people took to the streets to demonstrate against the authoritarian machinery of the German Democratic Republic. Their protest, peaceful yet resolute, called not just for change, but for dignity, an end to oppression and the beginning of a democratic future.
A month later, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. It was not the tanks or the treaties that brought this incredible change, but the courage of ordinary people and the moral clarity of those who stood with them at the local level.
Today, as we mark Europe Day, a celebration of peace and unity throughout Europe, we are once again living in a time where that same courage is needed. A time that will define the people of Europe for generations to come.
Around the world, we see democratic values under pressure, from growing authoritarianism to attacks on independent institutions and the creeping normalisation of injustice. But these are not abstract threats.
These threats are profoundly local. They appear in our communities when voices are silenced, when protest is criminalised, when human rights are traded for geopolitical convenience. We must not let this become normalised.
Look to Turkey. In recent months, the arbitrary imprisonment of opposition figures and scholars has intensified.
One case, that of my friend, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, who many of my fellow mayors have already publicly defended, has received a lot of media attention, but very muted and tepid responses from our own national levels.
Let me be as clear as I can. This was not merely an attack on an individual, but on the rule of law and on the democratic fabric of the country.
Another recent story shines light on what democratic conviction looks like. US Senator Cory Booker delivered an uninterrupted speech lasting over 25 hours. Without pause or break, he stood firmly against radical and corrosive attacks on public institutions coming from the highest levels of power.
His words were clear: “These are not normal times…and they should not be treated as such.” His stamina was not only physical, it was moral. It demonstrated what democratic leadership looks like when met with moral crisis.
In both stories, we find a shared truth: democracy is protected not by slogans, but by action.
Whether standing at the podium for a day and a night, or standing up to state repression, these acts of leadership set the tone for what is possible. They are the front line in our collective defence of democratic norms.
So, what actions are local leaders taking to protect our communities?
Now, as wars rage, institutions wobble, and extremism gains ground, mayors across Europe are working to ensure our cities and towns become sanctuaries of democratic resilience.
In Europe, where democratic institutions remain largely intact, local leaders have both the burden and the responsibility to act as examples. This is not only about defending borders, it is about defending principles.
This was the spirit behind the Eurocities Leipzig declaration on local democracy, published earlier this month following the Upgrading Local Democracy event in Leipzig. This important event gathered city leaders, democracy advocates, and youth representatives from across Europe to rethink and reinvigorate democratic practices from the ground up.
The declaration pledges to uphold democratic values, gender-balanced representation, citizen inclusion, and opposition to hate speech.
It urges EU leaders to create a formal strategic dialogue with local governments and to ensure city voices are represented in key policy and budgetary decisions, particularly the upcoming seven-year EU budget.
Through this declaration, we are making it clear that democracy lives or dies not in distant capitals, but in local councils, community centres, and neighbourhood meetings.
It is shaped in the daily decisions made by those closest to the people, by those who choose transparency over expediency, and justice over convenience.
This Europe Day, for the leaders of Europe’s cities, the challenge is clear. We are not waiting for history to judge us.
We are committed to lead now – boldly, locally, and with unwavering resolve to uphold European democracy, equality and freedom.
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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.
