On the occasion of Europe Day, around fifty mayors traveled to Paris to affirm their commitment to Europe.
With one year to go until the European elections, the local level might indeed be the one to counteract abstentionism and curb the rise of Eurosceptic parties.
For Christophe Rouillon, mayor of Coulaines (Sarthe) and president of the Europe Commission at the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), local officials are even “the best positioned to lead this avant-garde fight for Europe.” “We, the mayors, witness every day that Europe is not the problem, but the solution,” he stated.
At the end of the event, a charter was signed by all the mayors present.
In total, 58 mayors signed the charter, which was also available online on the AMF website. It was then presented to European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici and Sylvie Guillaume, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who applauded this territorial commitment.
Through this brief charter, the mayors committed to “providing information about the European elections” and “raising awareness among residents about European citizenship, as well as the rights and values it embodies.”
According to Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, who hosted the event, mayors must indeed state that “Europe is a territory of prosperity, humanism, and democracy” and that they “carry this ambition, share what Europe is, and influence it.”
