The so-called Bratislava Declaration, naming current threats to democracy such as populism, disinformation and public distrust in institutions, was adopted at the summit of the Pact of Free Cities in Bratislava on Monday (May 27).
"With our declaration, we resolutely condemn any politically motivated violence against individuals or groups of people," said Bratislava Mayor Matus Vallo. The city of Bratislava is hosted the summit this year in conjunction with the 'Start with Children' international conference, which began on Tuesday. Vallo noted that more than 30 experts from around the world will discuss and exchange their experiences regarding the planning of sustainable cities for future generations.
"It's a great honour for me to host the Pact's summit in Bratislava this year. At a time in which trust in public institutions and in political representatives is more important than ever, when we are facing unexpected violence as a result of a polarised society, the basic idea of our Pact is even more relevant to me," said the mayor of Bratislava. The Pact of Free Cities was founded by the mayors of Bratislava (Vallo), Budapest (Gergely Karacsony), Prague (Zdenek Hrib) and Warsaw (Rafal Trzaskowski) in 2019. It is currently an informal alliance of mayors of more than 30 European cities.
The Pact has been closely cooperating with Ukrainian cities since before the Russian invasion, especially with Kiev and other bigger cities. At the beginning of 2022, Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko became a member as well. The mayor of Kharkov became a new pact member at the Bratislava summit.
(TASR)
