EVS Kongress 2026 in Oostende

Opening by the president of EVS Simon Rijsdijk

Ladies and gentlemen,

dear colleagues, dear friends,

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the Mayor of Ostend for the warm hospitality of this beautiful city by the sea.

Ostend is a city with character.

A city of wind and water.

A city where people come and go.

A city of encounter, culture, and history.

But above all: a city of people.

I extend a warm welcome to you all to the EVS Annual Congress.

And I extend a warm welcome to Michel Montini, President of the ICCS, and Nicolas Nord, Secretary General of the ICCS.

When we meet as EVS, we often discuss legislation, registers, systems, documents, procedures, and international cooperation. But today I want to start…

with the human…

Maarten Pylyser of the City of Ostend and Vice-Chairman of Burgerzaken Vlaanderen and me share a great passion for Arno Hintjens. You heard him when I came onto the stage.

Arno Hintjens was an iconic Belgian musician and artist, known as “Arno”. His roots lay here in Ostend and his bond with this city was very strong. To him, Ostend was his home. Performing gave Arno energy. Energy that the audience continued to enjoy to the fullest. With eyes closed, it was barely noticeable that a terminally ill artist stood on stage during his final concerts. His voice retained its zest for life. Stripped of embellishment and reduced to the essence, flanked only by a piano and guitar. Arno Hintjens was an honorary citizen of the City of Ostend.

Arno brought together chanson and rock. Raw and sensitive at the same time.

Locally rooted, yet universally understandable. And actually, that applies to our work as well.

For what binds us — despite all our different languages, systems, and traditions — is that we all work around the most important moments in people’s lives.

We register births.

We register marriages.

We register deaths.

We safeguard names.

We assess family relationships.

We provide legal certainty to people.

Ultimately, this is about human dignity.

In concrete terms, this means that a child receives an identity.

That a marriage is recognized.

That families have certainty.

That people are protected by the rule of law.

And that is why our work is not administrative.

Our work is fundamental !

We form the basis and the foundation of government functioning.

Without proper registration…

without careful assessment of legal facts…

without a reliable civil registry…

…no proper implementation of laws and regulations.

We are the gatekeepers of our societies.

And that entails responsibility.

Dear friends,

To me, the EVS has always been more than an organization.

The EVS is a community of professionals.

But also a community of friendships.

We meet at conferences.

We learn from each other.

We discover each other’s countries, cultures, and traditions.

And sometimes, lifelong friendships are formed there.

That is the strength of Europe.

Not just treaties.

Not just institutions.

But people meeting each other.

Europa entsteht durch Begegnung !

That is why one keyword is central to my speech today:

One powerful Europe.

A powerful Europe that protects its values.

A powerful Europe that safeguards legal certainty.

A powerful Europe that places human dignity at the center.

And especially in these times, that is more important than ever.

We live in a time of geopolitical tensions.

Of migration flows.

Of identity issues.

Of digital transformation.

Of increasing pressure on democratic institutions. Precisely then we must ask ourselves:

What does Europe stand for?

Europe stands for legal protection.

Europe stands for human dignity.

Europe stands for democratic institutions.

Europe stands for cooperation between countries instead of division.

And yes, we should also be more precise in defining what makes Europe strong:

In Europe, we do not believe that everything must be solved solely by the market.

In Europe, we do not believe that people are exclusively consumers.

In Europe, we believe that the government bears responsibility for protecting citizens.

That makes us different from the United States of America !

We believe in public values.

We believe in solidarity.

We believe in the human scale.

And that is exactly why our work is so important.

For civil registry and population registration form the foundation of those public values.

Dear colleagues,

At the same time, we are facing major choices.

We can choose full digitization.

Or we can stick to paper. But the real question is not: this or that.

The real question is: how do we preserve the best of both worlds?

Digitization offers speed.

Efficiency.

International cooperation.

Better service delivery.

But paper also offers something:

Historical memory.

Authenticity.

Human proximity.

Tangibility.

And that is why we must continue to safeguard both.

Not technology versus people, but technology at the service of people.

Not systems at the center, but citizens at the center.

Ultimately, this is about trust.

In concrete terms, this means that people must be able to count on a government that is reliable — digital and human.

And if you recognize this…

…then we know what we need to do.

Then we must continue to invest in cooperation.

In knowledge sharing.

In standards.

In quality.

In Europe.

And that is precisely why a strong EVS is so important.

Because the problems we face do not stop at national borders.

International families. Just think…

Migration.

Recognition of documents.

Digital identity.

Combating fraud.

No single country can solve this alone.

That is why we need each other.

That is why we need Europe.

That is why we need the EVS.

Dear friends,

For me personally, this congress is also special.

I have had the privilege of serving as Vice-President and President of the EVS for many years.

And for that, I feel deep gratitude.

Gratitude for the encounters.

Gratitude for the conversations.

Gratitude for all the people I have had the privilege of getting to know.

I have had the privilege of discovering so many different cultures.

Experiencing so much European heritage.

Attending so many wonderful congresses in special places in Europe.

But above all, I take the friendships with me.

For ultimately, it is the people who make the difference.

That is why I also want to share with you today that, due to my retirement, I will step down as President of the EVS on June 1, 2026.

Yesterday, the General Assembly decided to appoint Steve Heylen as the new President of the EVS.

And how wonderful it is… that this is happening during a congress in his own country.

Steve and I have known each other for many years.

And over those years, a special friendship has also developed.

I have great confidence in Steve Heylen.

Steve is a star.

A connector.

And a great advocate of the European idea.

I am certain that he will lead the EVS with vision, energy, and conviction.

And with that, the future of the EVS is in excellent hands.

Now that Steve is moving from the Vice Presidency to President, the General Assembly also decided yesterday to appoint Renzo Galvigioni of Italy, president of ANUSCA, as the new Vice President of the EVS. With this, too, we are taking an important step towards a strong future for our association.

Dear friends,

I would like to thank you all.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you for many years as President of the EVS.

Thank you for your trust.

Thank you for your collegiality.

Thank you for your friendship.

I wish you — and our wonderful European cooperation — all the best for the future.

Let us continue to build one powerful Europe.

A Europe of cooperation.

A Europe of legal certainty.

A Europe of human dignity.

A Europe in which we continue to meet each other.

Thank you!