From principles to practice, making the European Commission’s new Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 deliver
The European Commission’s new Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 starts from an important premise: gender equality is not a side issue, but a principle that must shape public life as a whole. Built on the Roadmap for Women’s Rights and its Declaration of principles for a gender-equal society, it sets out a broad vision across education, health, work, leadership and online life, while also confronting cyberviolence, anti-gender narratives and backlash against hard-won rights.
This approach closely reflects CEMR’s own long-standing work. For almost 20 years, the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life has advanced the same principle: equality must be anchored in shared commitments, but progress only comes through action at every tier of government. That is why the real test of the new EU Strategy, as with the Charter itself, will be implemented.
That matters because women and girls are still too often pushed out of public life. CEMR’s Women in Politics: Local and European Trends shows that around 32% of women in politics have experienced violence, with cyberviolence rising sharply. The fact that the Commission’s Strategy itself draws on the CEMR study underlines the importance of local and regional experience in shaping the wider European agenda. The study also highlights wider structural barriers: women are still less likely to be drawn into political life and, once elected, are too often denied the most influential responsibilities. Politics cannot be meaningful if it excludes half the population.
Governments must therefore ensure that the safety of women and girls is never pushed to the margins when other priorities arise. Girls must feel that their voice will be heard and that it will lead to action. Only then will they believe there is a place for them in politics. CEMR’s more recent study, Local Truth, Shared Trust, reinforces this message by showing how closely trust in institutions is linked to people’s sense of safety and inclusion, especially for those considering entering public life. Women must have not only a voice in politics, but a safe space in which to use it.
While the Strategy acknowledges elements of CEMR’s work, this recognition represents a welcome first step rather than the destination. To ensure the Strategy’s ambitions translate into meaningful outcomes, there is value in more systematically integrating the depth of local and regional evidence that CEMR and its members have built over two decades. After all, gender equality is shaped on the ground: in towns, cities and regions where policies take effect and where women experience the impact of public action on their lives. Taking local and regional realities into account throughout the EU policy cycle, from data collection to programme design, delivery and monitoring, would help the Strategy reflect women’s lived experiences and enable more effective, inclusive implementation across Europe.
As CEMR marks the 20th year of its Charter, it looks forward to working with the European Commission and partners across Europe to turn principles into lasting change. That same message was recently carried to United Nations at this year’s 70th Conference on the Status of Women, where Flo Clucas, CEMR’s spokesperson on gender equality brought the local perspective into a wider discussion among women and men in public office: local political life must be genuinely open to both women and men, and women cannot participate fully if safety is not guaranteed. The work is far from finished. But the direction is clear: women and girls must be able to participate fully and safely in public life, without fear of violence or intimidation, in every town, city, region and country.
Inside Bonn’s 40-year effort to advance gender equality
The city of Bonn (Germany) signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life nineteen years ago. Yet Bonn’s story promoting gender equality does not begin there. It stretches back more than forty years, to a time when gender equality was little more than an ambition, and when the structures needed to drive real change barely existed.
In 1984, Bonn established a dedicated Office for Equal Opportunities, a bold move for its time, signalling that equality was not an abstract value but a governance priority. By 1991, the city had introduced its first bylaws on equal opportunities. A decade later, in 2001, Bonn adopted its first comprehensive Equal Opportunities Plan, laying the foundations for long‑term, structural change in work, care, safety and representation.
Bonn’s commitment has remained unwavering. Today, the city hall maintains a near-equal gender balance in senior management, while women in middle management are empowered to assume leadership responsibilities through structured mentoring programmes.
Deputy Mayor of Bonn, Ursula Sautter, explains that the local administration “advocates and promotes equal care solutions” due to the “still unequal division of work and care”.
Sautter also highlights that the city actively combats all forms of violence and stands firmly with victims. This effort is reinforced by the new German Violence Assistance Act of 2025, which strengthens support frameworks across the country.
Bonn has been a signatory of CEMR’s European Charter for Equality since 2007, demonstrating its commitment to turning principles into action. As Sautter mentions, “the European Charter for Equality is a beacon of empowerment for us, uniting us with a multitude of diverse cities in this important endeavour”.
Ursula Sautter, Deputy Mayor of Bonn
20 years of the European Charter for Equality
This year, we mark the 20th anniversary of the European Charter for Equality,a milestone that invites reflection, celebration and renewed ambition.
Since its creation, the Charter has become one of Europe’s strongest frameworks for driving equality at the local and regional levels. Today, more than 2,053 signatories from 36 countries are part of this growing movement of cities, towns, and regions committed to turning equality principles into reality.
Developed by CEMR together with its national associations and project partners, the Charter brings together diverse European visions of equality. Hundreds of local and regional representatives contributed to shaping a shared framework that considers the diverse competences and contexts across Europe. Signing the Charter is a public and formal commitment, a pledge to advance gender equality through policies, programmes, and concrete actions implemented in cooperation with local partners and civil society.
While the Charter is not legally binding, it is intentionally ambitious. CEMR recognises that achieving these objectives requires time, dialogue, and structural change. That is why signatories are encouraged to adopt a progressive approach, identifying priority areas for action while steadily expanding their efforts.
To support signatories, CEMR established the European Observatory on the Charter, dedicated to helping local and regional authorities develop and implement strong equality policies.
The Observatory’s mission is threefold:
Support the development of Local Action Plans for gender equality
Monitor implementation and progress on the ground
Evaluate impact and share knowledge across Europe
By connecting municipalities, facilitating exchanges, and making progress visible, the Observatory ensures that the Charter remains a living, evolving tool, anchored in real practice.
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Discover the story of Aubagne (France), which signed the European Charter for Equality in November 2025.
Bonn is a member of CEMR’s association Deutscher Städtetag.
Europe’s housing crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with direct consequences for citizens living in towns, cities and regions across the continent. The European Commission’s EU Affordable Housing Plan is a meaningful step forward, but it will only deliver if the full potential of local and regional governments is unlocked.
CEMR’s new position paper, “A local plan for housing”, sets out proposals to the EU Affordable Housing Plan, arguing that Europe’s ambitions will only translate into real results if towns, cities and regions are fully empowered to act.
To make this happen, CEMR identifies four priorities that must be unlocked so local and regional governments can deliver on the ground:
1. Mobilise investment where it matters most
Inadequate and unpredictable funding is one of the main barriers to expanding affordable and sustainable housing for towns, cities, and regions. Local and regional governments need long‑term investment frameworks. CEMR calls for:
Simpler and wider access to EU and national funding, including cohesion policy and EU budget 2028-2034 instruments, so municipalities of all sizes can plan and deliver.
Reforms to fiscal rules and modernisation of State aid, treating affordable and energy‑efficient housing as long‑term investment rather than ordinary expenditure.
Support to strengthen construction capacity and innovation, from skills to circular, climate‑resilient building and renovation.
2. Enable faster and more coherent planning to accelerate delivery
Fragmented, complex procedures delay urgently needed homes across Member States. CEMR urges EU and national authorities to:
Streamline planning and environmental assessments, reducing duplication while upholding strong sustainability standards.
Enable place‑based approaches, giving towns, cities and regions the flexibility to access land, regenerate brownfields and plan integrated, inclusive neighbourhoods.
Advance the single market for construction, harmonising technical standards to reduce delays, boost innovation and lower costs.
3. Improve efficiency through digital permitting
Digital permitting can bring faster renovation and new construction, but many local and regional governments lack resources to implement it. CEMR calls for:
Dedicated funding, training and technical assistance are needed for interoperable local–national–EU permitting systems.
Clearer guidance for applicants and developers will improve submission quality.
4. Activate Europe’s full potential through a real multilevel partnership
The EU Affordable Housing Plan will only succeed through genuine cooperation across levels of government. CEMR asks for:
Structured multilevel governance, with local and regional governments fully involved in design, implementation and monitoring.
Stronger municipal autonomy and legal clarity, ensuring responsibilities are matched with financing.
Adequated resources for the European Housing Alliance with structured participation of local and regional governments, which also serves to cooperate beyond the EU to address shared housing challenges.
Europe’s housing challenge demands swift and coordinated action. The EU Affordable Housing Plan sets an important framework, but its success will depend on how well it empowers the governments closest to citizens. By unlocking investment, planning flexibility, digital efficiency and genuine multilevel governance, Europe can move from ambition to delivery.
CEMR’s “Local Plan for Housing” offers a clear pathway: start locally, invest wisely and collaborate across levels of government. Only by working through cities, towns and regions can Europe ensure that affordable, sustainable and inclusive homes become a reality for all.
CEMR launches new study on local governments’ role, responsibilities in housing governance
In 2026, CEMR will update its flagship study on governance trends, the Terri Report. The previous edition, published in 2021, focused on the role of local and regional governments in public health. The new edition will place housing policy under the spotlight — a policy field that clearly illustrates how responsibilities are shared across levels of government and how effective coordination shapes tangible outcomes and the well-being of citizens and local communities.
For many years, CEMR has monitored territorial and governance developments across its membership, analysing what institutional and territorial changes mean for democracy and the quality of public decision-making. As governance challenges grow more complex and increasingly differ between places, traditional top-down approaches are proving less effective. Strong coordination across national, regional and local levels is therefore more important than ever.
Alongside updating data on governance structures and administrative reforms, the study will use housing as a lens to examine how competences, financial resources and implementation capacities are distributed across levels of government — and what this implies for addressing territorial disparities and delivering place-based solutions.
To support this work, CEMR’s members will receive a detailed questionnaire in early March 2026, addressed to national associations and experts with practical knowledge of housing policy at municipal or regional level. The questionnaire is structured in two parts: • Part I focuses on governance arrangements, competences and reforms. • Part II examines housing policy as a case study of multilevel cooperation.
This is a substantial, expert-level exercise rather than a quick survey. The evidence gathered will form a key foundation for CEMR’s advocacy on effective multilevel governance and housing policy. Members will have approximately three weeks to respond.
The study is expected to be published in autumn 2026, and CEMR looks forward to your participation in this work. Your contribution will strengthen our collective evidence base and advocacy for better governance and stronger place-based policies across Europe.
Pol Morillas (CIDOB), MEP Hanna Jalloul and local leaders reflect on the current geopolitics and its effects in Europe, global disorder, and why local leaders matter more than ever
At a time when global politics is increasingly shaped by power rivalries and zero-sum logic, cities and regions may appear peripheral to the big geopolitical chessboard. But according to Pol Morillas, Director of CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), this perception is deeply misleading.
Speaking at a UCLG gathering of the European section, alongside MEP Hanna Jalloul, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and representatives from municipalities and regions across Europe, Morillas offered a sharp diagnosis of the global moment, and a compelling argument for why local and regional leaders are essential actors in Europe’s response to it.
“We are entering a world we were not built for”
Morillas describes 2026 as the year when “brutal geopolitics” has fully taken shape.
“We are not living in the world the European Union wanted”, he explained. “The open markets, rules-based globalisation, and cooperative multilateralism that Europe championed are giving way to power politics, transactional alliances, and the return of the state as the dominant actor”.
*Pol Morillas, Director of CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs)
This shift goes beyond any single election or leader. While the return of Donald Trump to the White House has accelerated trends, Morillas sees a broader transformation driven by major powers — including China and India — embracing national interest and zero-sum competition.
In this emerging order, actors are reacting differently. Some are accommodating. Some are resisting, particularly youth movements across the globe. Others are disoriented.
“And the European Union”, Morillas noted, “is navigating this disorientation”.
Europe’s three strategic choices
According to Morillas, Europe is currently debating three broad strategies:
Keep the United States engaged, even if it requires tactical appeasement, especially in areas like security and intelligence where Europe lacks full autonomy.
Build new alliances with middle powers such as Japan, India, and Mercosur countries to preserve elements of a rules-based order.
Pursue greater autonomy, particularly in areas like technology and geo-economics — though, as Morillas cautioned, “there is often more talk of autonomy than real action”.
These strategies coexist, sometimes uneasily, as Europe attempts to redefine itself in a harsher global landscape.
But this is only part of the story.
New diplomatic opportunities for cities and regions as “laboratories for finding solutions”
While geopolitics grabs headlines, Morillas argues that some of the most urgent crises are concentrated in cities and regions and that is precisely where their diplomatic relevance lies. “The role of cities and regions will be most important when they are laboratories for finding solutions to crises that are most held in cities and regions”, he said.
He pointed specifically to:
Housing
Cost of living
Energy
Youth mobilisation and the response to young people’s demands
“These areas are far away from brutal geopolitics and do not have defence as their main component”, Morillas explained. “They are low-hanging fruits for cities and regions to play an interesting diplomatic role”.
In other words, while states compete over security and strategic dominance, local governments are managing the everyday pressures that shape citizens’ trust in democracy. Their ability to innovate and respond effectively becomes a form of diplomacy in itself.
Youth mobilisation and democratic response
Morillas also underlined a growing global trend: youth resistance to national political systems perceived as unresponsive.
“We are seeing increasing numbers of young people resisting national politics and proposing alternative models of understanding society”, he said.
For cities and regions, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Local governments are often the first institutional level confronted with youth demands — from climate action to housing affordability. The quality of their response will shape democratic resilience in Europe.
A multipolar world, including the local level
The global order’s fragmentation is also reshaping inter-city cooperation. The CIDOB director pointed to new forums emerging beyond traditional Western-led networks, including initiatives linked to BRICS+.
“This multipolar world also takes place within regions”, he observed. “European cities and regions need to be aware of these new forums”.
Global alignment is no longer only a matter for foreign ministries. It is increasingly reflected in how cities cooperate, partner, and position themselves internationally.
From consultation to co-decision in Europe
Perhaps most significantly, Morillas sees cities and regions gaining weight within the European architecture itself. “It is not only a question of member states”, he argued. “Cities can play an important role in the European architecture — sometimes only as being consulted but increasingly having something to say about the future of European integration”.
From housing initiatives to urban energy transitions, European policy debates are increasingly touching areas where cities have primary competence.
To advance this agenda, CIDOB has launched the “Local Europe” initiative with the support of Barcelona City Council, aiming to reinforce what Morillas calls “the Europe of cities”.
The underlying message is clear: the future of European integration will not be decided solely in national capitals.
How should local leaders look at the world?
How, then, should local and regional leaders look at the world — and how are they perceived within it?
The discussion made clear that towns, cities and regions are no longer peripheral actors but central pillars of Europe’s global credibility.
As Carola Gunnarsson, CEMR spokesperson for international affairs and local councillor of Sala, Sweden, underlined also during this session, “municipalities and regions are not merely implementers of European policy. We are co-creators of Europe’s credibility”.
*Carola Gunnarsson, CEMR spokesperson for international affairs and Lord Mayor of Sala, at the Leaders’ Summit in 2025
In a geopolitical environment marked by ideological confrontation and democratic strain, consistency between local governance and global ambition becomes decisive. “If we would like Europe to be a strong global actor, we must be consistent both internationally and locally”, she stressed.
Echoing this call for coherence, MEP Hanna Jalloul, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, underlined the direct impact of EU decisions on citizens’ daily lives.
Yet, she questioned the persistent democratic disconnect: “Why have we reached only 50% participation in European elections?” According to Jalloul, “many citizens don’t fully realise how economic and agricultural decisions taken here directly affect them.”
*MEP Hanna Jalloul, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, European Parliament photo
Beyond internal policy, she stressed the importance of consistency in Europe’s external action. “We speak of peace, but our multilateral system — which we’ve defended since 1945 — must be consistent.” In a challenging geopolitical environment, she argued, the European Union must align its commercial priorities and strategic autonomy with its foundational values.
When democratic disconnect reaches the local level
This disconnect between European decision-making and citizens’ perception, participants warned, does not remain abstract. When people feel that decisions are distant, unclear or inconsistent with proclaimed values, frustration grows — and it often manifests first at the local level.
As highlighted by Eider Enunciaga, spokesperson for local democracy at CEMR and representative of Bilbao City Council, local leaders are increasingly experiencing hostility and intimidation — both offline and online. “The future of our democracies in Europe is at stake here,” he stressed, noting that geopolitical tensions, disinformation and polarisation are directly affecting municipalities and regions.
*Eider Enunciaga, spokesperson for local democracy at CEMR and representative of Bilbao City Council, at the CEMR event on the launch of the European Observatory
In response to this growing pressure, CEMR, together with the City of Bilbao, Bocconi University and the Basque Association of Municipalities, has launched the European Observatory for Democracy at the Local Level. The initiative aims to gather data on threats against local representatives, identify emerging trends and better understand the drivers behind attacks on democratic institutions.
“By strengthening democracy at the local level, we are also strengthening the European project,” Enunciaga concluded.
As the European Union prepares its next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, the Global Europe instrument will define the EU’s external action for the years ahead — encompassing development cooperation, humanitarian aid, enlargement support and Global Gateway. Discover PLATFORMA detailed policy position outlining how this strategic instrument should be shaped to foster sustainable global partnerships and advance inclusive governance.
At a time marked by intersecting global crises — from climate breakdown and shrinking development funds to geopolitical instability — the role of local and regional governments (LRGs) is more critical than ever. PLATFORMA’s paper is thus anchored in the belief that effective global action starts from the ground up.
Local and regional governments as co-decision-makers, implementers and partners
PLATFORMA’s position starts from a stark reality: despite their proximity to citizens and deep knowledge of local contexts, LRGs remain under-recognised in EU external action frameworks. The coalition calls for the Global Europe instrument to move beyond symbolic references to “local authorities” and embed mechanisms that genuinely empower LRGs as co-decision-makers, implementers and partners in EU external policies.
Key recommendations
The Policy Paper makes 9 key recommendations to EU decision makers:
Strengthen multilevel governance in Global Europe and place local and regional governments in the driving seat of territorial development
Pair flexibility and simplification with ambitious official development assistance targets, and enhance accountability and transparency mechanisms
Unlock Global Gateway’s potential through the involvement of local and regional governments
Foster EU delegations’ engagement with local and regional governments
Recognise and empower local and regional governments as unique and effective development partners in fragile contexts
Advance the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve decarbonised societies and climate justice
Involve citizens through Global Citizenship Education as a key component of decentralised development cooperation
Foster inclusive and participatory local governance: empower youth, women, and disadvantaged and underrepresented groups
Strengthen local governance through the EU Eastern neighbourhood and enlargement strategy
Through these recommendations, PLATFORMA aims to improve the current proposal for the Global Europe instrument, so that it fully recognises, acknowledges, and supports the contribution of local and regional governments to EU external action, notably through decentralised cooperation as a development aid modality.
PLATFORMA also calls on the European Commission to issue an updated Communication on the structured involvement of local and regional governments and their associations in the new (geo)strategic approach to EU external action.
Meet the Local Hero: Eider Inuntziaga, building trust from the streets of Bilbao
When Eider Inuntziaga talks about local government, one word comes up again and again: closeness.
Since 2023, she has served as a city councillor in Bilbao, after years of political engagement within the Basque Nationalist Party. It is her first public mandate, and the experience has changed how she sees political life.
Before, she observed politics from the inside. Now, she experiences it daily — in the street, in neighbourhood conversations, and in the direct reactions of citizens to local decisions. The distance between elected representatives and residents is minimal, which makes local politics both uniquely meaningful and uniquely exposed. She also brings this experience to the European level as one of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions’ spokespersons on Local Democracy.
Across Europe, these challenges are increasingly visible. To better understand and address them, CEMR and its partners, including the City of Bilbao, have launched the European Observatory for the Defence of Democracy at the Local Level — an initiative that collects data, documents threats and harassment against local elected representatives, and helps develop practical tools and responses to better protect those serving their communities.
As she puts it, “local governments are the closest level of administration; we are the face of democracy.”
That proximity builds trust, but it also concentrates frustration. When people are unhappy, local leaders are often the first — and easiest — target.
Social media: useful, but risky
That visibility now extends far beyond the street.
Inuntziaga describes her relationship with social media as “conflicted.” While it can help connect people and share information, she also sees clear downsides.
“Social media can connect people and stories, and it can be useful—up to a point. But it also creates noise, polarisation, and sometimes hate. It can be dangerous.”
For local politicians, the effects are concrete. “It affects integrity, it affects how we speak, and it can silence people. It can make people leave the work they’re doing—or become afraid of what’s happening.”
She keeps her presence limited, using Facebook and LinkedIn, and mixing personal and political communication carefully.
Participation beyond election day
Despite these challenges, Inuntziaga remains firmly optimistic about the role local governments can play in strengthening democracy.
Her approach is simple: stay close, listen carefully and involve citizens as much as possible. For her, elections are only the starting point. Day-to-day participation matters just as much. In Bilbao, this philosophy has taken concrete form through participatory initiatives that invite residents to help shape the city’s direction.
One example is “Bilbao City of Values,” a process through which citizens collectively identified a shared set of principles to guide public life. The idea is to create a common framework that strengthens belonging and counters misinformation. The goal, she explains, is not only better policies, but stronger relationships between institutions and the people they serve.
Learning from Bilbao’s past
Bilbao’s history has also shaped how she thinks about governance.
The city has experienced profound transformation over the past decades — from industrial decline and unemployment to renewal driven by long-term planning and cooperation between public institutions, private actors and civil society. For Inuntziaga, this experience shows that change does not happen overnight and that stability requires patience.
She often points to three elements behind Bilbao’s recovery: cooperation, shared values and long-term vision. Quick fixes rarely work. Instead, consistent decisions taken with the future in mind gradually rebuild trust.
“Decisions must be made with the long term in mind,” she says, describing democracy and stability as mutually reinforcing.
Eider Inuntziaga during the launch of the European Observatory for the Defence of Democracy at the Local Level.
Rooted locally, thinking European
Although her work is grounded in municipal politics, Inuntziaga keeps a strong European outlook. She follows debates beyond Spain closely and draws inspiration from leaders such as Kaja Kallas, whom she admires for her perspective on Europe’s role in a changing world.
Still, her focus remains firmly local. For her, cities are where democracy is tested every day — where policies meet real life, and where trust is either built or lost through everyday interactions.
It is not the most visible level of politics — but, in many ways, it is the one where democracy is felt most directly.
To hear more from Eider Inuntziaga, you can listen to the full episode of Call Simone, also with Gianmarco Daniele of Bocconi University, . They discuss how growing harassment and disinformation are affecting local leaders across Europe, and how the launch of the European Observatory for the Defence of Democracy at the Local Level can better track threats and protect local democracy.
Local democracy is often described as the closest level of government to people’s everyday lives. But across Europe, that closeness is increasingly being tested.
In the latest episode of Call Simone, we explore how power and democratic pressure are playing out at the local level — where politics is most visible, most accessible, and, increasingly, most exposed. Harassment, intimidation, disinformation campaigns, and threats are becoming part of the reality for many local elected representatives. The consequences go well beyond individual cases: when intimidation shapes who speak, who run, and who stay, representation shrinks and democracy weakens.
This episode brings together two voices who connect political experience with rigorous research:
Eider Inunciaga, City Councillor in Bilbao, Spain
Gianmarco Daniele, Executive Director of the CLEAN Unit, Bocconi University, Italy
Together, they unpack what harassment looks like in practice, why it is rising, who is most affected, and what local leaders — and European institutions — can do to respond with policies grounded in evidence.
When intimidation becomes a political filter
Harassment against local elected representatives is not only “bad behaviour” online — and the way humans respond to these attacks has little to do with personal resilience. As the episode shows, intimidation can work as a political filter: it discourages participation, pushes people out, and narrows the diversity of voices in local councils.
For Eider Inunciaga, the change became more tangible when she entered a public mandate in 2023. Local politics means proximity: you can be approached in the street, at community events, at school gates — and anger is often directed at local representatives precisely because they are the most reachable. As she puts it: “Local governments are the face of democracy.” And that visibility comes with exposure.
“Local governments are the face of democracy — and that makes us the most exposed.” – Eider Inunciaga, City Councillor Bilbao, Spain.
Who pays the highest price?
One recurring theme in the conversation is that harassment does not hit everyone equally. Those seen as “different” — women, minority representatives, LGBTQIA+ politicians — are often targeted more aggressively, with the implicit message: you don’t belong here.
Gianmarco Daniele shares research findings from Italy that put numbers to what many already sense. Using a carefully matched dataset to compare women and men in similar contexts, his work finds women are three times more likely to be targeted — and that almost one-quarter of female mayors experience an attack during their mandate. Importantly, these are offline attacks: assaults, burned cars, arson against property, threatening letters — not simply online hostility.
The timing is also revealing: attacks concentrate in the first year after election, consistent with a backlash against women’s visibility in power — and not explained by performance differences in office. The democratic cost is direct: women who are attacked are less likely to run again, turning progress on representation into a revolving door.
As Daniele notes, we often focus on how to get more diverse candidates into politics — and too rarely on why people leave.
“Without data, we’re fighting blind. Europe needs comparable evidence to spot risks early and respond.” – Gianmarco Daniele, Executive Director Clean Unit, Bocconi University, Italy.
Bilbao’s lesson: rebuild trust through participation and shared values
The episode also looks at the other side of the equation: how local governments can maintain trust and stay close to citizens in a polarised environment.
For Eider Inunciaga, the starting point is closeness and participation: democracy is not only elections and voting day. In Bilbao, she highlights the “Bilbao City of Values” process, where citizens helped define a set of shared values to create a common framework for community life. In her view, shared values and participation are also part of the response to misinformation: they strengthen belonging and reduce the space in which false narratives thrive.
Bilbao’s longer history adds perspective. The city’s transformation — shaped by industrial crisis, social hardship, terrorism and the 1983 floods — was driven by cooperation across institutions, partnerships with society, and long-term vision. The lesson is simple and demanding: coexistence is not inherited; it is cultivated — and democratic stability requires sustained investment.
From stories to evidence — and from evidence to action
This episode connects directly to the launch of the European Observatory for the Defence of Democracy at the Local Level: a new partnership bringing together local and regional governments (including Bilbao and Basque municipalities represented by EUDEL) and the research community at Bocconi, with the support of the Basque Country and CEMR.
The Observatory’s goal is to help Europe move from scattered stories to coordinated action by connecting the dots between:
what local elected leaders experience on the ground
what research and data can show about patterns, drivers and impact
what public authorities and institutions can do to prevent, protect and respond more effectively
A central message from the conversation is the data gap. Today, there is no comparable European-level dataset even on local politicians, let alone on attacks and threats. Without common data infrastructure, risks are harder to detect early and policy responses are harder to evaluate.
As Daniele explains, better data brings not only understanding — but visibility. In Italy, there is evidence of more than one attack per day on average, yet the issue often remains local news and rarely reaches broader political attention. Data can help turn a hidden pattern into a shared European priority.
About Call Simone
Call Simone is CEMR’s podcast on power and democracy in Europe — told through the lens of the local level. Each episode brings together local leaders, insiders and researchers to explore who gets to sit at the table, who is pushed out, and why it matters for Europe’s future.
Establishing municipal partnerships between Ukraine and a European partner country in the context of the project “Towards a Bridges of Trust (BoT) Community”
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) wishes to establish new partnerships between municipalities in Ukraine and municipalities in different European countries.
CEMR is looking for a service provider as an implementer to perform certain activities under this phase andprovide dedicated expertise and support in the respective country. The service provider will work closely with CEMR, the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) and if required, with other partners of the Bridges of Trust Community.
The call is divided into the following lots:
Lot 1: Belgium
Lot 2: Cyprus
Lot 3: Finland
Lot 4: France
Lot 5: Italy
Lot 6: Latvia
Lot 7: Malta
Lot 8: Netherlands
Lot 9: Norway
Lot 10: Portugal
Lot 11: Spain
Applicants can apply for one or several lots. All documents need to be submitted for each lot separately. The terms of reference describe the services per lot.
Deadline for submissions: 3 February 2026, 2 pm (CET)
Contract period: February 2026 – June 2026
Budget: Financial offer for the services up to 14.000 Euro without VAT. The costs of activities (e.g. interpretation costs for events, travel costs related to internship and events) will be covered directly by the BoT project.
Interested organisations or experts are invited to submit their application by email to application@ccre-cemr.org with the subject line: “Establishing Municipal Partnerships between Ukraine and Name European Country”. Please specify the lot(s) you are applying for.
Sakharov Prize 2025: standing with those who defend freedom of thought
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the European Parliament’s most prestigious award for human rights. Established in 1988, it honours individuals and organisations who demonstrate extraordinary courage in defending democracy, freedom of expression and fundamental freedoms, often under severe repression.
Awarded annually, the Prize is both a recognition and a call to action: a reminder that freedom of thought is not guaranteed and must be actively defended.
The 2025 Laureates
On December 16 2025, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize to Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia and Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus, two journalists imprisoned for their commitment to truth, democracy and human rights.
Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist, essayist and activist from the Polish minority in Belarus, has long criticised the Lukashenka regime. Detained since 2021, he was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony on politically motivated charges. His health has deteriorated, his family is denied access, and yet he remains a symbol of resistance against authoritarian repression.
Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist and director of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested in January 2025 after joining pro-democracy protests. Sentenced to two years in prison, she became Georgia’s first female political prisoner since independence and a powerful symbol of the country’s democratic aspirations.
Announcing the laureates, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated that “both have paid a heavy price for speaking truth to power, becoming symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy. The Parliament stands with them, and with all those who continue to demand freedom.”
Democracy, EU values and enlargement
The Sakharov Prize reflects the European Union’s commitment to defending democracy beyond its borders. In both Belarus and Georgia, democratic backsliding, repression of independent media and attacks on civil society threaten not only national freedoms but also the countries’ European paths.
The European Parliament has repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of both journalists and has adopted resolutions condemning repression, political imprisonment and the erosion of democratic institutions.
Defending democracy from the ground up
At CEMR and PLATFORMA, defending democratic values is central to our work, and we have a specific focus in the context of EU enlargement and the Eastern Partnership. Through cooperation with local and regional governments, national associations of local governments (such as NALAG in the case of Georgia), and civil society, we support democratic governance, freedom of expression and institutional resilience.
Local democracy is often the first target of authoritarian pressure and the first line of defence. By empowering local and regional actors, supporting peer exchange and promoting EU values, CEMR and PLATFORMA contribute to a democratic Europe that is inclusive, resilient and anchored in fundamental rights.
The Sakharov Prize is a reminder that democracy depends on courage but also on solidarity.
