Cesar Cunha Campos, Director of FGV Europe, attended, on 13 January 2026, the formal farewell ceremony of Henriette Reker from her position as Mayor of the city of Cologne, Germany, Stadt Köln, held at the Historisches Rathaus.
Henriette Reker concludes a ten-year term as Mayor of Stadt Köln, having been the first woman to hold this office. She leaves behind a legacy marked by a strong commitment to democracy, institutional responsibility, and the recognition that public service is, above all, a collective endeavor.
In her farewell message, she highlighted not only the progress achieved by Cologne over the past decade, but also the importance of democratic transition as an essential element of public life.
For FGV Europe and for FGV – Fundação Getulio Vargas, the trajectory of Mayor Henriette Reker holds special significance. Throughout her mandate, the city of Cologne consolidated itself as a city open to international dialogue, academic and institutional cooperation, and to the presence of organizations dedicated to knowledge production and public policy debate – an environment that was fundamental to the development, consolidation, and activities of FGV Europe in the city.
We thank Henriette Reker for the 10 years of commitment, vision and contribution to the city of Cologne.
We wish full success to the new Mayor, Torsten Burmester, as he begins this new chapter at the City of Cologne.
