On Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the network meeting of the German-speaking ECCAR member cities took place in Jena. Representatives from more than 30 municipalities gathered at the Historic Town Hall to exchange recent developments in local anti-racism work, discuss strategies to safeguard democratic values, and address the structural challenges facing modern municipal administrations.
Official Opening and Thematic Presentations
Dr Thomas Nitzsche, Lord Mayor of the City of Jena, alongside Kathleen Lützkendorf, Head of Department for Social Affairs, Health, Immigration and Climate, officially opened the event, emphasizing Jena's commitment to fostering inclusive and resilient urban societies.
The thematic core of the first day centred on a highly pressing issue for local governments: the legal neutrality requirement for official administrative statements. Dr Mathias Hong, Professor of Public Law at the University of Public Administration Kehl, delivered an impulse lecture exploring how this legal principle impacts the political and social climate within municipal administrations. His presentation sparked a lively discussion on the fine line between administrative neutrality and the constitutional obligation of public institutions to position themselves clearly against racism and right-wing extremism.
Building on these legal dimensions, Jasemin Seven, Project Manager of the ECCAR project "Cities for Everyone? Building Anti-Racist Municipalities in Germany" facilitated a perspective workshop. Representatives from the member cities shared practical experiences regarding how the neutrality requirement is interpreted in their respective local contexts. The dialogue highlighted significant structural challenges, including political pressures, institutional resistance, and the urgent need for clearer guidelines that empower administrative staff to stand up for democratic values.
Federal Strategies and Local Historical Reflections on Right-Wing Extremism
Dr Yasemin Shooman, representing the office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism, presented the current strategic priorities of the federal administration, with a particular focus on expanding support mechanisms for affected individuals. The subsequent exchange focused on how federal initiatives can be effectively operationalized at the municipal level, translating national anti-racism policies into sustainable local action plans.
Diving deeper into the local context of the hosting city of Jena, city historian Dr Jenny Price and scholar Leonie Dellen delivered a joint lecture analysing the societal and structural context surrounding the emergence of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) in Jena. This critical examination of institutional blind spots and past structural failures was also subject of the theatrical presentation "Youth in Jena in the Early 1990s" by Haydi e.V. in cooperation with Freie Bühne Jena e.V. and the Thuringian Archive for Contemporary History "Matthias Domaschk”. The performance offered an emotional and narrative insight into the post-reunification social dynamics that enabled right-wing violence.
Practical Tools for Local Administration
The second day focused heavily on practical implementation and actionable tools designed to build racism-critical structures within city administrations. Doreen Denstädt, Chairperson of the Verwaltung für Demokratie e.V. introduced "The First Aid Kit Democracy for Administration Staff." This innovative toolkit provides municipal employees with concrete methods to defend democratic principles, manage discriminatory behaviour in daily administrative operations, and foster an open, diverse institutional culture.
Furthering the focus on structural implementation, Dr Isabella Meier from the European Training and Research Centre (ETC) for Human Rights and Democracy provided specialised insights into implementing the ECCAR 10-Point Action Plan. Focusing on the question of how local administrations can move away from purely qualitative measures to move toward evidence-based monitoring systems that track the concrete outcomes of anti-racism strategies and highlight hidden institutional barriers.
The meeting concluded with updates from the coalition’s leadership. ECCAR Vice-President Danijel Cubelic and Interim Director Jana Christ outlined the current strategic trajectory of the ECCAR Office. This was complemented by a status report from Jasemin Seven on the progress of the "Cities for Everyone?" project. Representatives discussed the ongoing efforts to promote intercultural openness and empower administrative staff with lived experiences of racism, while concluding that sustainable progress requires mandatory anti-racism training for management and robust backing from top political leadership.
The two-day exchange wrapped up with an educational city tour led by Katharina Kempken from the Thuringian Archive for Contemporary History "Matthias Domaschk." Titled "Zones of Fear and Safe Spaces," the tour walked participants through Jena's urban history around 1990, illustrating the historical realities of right-wing violence and the parallel emergence of anti-racist civil society resistance, reinforcing the vital role that local governments play in securing safe spaces for all citizens.
The event was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as part of the federal program “Demokratie leben!”.
