Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and Luca Menesini, president of the Party of European Socialists (PES) group in the European Committee of the Regions, signed the "Athens Declaration" on Friday, calling for a new European Union budget dedicated to strengthening democracy.
The declaration, titled "Athens Declaration: A Budget for Democracy," demands an EU budget worth at least 1.38% of the bloc's Gross National Income, rejects a proposed 20% cut to funds managed jointly with member states, and calls for local and regional governments to have a substantive role in EU decision-making.
The signing closed the PES Group's congress in the European Committee of the Regions, held in Athens for the first time under the title "Democracy at its Roots." The event took place on Friday, September 11, 2026, at the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre "Maria Callas." The European Committee of the Regions is an advisory body that represents local and regional authorities in EU policymaking.
Doukas said Europe and the European Union stood before perhaps the most critical test since their founding, and questioned whether Europe could meet the great challenges of its era while preserving the social and democratic promise it was built on. He said progressive and social democratic local officials were being called on to make democracy effective in everyday life again, restoring what he called "the democracy of everyday life." Cities needed a place at the table where decisions are made, he said, not because mayors wanted more power but because citizens deserved more democracy. He called for building a "New Progressivism" that is democratic, green and radical in its aims but realistic in its solutions, and announced a new initiative called "Take a Stand," inviting mayors, regional leaders, elected officials, civil society groups and citizens across Europe to co-sign a demand that the new EU budget become a "budget for democracy."
Menesini said local progressive politics was not just management but hope, and proof that democracy, when it works at local level, can improve people's daily lives. He said Athens was the ideal place to connect Europe's democratic heritage with the kind of society people want for the future.
Iratxe García Pérez, president of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group in the European Parliament, said social democrats could not change the new political situation in Europe but could change how they communicate and work, and asked how a new strategy could be built with other progressive and pro-European political forces.
Former Greek prime minister George Papandreou said the far right drew on real social grievances that had to be acknowledged, including inequality, insecurity, housing costs, economic pressure and people's sense that they had no voice, and asked whether socialists should not be leading the fight against those problems.
Kata Tüttő, president of the European Committee of the Regions, said Europe felt somewhat "lost," which was why the group had come to Athens, the birthplace of democracy, to see what had changed. She said the ancient agora, where people once discussed, negotiated and collectively managed common affairs, had been replaced by cyberspace, which she said belongs to private companies and has already been "conquered by non-human entities," calling this problematic.
Messages from Turkey and PASOK
Nikos Androulakis, president of Greece's PASOK-KINAL party, sent a video message saying the congress came at a critical moment as dialogue opens on the EU's cohesion policies, and said his party had already drawn up development plans and social policies based on real data and the comparative advantages of each Greek region.
Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey's YENİ party, said sustainable social welfare could only be built on the foundations of a strong and functioning democracy, and said Turkey was currently going through a period in which those values were being seriously tested.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent a written message from Silivri prison, saying the fight for democracy in Turkey would be carried out by the Turkish people themselves. He said they were not asking anyone to fight that battle on their behalf, only asking friends abroad to ensure that the principles of democracy and the rule of law do not change depending on which country they are applied in.
European mayors and officials attend
The congress brought together representatives of EU institutions, mayors, regional leaders, members of the European Parliament, young elected officials and civil society representatives for a broad discussion on the pressures facing democracy in Europe and the role of local and regional government in restoring public trust in institutions.
Anne Hidalgo, former Mayor of Paris and Global Ambassador of the Global Covenant of Mayors, shared her experience of Paris's transformation. Other participants included Charalambos Prountzos, Mayor of Nicosia; Christina Kitsos, Mayor of Geneva; Giannis Maniatis, vice president of the S&D Group in the European Parliament; Nicolas Schmit, president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS); and Dario Nardella, a member of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, along with other figures from Europe's socialist and progressive family.
What the Athens Declaration demands
Beyond its budget demands, the declaration redefines security around everyday concerns such as affordable housing, energy poverty, public health services, social cohesion, safe cities and protection from natural disasters. It states that a safe Europe must protect both its borders and its people.
Signatures for the declaration will be gathered through a new pan-European platform, also called "Take a Stand," from local and regional elected officials, civil society representatives and citizens. These will be submitted to EU institutions ahead of key decisions on the bloc's next Multiannual Financial Framework. The declaration's closing message states that democracy starts from communities.
Young officials trained a day earlier
On Thursday, September 10, Athens City Hall hosted the Progressives Speak Up School 2026, an educational programme for young progressive elected officials from cities and regions across Europe. As part of a session called "Meet with your local leaders," the young officials discussed and exchanged experiences with senior figures from Europe's progressive local government movement.
