European Democrats gather in Provence for three days of debate on Europe’s future

From 18 to 20 September, the European Democratic Party brought the European debate to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for its Journées de l’Europe 2026, organised alongside the annual gathering of the French Mouvement Démocrate.

Across three days, European and national politicians, local representatives, experts, athletes and young democrats discussed some of the defining challenges facing Europe: enlargement, democratic resilience, digital regulation, climate change, migration, territorial cohesion, competitiveness and social inclusion.

A European political family at work

The programme opened on Friday evening with “Bienvenue chez les Démocrates européens : qui fait quoi ?”, an introduction to the European democratic family with Alice Bernard, Mathieu Camescasse, Marguerite Deprez-Audebert and Alexandra Leuliette.

Saturday’s workshops then explored Europe from several perspectives: whether an enlarged Union can still take decisions effectively; how Europe can be built from cities and local communities; the resilience of democracy in Poland, Italy and France; digital rules for children; climate adaptation; migration and borders; cohesion policy; and Europe’s ability to compete economically with the United States and China.

More than ever, Europe needs power

One of the central political debates of the weekend went well beyond the traditional question of European integration. Under the theme “Face à la brutalisation du monde, plus que jamais besoin d’Europe”, Sandro Gozi, Blandine Chiellini-Pont and Bruno Fuchs examined migration, foreign interference, hybrid warfare and Europe’s capacity to defend its democratic model.

Migration was discussed not simply as a border-management issue, but also as a phenomenon increasingly used by third countries as an instrument of political pressure. Gozi argued that Europe should stop treating migration as a succession of emergencies and instead apply common European rules consistently, warning against outsourcing asylum policy to third countries and against what he described as ineffective national solutions.

The debate then turned to foreign interference, disinformation and attacks on democratic systems. Gozi stressed that Europe cannot protect its democracies country by country because the threats themselves are transnational, calling for stronger European coordination on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and political financing.

His broader conclusion was one of political power and sovereignty:

“We must move from veto to action, from dependence to sovereignty.”

For Gozi, a stronger and less fragmented Europe should also become the driving force behind a wider global alliance of democrats, bringing together partners such as Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and other democratic countries around a renewed multilateral order.

Sport as a force for cohesion

The plenary “Ouvrons grand le sport” brought together French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari, double Olympic taekwondo medallist Pascal Gentil and former high-level Belgian athlete Gaëlle Valcke, moderated by Seymour Demonière.

The discussion made clear that sport should not be seen merely as physical activity or elite competition. It was presented as a tool for education, inclusion, mental health, professional integration and social cohesion. Ferrari stressed the importance of amateur clubs and volunteers, while Valcke and Gentil described sport as a place where people from very different backgrounds learn respect, solidarity and collective responsibility.

Ferrari summed up the political importance of this approach by arguing that investing in sport means investing in social cohesion:

“Investing in sport is investing in social cohesion.”

She also highlighted the public-health dimension, pointing to the economic cost of physical inactivity and the need to make sport accessible regardless of age, disability or social background. The debate also touched on youth mental health, volunteering, local sports infrastructure and sport as a route back into education and employment.

The message was ultimately simple: sport creates communities, teaches responsibility and gives people a place to belong — something particularly valuable in increasingly fragmented societies.

“Il est minuit moins une”: climate action as investment

Climate change was at the centre of the second major plenary, “Il est minuit moins une”, with Belgian Federal Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Anne-Cécile Violland and Sylvain Waserman, President of ADEME. The session was hosted by Barbara De Vos, with testimonies from Michèle Crouzet, Christophe Madrolle, Clément Nauleau and Jimmy Pahun, and closing remarks by former French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.

The debate started from a stark reality: climate change is no longer an abstract risk for the future. Recent heatwaves, fires, droughts and floods have already changed the scale of the challenge. Participants argued that mitigation must now go hand in hand with adaptation, anticipation and resilience.

Crucke made a particularly clear argument against treating climate policy merely as a cost. He called for greater European cooperation, joint investment and a change in the way governments think about climate expenditure:

“Climate spending is not an expense. It is an investment.”

For him, investment in renewable energy, mobility, infrastructure and adaptation should be understood as a way to protect citizens, strengthen economic resilience and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. He also stressed that climate policy will only work if it incorporates social justice and remains acceptable in people’s everyday lives.

The discussion also linked ecological transition with competitiveness and sovereignty. Waserman argued that decarbonisation can strengthen businesses and reduce Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, while Borne called for faster action, long-term stability and a clearer multiannual framework for the ecological transition.

The conclusion was not one of climate pessimism, but of urgency and responsibility. As Crucke put it, the objective is to make sure that next year the clock moves back from “one minute to midnight” rather than closer to it.

Europe from the ground up

Throughout the Journées de l’Europe, this broader debate was complemented by workshops on local government, democracy, rural development, digital regulation, border management and industrial policy.

Local elected representatives discussed the role of cities and regions in translating European action into citizens’ everyday lives. Other sessions explored democratic resilience, protection of children online, European cohesion funding, rural development and the future of European competitiveness.

A final political discussion with Laurence Farreng, Sandro Gozi and Christophe Grudler looked ahead to 2027 and to France’s place in Europe.

A Europe that can act

Taken together, the Journées de l’Europe reflected a common conviction: Europe’s challenges are increasingly interconnected.

Security, climate change, migration, competitiveness, democratic resilience and social cohesion can no longer be treated as separate national questions. They require a Europe capable of acting, investing and protecting — while remaining close to citizens, territories and local communities.

For the European Democrats, that means a Europe that is less fragmented, more sovereign and more effective, but also one capable of building stronger democratic alliances beyond its own borders.