The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award Ceremony took place on 27 January 2022 during the Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels. In recognition for the excellence and courage of her work in promoting freedom, solidarity, equality and diversity, Henriette Reker, Mayor of Cologne (Germany), was named as the first winner of the award created in honour of Mayor Paweł Adamowicz of Gdańsk, who was murdered in January 2019 while fulfilling his public duties.

“Mayor Reker, who suffered herself a knife attack in 2015 for helping migrants, showed a brave example for all of us, local and regional elected representatives. We should all stand for human rights, democracy and the rule of Law in our daily work not giving up to pressure, intimidation and threats,” stated Congress President Leendert Verbeek on this occasion. “I am proud that the Congress supported and will continue to support the Award contributing to its selection process and the Jury,” he added.

Faced with increased pressure on mayors, the Congress held a series of debates in 2018 and 2019 and more recently, in October 2021, a thematic debate on “How to preserve local democracy in the face of fakes news and hate speech”. An inter-university project to combat fake news and hate speech affecting mayors and councillors is currently implemented with the Congress support. This topic will be debated during the 42nd Congress session on 23 March 2022.

The Award was jointly created by the European Committee of the Regions, the City of Gdańsk, where Mayor Adamowicz served, and the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). The aim is to develop his legacy in the spirit of ICORN’s core mission: advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values, and promoting international solidarity. The Congress contributes to the selection process of the winner through its participation in the Evaluation Committee and the Jury.