Dear friends,

first of all, on behalf of the International Europeade Committee, I would like to send warm Christmas greetings to all our friends. May this Christmas be a celebration of joy and enlightenment, so that we can make the desired peace among people a reality.

The year 2025 was once again a year of great challenges. For me, 2025 is a time of change, hope and personal growth. It gives us the opportunity to break new ground, take on challenges and harness the power of community. For the coming years, I personally expect society to face various challenges that will require perspectives and solutions. It is important for me to focus on my own inner attitude and harness the power of community to overcome these challenges.

It was a very special year for our Europeade. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a city that was willing to host the Europeade and promote the interests of the people of Europe. A city that wanted to promote peace, friendship and solidarity among the people of Europe's regions.

Perhaps this is because political leaders unfortunately only think from election to election, thus forgetting the important foundations for coexistence. The added value for a city that hosts a Europeade is a great benefit for everyone. Much more than money. We have found that every euro a city spends on the Europeade comes back to the city threefold in the form of income from the participants and guests of the Europeade. This seems to be often forgotten.

The city of Bergamo in Italy, on the other hand, has done very well in bringing the Europeade to its city in 2026 with the involvement of many participants. Our groups, which have been accompanying the Europeade for many years, as well as new groups, have understood this. As soon as registration opened, we had over 4,000 participants within two weeks, which has never happened so clearly before. Today, there are more than 5,356 participants from about 200 groups registered. This makes us, as the International Europeade Committee, very proud. Our Europeade is alive and well and will continue to bring people from the regions of Europe together in the years to come. Today, international understanding is more important than ever. It was the founders of the Europeade who wanted to bring the people of Europe together in peace after the devastating Second World War, and as President of the International Europeade Committee, I feel that this is more important today than ever before. I am proud to be President of this outstanding organisation and look forward to meeting in Bergamo from 22 to 26 July 2026 in friendship and freedom.

The new year 2026 looks kindly upon me, and I am leaving the old year behind me with its sunshine and clouds. With this in mind, I wish you all a peaceful Christmas surrounded by family and friends. For the new year 2026, my main wish for us is that peace finally returns to our continent.

We will continue to work together to form a strong initiative for peace, friendship and understanding in our beautiful Europe.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Yours sincerely, Rüdiger Hess

President IEC