La European Democratic Party Congress, held on 21 November at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre, turned into a major political appeal: faced with the rise of authoritarianism, the crisis of the rule of law and the weakening of liberal democracies around the world, a new, broader, transnational alliance is needed. A network of all democratic forces that believe in freedom, human dignity and open institutions. A clear message came out of Bilbao: it is no longer time to defend ourselves, it is time to react, together.
After the inauguration of our president, François Bayrou, the statutory session opened with the European anthem, followed by a video message from Renew Europe president Valérie Hayer. Presenter Aitana Agirre then introduced the political report by secretary-general Sandro Gozi and the financial report by treasurer Marguerite Deprez-Audebert.
A moment of great political significance was dedicated to the signing of the Bilbao Rainbow Platform, presented by its founder Luis Cano: a concrete commitment by the EDP to combat discrimination and violence and to ensure more inclusive representation in European institutions.
There were significant contributions from Enrico Borghi for the IED, Alice Bernard-Montini for the European Democratic Youth and François Decoster for Renew Europe at the Committee of the Regions: all called for a more courageous Europeanism, capable of protecting rights and pluralism in the most difficult years since the end of the Cold War.
The political heart of the session emerged with the four new member parties. Mark Camilleri Gambin (Momentum, Malta) denounced the concentration of power in the hands of tech giants. Odysseas Michaelides (Alma, Cyprus) clearly explained how the Turkish occupation of the north of the island remains an open European wound. From Hungary, Péter Márki-Zay described the system of threats, propaganda and repression built by the Orbán regime, while Stefanos Kasselakis from Greece relaunched the idea of a progressive centrism capable of restoring citizens’ confidence and bringing politics back on track towards transparency and modernity.
Alongside them, guest parties also spoke: Miroslav Aleksic (People’s Movement of Serbia) spoke of the daily struggle for the rule of law in a country where opponents are persecuted; Aleix Sarri Camargo (Junts per Catalunya) recalled that there are still political leaders in Europe who are forced into exile; Alekseï Jasin (Eesti 200, Estonia) highlighted the urgent need to defend the eastern borders from the Russian threat and not to leave room for populists.
The statutory proceedings were concluded with closing speeches by the PDE–Renew MEPs present: Engin Eroglu (Freie Wähler, Germany), Laurence Farreng (MoDem, France), Christophe Grudler (MoDem, France), Ciarán Mullooly (Independent Ireland, Ireland) and Oihane Agirregoitia (EAJ-PNV, Basque Country), who spoke on behalf of the European institutions and reiterated that the pro-European centre is now a necessary force to keep the Union united in the face of new authoritarian pressures.
This part of the meeting ended with the traditional family photo, symbolising an increasingly broad and representative EDP.
The public session, which was even more well-attended, opened with inaugural speeches by Basque MEP Oihane Agirregoitia and Basque Government President Imanol Pradales, who emphasised the role of Euskadi in European integration and the political value of democratic centrism in an era of tension and polarisation. The defence of democracy, they reiterated, is not an abstract issue: it concerns communities, territories and people’s daily lives.
Former Commissioner Thierry Breton delivered one of the most political speeches of the day, unequivocally denouncing attempts to dismantle the European rules that have regulated big tech, data, markets and artificial intelligence. In a world where international trust has dissolved, Breton warned that “giving in today would mean losing the soul of Europe”, calling on the EDP to take a leading role in countering democratic regression and the advance of authoritarian and illiberal models. Paolo Benanti’s reflection added a further layer: the threat is not only political, but technological. In “software-defined reality”, he explained, power is no longer exercised solely by institutions but also by codes, digital infrastructures and algorithms. “If democracy becomes software-dependent, then whoever controls the software controls democracy,” he said. This cross-cutting warning resonated strongly with the audience. (ARTICLE LINK)
The first panel, moderated by Ciarán Mullooly, brought some of the most powerful testimonies of the day to the stage. Turkish activist Esila Ayık, British-Ukrainian filmmaker Caolan Robertson, Serbian students Nikolina Sindelic and Pavel Cicvaric, and young American activist Chris Mowrey discussed civil liberties, repression, disinformation and new forms of mobilisation. The panel opened with a message from Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, read by his wife Dilek İmamoğlu.
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After Benanti’s speech, French Children’s Commissioner Sarah El Haïry and Sandro Gozi presented the new PDE campaign dedicated to child protection and children’s rights in Europe.
A Basque musical interlude brought local traditions and identity to the stage before the second debate.
The second panel, moderated by Laurence Farreng, brought together voices from the United States, India and Japan: Italian-American journalist Alan Friedman, Indian National Congress MP Manish Tewari and Japanese Constitutional Democratic Party MP Yosuke Suzuki. The discussion highlighted the global risks to liberal democracy and the need for stronger alliances between democratic forces around the world.
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The closing of the congress — with Aitor Esteban, Sandro Gozi, and François Bayrou — transformed this diagnosis into a political project. Esteban recalled the value of the centre as a place of dialogue and solutions, not neutrality. Gozi strongly reiterated the idea that ‘democrats around the world must unite’ because authoritarian forces are already doing so. Bayrou recalled that Europe was created precisely to overcome the law of the strongest, and that today its survival depends on the courage of democratic forces. (ARTICLE LINK)
In Bilbao, it became clear that the pro-European centre is not an intermediate position, but an advanced front in the global battle for democracy. Europe can still be a beacon of freedom, pluralism and the rule of law. But only if it can unite — and only if it can unite all the other democracies in the world that want to resist the authoritarian wave we are experiencing.
