700 mayors and local or regional leaders from across Europe have united around Ukraine by signing the Council of European Municipalities and Regions’ (CEMR) call condemning the Russian invasion and pledging to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

The moral and political condemnation of Russia’s aggression has been overwhelming. Signatories include the mayors of Lisbon, Paris, Tbilisi, Cologne, Cluj-Napoca, Gdańsk and Reading as well as the chairs and vice-chairs of 25 national associations of local and regional governments.

While towns, cities and regions across Europe are symbolically lighting up their public buildings blue and yellow in solidarity with Ukraine, they are also providing concrete support by hosting Ukrainian refugees and giving financial, humanitarian and material aid to Ukrainian local and regional governments. CEMR is coordinating this response with its 60 member associations from 40 European countries.

Stefano Bonaccini, president of CEMR and of the Emilia-Romagna Region, said: “Faced with the reality of war, municipalities and regions across Europe must scale up their financial, humanitarian and material support in response to the growing needs of Ukraine’s people and local governments. This mobilisation demands greater coordination between European, national and local levels to ensure optimal efficiency and to avoid scattering our efforts.”

Read more