A Limited Appeal

A grassroots pact of V4 mayors to offset populists governments, coupled with street protests in several countries of the region show that attacks on the rule of law do not pass unnoticed. There is a bottom-up appeal to bring back dignity to the political system. Meanwhile, Central Europe is showing limits in terms of brand appeal for cooperation beyond its borders.

Free cities pact

Earlier news of an impending agreement between the mayors of the capital cities of the Visegrad Group countries came to fruition this week. The four local representatives, all from parties in opposition to the ruling governments, met in Budapest to sign a pact that pledges them to combat populism, promote transparency, and tackle the climate crisis.

The pact refers to how grassroots democracy can cure the ills of Central Europe: it talks about the values and principles, such as human dignity, civic engagement and smart governance, which the four mayors stand for. One measure is for the V4 capitals “to advocate tailored European policy solutions and to jointly lobby for better access to EU funding for cities.” Yet, it remains unclear how the pact will be turned into a concrete roadmap to boost cooperation.