Mayors from the new PES Capitals’ and Big Cities’ Mayors Network gathered in Amsterdam for their inaugural meeting, chaired by the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri.
The meeting focused on addressing common European challenges at the local level, including fighting the far-right, improving housing affordability, and advancing greener, more sustainable cities. The strong PES presence in European cities and capitals underscores the Party’s commitment to providing quality of life and affordable housing, which are essential components in the fight against the far-right. Emphasising that impactful policies often start locally, the Network aims to foster collaboration, share experiences, and demonstrate the strength of progressive leadership in support of working people across Europe. This initiative reflects the broader PES goal of uniting progressive forces to create tangible change for citizens across the continent.
Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome, and chair of the meeting said:
“With this Network, we bring together PES mayors from the biggest cities across the EU – showcasing the strength of social democrats at the local level, who work every day to secure better housing, decent jobs, and a higher quality of life in our cities. By joining forces with our allies in the European Committee of the Regions, we focus on the concrete issues that matter most to citizens. To deliver on our vision of truly progressive change, we must build power locally, where real results are achieved and people’s daily lives improve.”
PES Mayors from Capitals and Big Cities discussed the creation of their new Network, The Network aims to bring together PES mayors from major cities in the EU and members of the European Committee of the Regions to focus on advancing shared ideas and policies relevant to local governance. It will provide a space for exchanging best practices and supporting the broader PES political family.
Given the rise of the far-right across Europe – sometimes at the national level and sometimes targeting progressive cities – the Network offers an opportunity to share strategies and experiences on combating these challenges at the local level. This initiative highlights the strength of the PES family in local politics and its commitment to protecting progressive values in cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Malmö, Rome, Vienna, London, and Paris.
Today’s PES Capitals’ and Big Cities’ Mayors Network meeting was attended by:
- Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome
- Marjolein Moorman, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam
- Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens
- Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona
- Lia Olguta Vasilescu, Mayor of Craiova
- Kata Tüttő, President CoR
- Luca Menesini, President PES CoR
- Yonnec Polet, PES Deputy Secretary General
