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Bilbao Congress 2025

On November 21, 2025, the European Democratic Party (EDP) will meet in Bilbao for its annual congress, at a crucial moment for democracy in Europe and around the world.

Friday, November 21, 2025

At 1:45 p.m., statutory session; at 4 p.m., session open to the public with final reception

Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), Bilbao, Azkue Kalea 1, San Vicente de Barakaldo, Bizkaia

From Istanbul to Belgrade
From Istanbul, where Ekrem İmamoğlu was imprisoned for challenging Erdoğan, to Belgrade, where students are threatened by those in power, to the young digital creators in America and Europe who are fighting against extremism and authoritarian movements, movements defending freedom, rights, and pluralism are growing everywhere. In a word, they are defending democracy.
Defending freedom
The Congress will be dedicated to this dual movement: on the one hand, the new forms of participation and protest discussed in the first panel, and on the other, the need for a new global alliance between democracies, the theme of the second panel, with voices from three continents committed to defending freedom.
The challenges ahead of us
Two keynote speeches will guide the discussion: one by Paolo Benanti on the relationship between artificial intelligence, ethics, and human freedom, and one by Thierry Breton on the need for a more autonomous, sovereign, and courageous Europe capable of facing the industrial and technological challenges of the future.
Website of the European Democrats - https://democrats.eu
All European countries
The Congress will be attended by delegations from almost all European countries, including four new parties of the EDP and delegations from three observer parties, reflecting the expansion and deepening roots of the European democratic project. During the public session, Sarah El Haïry and Sandro Gozi will present the EDP's new campaign for a European childhood policy, a concrete commitment to put children and young people at the heart of European democratic priorities.
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High-profil political speeches
The proceedings will conclude with three high-profile political speeches: Aitor Esteban, president of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Sandro Gozi, secretary general of EDP, and François Bayrou, president of EDP, who will sum up a day dedicated to the defense and relaunch of the European democratic project.

Bilbao will thus be a meeting point between generations and countries: a congress that does not just talk about democracy, but sets it in motion again.

Friday, November 21, 2025

At 1:45 p.m., statutory session; at 4 p.m., session open to the public with final reception

Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), Bilbao, Azkue Kalea 1, San Vicente de Barakaldo, Bizkaia

Speakers and guests of the public session

Imanol Pradales
Imanol Pradales
Lehendakari

President of the Basque Government

Manish Tewari
Manish Tewari
Indian member of parliament for the Congress Party

Former spokesperson and secretary general for foreign policy

François Bayrou
François Bayrou
President of the European Democratic Party (EDP)
Ekrem İmamoğlu
Ekrem İmamoğlu
Mayor of Istanbul

Currently detained for political reasons (video message)

Chris Mowrey
Chris Mowrey
American activist and content creator

Close to the US Democratic Party

Esila Ayık
Esila Ayık
Turkish human rights activist, imprisoned and then released in the spring of 2025
Caolan Robertson
Caolan Robertson
British-Ukrainian filmmaker and YouTuber

Known for his award-winning documentaries on the war in Ukraine

Nikolina Sinđelić
Nikolina Sinđelić
Serbian activist

Imprisoned by the Vučić regime during the protests of summer 2025

Pavel Cicvarić
Pavel Cicvarić
Serbian activist

Threatened with death live on Serbian public television

Paolo Benanti
Paolo Benanti
Priest and theologian

Former advisor to Pope Francis on ethics and artificial intelligence

Alan Friedman
Alan Friedman
Italian-American journalist and essayist

Analyst of growing authoritarianism in the US

Yosuke Suzuki
Yosuke Suzuki
Japanese member of the Constitutional Democratic Party

Deputy-Director General of the CDPs International Department

Thierry Breton
Thierry Breton
French businessman and politician

Former European Commissioner

Sarah El Haïry
Sarah El Haïry
French Minister

Delegate for Children Youth, and Families

Aitor Esteban
Aitor Esteban
President of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV)
Sandro Gozi
Sandro Gozi
Secretary General of the European Democratic Party (EDP)

Partners

Renew Europe
Renew Europe
Renew Europe Committee of the Regions
Renew Europe Committee of the Regions
EU Made Simple
EU Made Simple
Insitute of European Democrats
Insitute of European Democrats
Rainbow Platform
Rainbow Platform
Young democrats for Europe
Young democrats for Europe

The parties

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