Early May, in Cascais, Portugal, mayors, local elected officials, and democratic resilience practitioners from across Europe gathered for the ACT NOW Mayors' Conference, a moment to take stock of what is happening to democracy at the ground level, and what cities can and must do about it.

Sophie Woodville, Digital Program Officer at Bordeaux Métropole, and member of the coordination team of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights, joined a plenary panel on "Strengthening Democratic Resilience and Protecting Human Rights in Times of Political Volatility". We are grateful to the Human Rights Cities Network, who curated the panel and invited us, alongside Stephen De Ron (Rapporteur on the European Democracy Shield, European Committee of the Regions), Mathilde Bouyé (Open Government Partnership), Mateusz Płoskonka (Municipality of Kraków), and Julia Johnson (Human Rights Cities Network). Here are the key arguments brought to the table by our coalition.

Democracy is a local issue first

Disinformation, polarization, digital exclusion… these are not abstractions. They are felt by people in their streets, in their schools, in their daily lives. And local governments feel them too, sometimes before national governments do.

There is a reason why mayors and local elected officials are the most trusted level of government (60-70% public trust in France, compared to around 15-20% for the national level - CEVIPOF Barometer 2026). That trust is not a given. It is earned through proximity, responsiveness, and accountability. And it is the most powerful democratic asset cities hold.

Cities are not simply service providers. They are ecosystem and community builders. Their role is not always to do everything directly, but it is always to make sure all stakeholders know each other, work together, and get the support they need. To reach every community, in the right language, through the right channel. Cities are the level closest to citizens

That is why local actors are not merely implementers of policy. They must be the co-architects of democratic resilience.

Digital tools: powerful, but not sufficient on their own

Digital tools can strengthen democracy, but they don't do it automatically. The same technologies that can empower citizens can also manipulate them. The difference lies in design choices, governance, and who holds power over the infrastructure.

Cities have been pioneers in using digital tools for participation: participatory budgeting platforms that give citizens direct influence over public spending; digital consultation tools that allow residents to shape planning decisions and local policy; deliberative processes supported by digital infrastructure that reach people who would never walk into a town hall. These are not experiments anymore. They work. And they shift citizens from passive recipients of decisions to active co-authors of them.

But digital access and basic skills are the floor, not the ceiling: consider a citizen who has a smartphone, internet access, and basic digital literacy. Now consider that this same person cannot tell a legitimate government message from a phishing attempt, or does not know what data their apps collect or how it is used, or accepts every default setting because no one ever explained they had a choice… They are connected, yes, the have the tools, yes. But they are not empowered.

That is the gap cities and coalitions like the CC4DR are working to close.

What is actually needed: a common digital culture

The tools, the fact-checking resources, the inclusive design… all these fail if citizens cannot critically engage with them. The most important and often underestimated investment cities make is in a common digital culture.

This is far more demanding than digital skills, or a one-off awareness campaign. A common digital culture means that every citizen (schoolchildren, parents, seniors, elected officials, civil servants…) has a genuine capacity to understand and navigate the digital world. Not passively, but critically.

It means the ability to distinguish reliable information from manipulation. To understand what data is, how it is collected, how it is used, and by whom. To make intentional choices about one's own digital life rather than simply accepting defaults that someone else designed.

Cities cannot function democratically if only a technical elite understands how they work. That is not democracy; it is delegation by default.

A common digital culture is a civic commitment, not a project with a start and end date, but a long-term investment in the digital maturity of all citizens.

What the European Democracy Shield must deliver

The conference was also an opportunity to engage with the European Democracy Shield and what it needs to support every level of governance.

The Shield must be dynamic, not merely defensive. Protecting democracy from external threats is necessary but not sufficient. It must actively foster resilience from within; and here again, a common digital culture is our best tool for both protection and resilience. That culture can only be built at the local level, by reaching citizens where they are.

Cities must be engaged as genuine partners, not simply consulted. They secure elections, counter foreign interference, deliver media literacy, and protect targeted communities. That operational knowledge should be reflected in the Shield's governance as co-design, not only as implementers.

Direct EU funding for city-to-city cooperation is also essential. To co-develop solutions, share what works, and scale them across borders. Cities are Europe's best allies: they fly the European flag, celebrate Europe every day, and serve as Europe's ambassadors to citizens.

Join us: International Digital Rights Days, December 2026

One initiative that embodies this long-term, city-led approach is the International Digital Rights Days, a CC4DR coalition initiative now entering its third edition this December!

The International Digital Rights Days bring together cities, civil society, and citizens to affirm that digital rights are human rights, and that local governments have a central role in defending them. If your city, your organization, your media is not yet involved, this is the moment to join.

Learn more about the IDRD movement at International Digital Rights Days