Toespraak burgemeester Dijksma - Eurocities congres - 9 juni 2026

Dear fellow members of Eurocities, Welcome to Utrecht.

I’m truly delighted to have you all here in our beautiful city over the coming days. And what a moment to come together — we have something special to celebrate: 40 years of Eurocities.

These days together allow us to get to know one another — or reconnect with familiar faces from past meetings. We may explore new collaborations, compare our national situations, and strengthen the Eurocities bond in ways that will carry us forward.

When you look around this room, you see what Europe means to me. But I hope Utrecht inspires you as well. We are a young city in spirit, thanks in part to the presence of the Netherlands’ largest university. But our roots run deep — more than 900 years, and in fact all the way back to Roman times.

Utrecht has always been a place of connection: in mobility, in knowledge, in business. And in an European sense, we carry the legacy of the Peace Treaty of 1713, when representatives from across the continent negotiated here for more than a year and a half to shape a Europe whose outlines are still visible today.

By the time, the Peace of Utrecht marked the end of an era of great unrest on the European continent. And in a way, it laid the groundwork for modern international politics.

It was here that a crucial principle took shape: the balance of power — the understanding that stability depends on preventing any single nation from becoming dominant.

That idea evolved over time into the European architecture we know today: built on cooperation, shared responsibility, and the rule of law. But just as important as what was agreed here in Utrecht is how it was achieved.

The negotiations that took place here marked a turning point. Nations chose dialogue over conflict. They sat together, negotiated for months, and built consensus. This model of  multilateral diplomacy became the blueprint for the European Union — a system grounded in cooperation, compromise, and trust.

And this brings us directly to the theme of our conference.

Because if Utrecht is the birthplace of diplomatic cooperation between states, then today, Europe’s cities are where that cooperation becomes real — where democracy and the rule of law are practiced, defended, and made visible in people’s everyday lives.

Unfortunately, we are witnessing a troubling reality across Europe today: democracy and its rule of law is under increasing pressure.

I see it in my own country, the Netherlands, where anti-democratic forces are calling for resistance — and even violence — against democratic processes.

We see it in Istanbul, where a democratically elected mayor has been arrested for reasons that are clearly politically motivated.

And across Europe and beyond, we see the rise of authoritarian leadership, often at the expense of democracy and the rule of law. This is not a distant concern. It is here, and it is now.

And that is precisely why I firmly believe that cities and their mayors have a crucial role to play in defending our democratic values.

Because when democracy is challenged, it is at the local level where its impact is felt most directly. And it is also at the local level where we can respond most effectively.

But we cannot do this alone.

We need our partners at the European Union to stand united in defending the rule of law and safeguarding our democracy.

And I hope this is what our days in Utrecht will be about. How we, as cities, stand up. How we work together. Across borders and alongside European institutions.

How we protect what we believe in. And how we ensure that democracy and the rule of law remain not just ideals, but living realities for all our citizens.

Three centuries ago, the Treaty of Utrecht marked the beginning of a new era. An era of peace on the European continent and an era of dialogue instead of wars.

I do not have the illusion that our gathering will have the same impact. But as we are living again in times of great unrest, I do hope that this gathering will further strengthen our European solidarity and with that, protect our democratic values.

Dear friends, I welcome you once again to my great city and I look forward to our discussions.