Building Europe from the ground up: 75 years of CEMR (IN-PERSON)

Program of the event

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On 28 January 1951, in the aftermath of the Second World War, visionary European mayors gathered in Geneva with a shared conviction: that rebuilding Europe would begin in its towns, cities and regions. Their commitment gave birth to the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the first transnational organisation in Europe, and in the world, bringing together mayors and local leaders around a common vision of peace, democracy and European cooperation. Seventy-five years later, that vision remains as important as ever.

Over the decades, CEMR has grown into the largest and broadest organisation representing local and regional governments in Europe. Together with its members, it has championed local democracy, supported local self-government, defended human rights and territorial cohesion, while ensuring that local and regional governments have a voice in shaping European policies and global debates.

Through periods of reconstruction, integration, enlargement and transformation, CEMR has consistently defended a simple but powerful principle: Europe is built from the ground up, and local democracy is one of the foundations of the European project.

Today, Europe once again stands at a turning point. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions, climate change, artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, declining trust in democratic institutions, pressures on competitiveness and social cohesion, or the housing crisis are reshaping Europe’s political agenda. While these challenges are global and European in nature, their success or failure will ultimately be determined where citizens live: in Europe’s towns, cities and regions.

As Europe asks more of local and regional governments than ever before, an important political question emerges: How should Europe’s governance systems evolve to enable local and regional governments to deliver on Europe’s future priorities?

Marking CEMR’s 75th anniversary, this high-level political event will bring together leaders from across Europe to reflect on the evolution of local leadership over the past seven decades and to look ahead to the governance challenges of the future. Beyond celebrating a remarkable history, the discussion will explore whether local and regional governments are equipped with the powers, resources and partnerships needed to respond to Europe’s most pressing challenges.

The event will also mark the launch of the latest edition of TERRI Report, CEMR’s flagship publication on territorial governance, local and regional government powers, and territorial reforms in Europe. Published every five years, TERRI offers a comparative analysis of how territorial governance, reforms and the powers of local and regional governments have evolved across Europe. The 2026 edition focuses on housing, providing a timely case study through which to explore whether Europe’s governance framework equips local and regional governments with the powers, resources and partnerships needed to address Europe’s housing emergency.

Rather than treating housing as a standalone policy issue, the discussion will use it as a case study to explore whether Europe’s governance systems are fit to address increasingly complex challenges and to deliver on citizens’ expectations.

• Public event