Europe Day | Local leaders call for a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive Europe
Mayors and regional leaders from across the continent shared their thoughts for the future in video on the occasion of Europe Day. During this #TheFutureIsYours #EuropeDay video campaign launched by CEMR, local leaders emphasised the importance of concord between nations, sustainability and inclusion.
Alexandru Bujorean, Mayor of Leova (Moldova), vice-President of CALM and spokeperson of PLATFORMA, shared his wish for the EU to become a pillar of good will and stability in the world. “On security, the European Union will become a structure for balance between east and west, between the USA, the Russian Federation and China, a guarantor of global peace and unity”, he said.
“Our local communities are part of the European value and cultural space and for this reason the place of the Republic of Moldova is in the EU”, he also added.
(Read more about his intervention on CALM website)
Nino Rukhadze, PLATFORMA spokesperson, Member of Tbilisi City Assembly (Georgia), quoted the Georgian poet, historian and publicist Alexander (Jambakur) Orbeliani: “Europe is a beacon of the whole world, enlightenener of human mind, knowledge for learners, wisdom for rules and benefactor of the mankind“.
Addressing the issue of climate change, Carola Gunnarsson, Lord Mayor of Sala (Sweden), CEMR Spokesperson on International affairs and UCLG Vice-President, said: “Many of the problems we face are global. But we should remember that very often the solutions are found locally”. “I want to see a Europe that is green and sustainable where we work together against climate change”.
One way to go green is to shift to sustainable transport, argued Andreas Wolter, the Mayor of Cologne (Germany), CEMR Spokesperson on Urban and Inter-territorial Mobility, in his video message. “In a first step, we want 100 cities to become climate-neutral with new technologies, but above all with changed mobility behaviour”, he said. “So not just technical solutions for the vehicles, but also promoting cycling, walking, public transport and sharing models. The EU must promote this change in mobility behavior through programmes, money and laws.”
Discover the videos with the hashtags #TheFutureIsYours #EuropeDay on Twitter on Sunday 9 May and share around you!
All the video messages released at the occasion of Europe Day are available in the following Twitter thread.