Organised by the Chamber of Regions, a debate on the theme of regional democratic resilience in times of crisis served as a reminder that only by anticipating and preparing in advance will regions be able to limit the effects of a threat or crisis.
"Preventing crises also means showing citizens that regions are able to listen to them and respond to their needs," explained Jaume Duch, Regional Minister for European Affairs and External Action of the Government of Catalonia (Spain). He presented the "Regions for Democracy" programme, designed to encourage European regions to respond more effectively, together, to the challenges they face, including political ones. Indeed, having long taken democracy for granted, Europe is discovering that it can be threatened as much by external crises, natural disasters or armed conflicts as by crises linked to the rise of populism and extremism, which feed on citizens' loss of trust and subsequently contribute to exacerbating it. 'Regions for Democracy' therefore aims to seek common solutions to restore this trust at regional level.
However, whilst European regions are growing stronger in the face of threats as wide-ranging as economic crises or global warming, some find themselves at the heart of particularly destructive conflicts, such as the Ukrainian regions invaded by Russia since 2022 and other territories that are regularly attacked and bombed. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the military administration of the Kherson region (Ukraine), pointed out that despite the destruction and losses suffered by the region, it had managed to continue providing essential services to residents, whilst improving its resilience to attacks month by month: "Despite everything we have endured, and everything we are still enduring, we have held firm," he explains, particularly as relief efforts and assistance have been coordinated at regional level: "In times of crisis, you don't have time to wait for the central government to react; you have to respond to immediate needs."
In his view, Kherson's resilience, based on regional responses, has not only enabled it to cope better with the assaults but has also preserved the democratic institutions that continue to manage services and take the necessary decisions: "We therefore have experience and knowledge to pass on to all regions of Europe," he said.
