Local and regional authorities are Europe’s early-warning system against threats to democracy and must be at the heart of efforts to protect elected representatives, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (PL/EPP), Mayor of Gdańsk and member of the European Committee of the Regions, told the European Parliament.
Dulkiewicz delivered a keynote address at the EU Parliamentary Democracy Forum pre-session on “European Democracy Shield – Protecting the safety of political candidates and elected representatives”. The meeting was opened by Esteban González Pons MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and contributes to the European Commission’s forthcoming Recommendation on Safety in Politics and Guide of Best Practices.
The Commission is giving particular attention to women in politics, local representatives and groups exposed to discrimination. Dulkiewicz warned that local leaders are often the first to encounter increasingly hostile public debate and see how disinformation and hybrid operations can fuel tensions within communities. She highlighted the particular pressures faced by women in politics, young councillors and minority representatives, warning that intimidation risks discouraging people from entering or remaining in public life.
“If we want a resilient democracy at the European level, we must build it at the local level – because that is where its heart beats.” For Gdańsk, the issue has a deeply personal significance. Dulkiewicz’s predecessor and friend, Mayor Paweł Adamowicz, was assassinated in 2019. Today, Gdańsk is building what Dulkiewicz described as an ecosystem of democratic resilience through lifelong civic and media literacy education, including critical thinking and fact-checking; institutional inclusion through its Equal Treatment Council and Immigrant Council; mobilisation and democratic participation, including get-out-the-vote initiatives; and support and remembrance through the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award, established with the European Committee of the Regions and ICORN to recognise those defending freedom, solidarity and equality.
Turning local experience into European action, Dulkiewicz proposed simplified and flexible EU funding directly accessible to cities and municipalities for media literacy, civic dialogue and resilience against disinformation; a European Code of Conduct and support networks setting standards for the physical, legal and psychological protection of candidates and elected representatives, including targeted measures for women; and progress towards extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crimes under Article 83(1) TFEU.
Dulkiewicz argued that the European Democracy Shield should ultimately function as a “social vaccine” against polarisation and deceit, strengthening communities and protecting those who choose to serve them. “Democracy will not defend itself. No top-down directives or military shields will suffice if we allow trust to be destroyed and those who have the courage to serve their communities to be intimidated.”