Our common objectives: building a network and launching a joint process
While the EU and Europe’s national governments double down on migration deterrence at any cost, more and more cities across Europe are becoming the agents of change for a solidarity Europe, taking responsibility for protecting human lives. The proposed conference in Palermo will bring together mayors, city representatives, civil society initiatives, social movements, unions, organisations and institutions from all over Europe that advocate for safe passage in order to open up opportunities for practical, open-minded solutions which place human rights at the center of the future migration politics.
This conference is thought to be the first step in the process of creating a European network of cities and communities whose initiatives and actions will be part of a joint campaign with the aim to advocate for an active role of cities in European migration politics. Such a network would increase visibility of welcoming municipalities at the EU level, encourage other cities to take action and build stronger alliances with civil society actors. United, we come together in June to put forward concrete and far-reaching demands in order to change the attitude towards migration in Europe and to influence the public debate on these issues in different European member states. Welcoming municipalities are growing in number all over Europe and represent a powerful political voice, able to relaunch Europe from the bottom-up.