ALDE Party Congress Brussels 2025

Kristen Michal

Prime Minister of Estonia

Reform Party, Estonia  

Kristen Michal is the leader of the Estonian Reform Party and Prime Minister of Estonia since 2024. With a law background, he worked as an advisor to the Reform Party and Prime Minister Siim Kallas until joining the Estonian Parliament and becoming Secretary General of the Reform Party from 2003 to 2011. He served in the Estonian government since 2012 with the portfolios of Justice, Economic Affairs and Climate.

Svenja Hahn

ALDE Party President

FDP, Germany 

Originally from Hambourg, Svenja Hahn is a German MEP elected in 2019 for the FDP. She previously served as President of LYMEC (2018-2020), ELF Vice-President (2020-2022) and ALDE Party Vice President (2022-2024), when she led the 2024 manifesto drafting process. In 2025, she was elected Vice-President of the FDP.  

ALDE Party President since October 2024, she works to unite liberal forces across Europe and defend democracy.   

Xavier Bettel

Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg

 DP, Luxembourg

Xavier Bettel was first elected to the Luxembourg Parliament in 1999 and served multiple terms, holding roles such as vice-chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee and chairman of the DP parliamentary group. At the local level, he was a municipal councillor, alderman, and later mayor of Luxembourg City until becoming Prime Minister in 2013, a role he held through two coalition governments until 2023. Following the 2023 elections, he became Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs.

Dominic Fritz

Party Leader of USR Romania and Mayor of Timișoara

 USR, Romania

Dominic Fritz is Mayor of Timișoara since 2020 and Party Leader of USR since June 2025. A German native and a political science graduate, he worked on international development and peacekeeping from 2009 till 2012. From 2016 to 2019, he was an advisor and chief of staff of former German president Horst Köhler. Amid the countrywide anti-corruption protests in the winter of 2017, he joined USR and moved from Berlin to Timișoara. He campaigned against the incumbent PNL (EPP) mayor and won a clear majority in 2020 to become mayor of the city. He was re-elected mayor in 2024.

Frédéric De Gucht 

Regional MP & Party Leader of Open VLD

 Open VLD, Belgium

Frédéric De Gucht the leader of the Open VLD. The son of former minister and former commissioner Karel De Gucht, he is a graduate of commercial engineering and business administration. He worked in the private sector from his graduation until July 2025. In 2014, he became CEO of the glass processor company Sprimoglass and remains chairman of the board today. In 2023, he was elected chairman of the Open VLD’s Brussels branch. In August 2025, he ran for the presidency of the party upon the resignation of party leader Eva De Bleeker. He was elected on 17 October 2025 with 91% of the votes.

Mariana Leitão 

Party Leader of Iniciativa Liberal

Iniciativa Liberal, Portugal

Mariana Leitão is the party leader of Iniciativa Liberal, a member of the Portuguese Parliament and leader of the Iniciativa Liberal parliamentary group. An expert bridge player graduated in international relations, she worked in business administration before joining IL in 2019. She joined the council of her home city of Oeiras in 2021 and became the Secretary General of IL’s parliamentary group in 2023. In 2024, she was elected MP in the Lisbon constituency and has led IL’s parliamentary group ever since. She was re-elected in the 2025 snap election and took over the leadership of Iniciativa Liberal in July 2025.  

Georges-Louis Bouchez  

Party Leader of MR

 MR, Belgium

Georges-Louis Bouchez began his career as adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders, later becoming an adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2019 he served as MR campaign spokesperson before being elected senator. On 28 November 2019, he succeeded Charles Michel as president of the Mouvement Réformateur and in 2024 he was re-elected both as Party President and as a member of Parliament. 

Kaja Kallas  

Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

 Reform Party, Estonia

Kaja Kallas is Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 2024. With a lawyer background, she became a member of the Estonian Parliament in 2010 and heading the Economic Affairs committee. She was elected MEP in 2014, where she worked on digital regulation. She led the Reform Party to two victorious elections in 2019 and 2023. She was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2021 to 2024 and led 3 coalition government in that time.

Marie Bjerre  

Minister FOR European Affairs OF Denmark

 Venstre, Denmark

Marie Bjerre is Minister of European Affairs for Denmark and leading the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU. A lawyer by profession, she practises law in Aalborg while working for Venstre. In 2019, she is elected Member of the Danish Parliament and re-elected in 2022. When Venstre joins the coalition government in December 2022, she is appointed Minister for Digitalisation and Equality. In August 2024, she is appointed EU Affairs minister and leads the preparatory work for the EU Council presidency by travelling to all 26 other Member States.  

Nicole Büttner

FDP Secretary General and CEO of Merantix Momentum

 FDP, Germany 

Nicole Büttner is an entrepreneur, technology economist and digital expert. She has been Secretary General of the FDP since May 2025. At the same time, she is the founder and managing director of Merantix Momentum, an artificial intelligence company, among other things.

After studying economics in St. Gallen, Paris, Stockholm and Stanford, she worked in the financial sector and for a technology company in Palo Alto.

Helmut Brandstätter

Member of the European Parliament 

Moderator

 NEOS, Austria 

Helmut Brandstätter is an Austrian MEP from the NEOS party since 2024 and working on foreign affairs and democracy issues. Active in politics since 2019, he was a Member of the Austrian National Council until 2024. Previously, he led a very successful career as a journalist, foreign correspondent and TV anchor for the Austrian public television ORF. He was editor-in-chief for the daily newspaper the Kurier during the 2010s. 

Micheál Martin

Party Leader of Fianna Fáil

 Fianna Fáil, Ireland 

Originally from Cork, Micheál Martin is the party leader of Fianna Fáil and Prime Minister/Taoiseach of Ireland. With a teacher background, he has been elected member of the Irish Parliament for the Cork South-Central constituency since 1989. He held several ministerial portfolios in FF cabinets from 1997 to 2010. In 2011, he took over the leadership of the party and became leader of the opposition until 2020. After successfully setting up a historical coalition, he became Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022, Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister from 2022 to 2024. After an electoral victory, he was elected Taoiseach again in January 2025 under the same system. 

Robert Golob

Prime Minister of Slovenia

 Gibanje Svoboda, Slovenia

Robert Golob is party leader of Gibanje Svoboda and Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2022. With a PhD in electrical engineering, he co-founded and chaired an energy trading company until 2021. He was State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs from 1999 to 2000, member of the local council of Nova Gorica between 2002 and 2022. In 2022, he took over the small extra-parliamentary Z.DEJ, renamed it unto the Freedom Movement and won the legislative election of April 2022.

Hadja Lahbib

European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality

 MR, Belgium

Hadja Lahbib is the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, nominated by the Belgium government and appointed by the European Parliament at the end of 2024. After a successful career as a journalist, war correspondent and TV anchor for the French-speaking Belgian broadcast RTBF, she joined politics in 2022 when she became the MR-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium. In 2023, she successfully negotiated the liberation of humanitarian worker Olivier Vandecasteele from Iranian jail. In 2024, she ran in the Brussels regional election but had to give up her mandate to become Commissioner.

Michael McGrath

European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law

 Fianna Fáil, Ireland

Michael McGrath is the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law, nominated by the Irish government and appointed by the European Parliament at the end of 2024. A native of Cork, he studied commerce and became an accountant. Member of a city council from 1999 till 2007, he became member of the Irish Parliament for the Cork South-Central constituency between 2007 and his nomination as Commissioner. From 2020 until 2024, he was consecutively minister for public expenditure and minister for finance in the Irish government.  

Marta Kos 

European Commissioner for Enlargement

 Gibanje Svoboda, Slovenia

Marta Kos is the European Commissioner for Enlargement, nominated by the Slovenian government and appointed by the European Parliament at the end of 2024. A swimming champion, she started her career in journalism at the Slovenia public broadcast RTV. From 1997 till 1999, she managed the communication of the Slovenian government. From 2013 till 2020, she was consecutively appointed ambassador to Germany and to Switzerland. She resigned in 2020 due to her disagreement with the policies of populist Prime Minister of the time Janez Janša. She has been involved with Gibanje Svoboda since the inception of the party in 2022.   

Mathieu Bihet 

Federal Minister of Energy of Belgium

MR, Belgium 

Mathieu Bihet is Federal Minister of Energy of Belgium. A graduate in law, he was elected at local level in 2012 and became the President of Jeunes MR in 2015. From 2017 onwards, he is appointed Deputy Mayor of Neupré. Candidate in the 2019 legislative election, he becomes Member of the Belgian Parliament in 2022. He is re-elected in 2024 and is appointed minister at the formation of the De Wever coalition government in February 2025.

Anders Adlercreutz 

party leader of SFP and Minister of Education of Finland

SFP, Finland 

Anders Adlercreutz is the party leader of SFP and Minister of Education of Finland since July 2024. Architect by profession, he served as local councillor of Kirkkonummi until 2015, when he joined the Finnish Parliament as a member. After being re-elected twice in 2019 and 2023, he became Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering in June 2023. He succeeded MEP Anna-Maja Henriksson as SFP party leader in June 2024 and became Education Minister.

Romina Pourmokhtari

Minister for Climate and Environment of Sweden

Liberalerna, Sweden

Romina Pourmokhtari is the Minister for Climate and Environment of Sweden. The daughter or Iranian political refugee, she has been active in youth politics and, in 2019, was elected chairwoman of the Liberal Youth Union, LUF. During the 2022 legislative election, she ran for Liberalerna in the was elected in the Stockholm constituency and we elected in the Swedish Parliament. Upon the formation of the government, she became Minister for Climate and Environment in October 2022. Appointed at the age of 26, she is the youngest-ever minister of a cabinet in Sweden.

David Clarinval

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Agriculture of Belgium

MR, Belgium 

David Clarinval is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Agriculture of Belgium since February 2025. A social science graduate, he worked in his family construction company before joining politics. He became Mayor of Bièvre, in Wallonia, in 2001 and has been consecutively re-elected ever since. Provincial councillor in 2006, he enters the Belgian Federal Parliament in 2007 and becomes MR group leader in 2017. He is appointed Budget Minister in 2019 and Minister for the Middle Class, the Self-Employed, SMEs, Agriculture, Institutional Reform and Democratic Renewal in 2020 until 2025. He has been Deputy Prime Minister for MR since 2019.

Ionuț Moșteanu 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Romania

USR, Romania

Ionuț Moșteanu is Deputy Prime Minister of Romania and Defence Minister since June 2025. With a background in ingeneering and management, he has been a member of USR since its inception and has been elected member of the Romanian Parliament since 2016. Before joining the government, he was spokesman of USR since 2017 and leader of the USR parliamentary group since 2020.

Radu Miruță 

Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism of Romania

USR, Romania 

Radu Miruță is Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism of Romania. A graduate in engineering, he joined USR and is elected Member of the Romanian Parliament in 2020 and 2024 for the Gorj constituency. At the favour of USR joining a coalition government under Prime Minister Bolojan, he became Economy Minister in June 2025.

Thomas Byrne

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence of Ireland

Fianna Fáil, Ireland

Thomas Byrne is Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence in the Irish government. Working as a solicitor in Meath County, he was elected the youngest Fianna Fáil Member of the Irish Parliament in 2007. Elected senator in 2011, he was re-elected to the Dáil in 2016. From 2020 until 2024, he was consecutively Minister of State for European Affairs and for Sport and Physical Education. At the formation of the new Irish government, he was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence in January 2025.

Oana Țoiu 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania

USR, Romania

Oana Țoiu is Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania. A graduate in communications, she becomes State Secretary on the Labour and Social Protection Ministry in 2016-2017. In 2020, she become Member of the Romanian Parliament from the Bucharest district. She is reelected in 2024. At the favour of USR joining a coalition government under Prime Minister Bolojan, she was appointed Minister in June 2025.

Hilde Vautmans

Member of the European Parliament

Open VLD, Belgium

Hilde Vautmans is a Belgian MEP from the Open VLD party since 2015 and working on foreign affairs issues. A graduate of sociology and criminology, she worked as parliamentary assistant and cabinet member of Guy Verhofstadt while he was Prime Minister. Member of the Belgian Parliament between 2003 and 2010, she is active in local politics in Sint-Truiden and previously in Hasselt. She is serving her third mandate as MEP and has been the President of the European Liberal Forum between 2020 and 2024.

Diana Buzoianu

Minister of Environment, Water and Forests of Romania

USR, Romania

Diana Buzoianu is the Minister of Environment of Romania. A lawyer by profession, she worked on data protection, commercial law, and real estate law at Deloitte Romania between 2017 and 2020. In 2020, she is elected Member of the Romanian Parliament from the Budapest electoral district on the lists of the USR-PLUS Alliance. She works in Parliament on environment and digital issues. She is re-elected MP in 2024. At the favour of USR joining a coalition government under Prime Minister Bolojan, she is appointed Minister in June 2025.

Valérie Glatigny

Minister for Education and Vice-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation

MR, Belgium

Valérie Glatigny is Minister for Education and Further Education and Vice-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. A philosophy major, she worked in journalism before joining the cabinet of Louis Michel in the European Commission. She also worked in the ALDE group before becoming advisor to the President of the European Parliament. From 2019 until 2023, she is appointed Minister for Higher Education and Research of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. In June 2024, she is elected at the Belgian federal parliament. In July 2024, she becomes Minister for Education for the French-speaking part of Belgium, where she is implementing a major reform of the curriculum.

Elene Khoshtaria

Minister for Education and Vice-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation

Droa!, Georgia  

Elene Khoshtaria is the Party Leader of Droa. A graduate of international affairs, she served as Deputy Minister at Office of the State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration from 2007 until 2012. Between 2012 and 2016, she worked at the reform think tank GRASS. In 2016, she was elected member of the Georgian Parliament but is not re-elected in 2020. In March 2021, she founds the Droa! (”The Time Has Come”) party. In 2024, she runs in the legislative election as one of the leaders of the “Coalition for Change”. Upon the massive electoral frauds perpetrated by Georgian Dream, she refused to recognised the results, boycotted the Georgian Parliament and participated in the mass democratic demonstrations of 2024-2025. On 28 March 2025, she was arrested by the regime for demonstrating but was promptly released after international pressure. Upon the imprisonment of her fellow male opposition leaders, she went on a hunger strike in June. On 15 September, the regime arrested her again and imprisoned her. She has been in jail ever since.

Valérie Hayer 

Minister for Education and Vice-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation

Renaissance, France

Valérie Hayer is the President of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament since 2024 and has been an MEP since 2019. Daughter of farmers, she graduated in public law and specialised on public finances. She is elected local councillor in 2008 and 2014. Working in the French Senate and the European Parliament for UDI politicians, she joins La République En Marche in 2017 and is elected MEP in 2019. She managed the negotiations on the MFF 2021-2027 and the post-COVID recovery plan. She was the leader of the French delegation of the Renew Europe group from 2021 until January 2024, when she became president of the group. She led the European election campaign of the French liberal and centrist parties in 2024. 

Yannick Shetty

Member of the Austrian Parliament and the leader of the NEOS parliamentary group

NEOS, Austria

Yannick Shetty is a Member of the Austrian Parliament and the leader of the NEOS parliamentary group. A law graduate, he joined NEOS in 2013 and was active in the youth wing JUNOS in Vienna. In 2019, he is elected the youngest MP in Austria, at age 24. He is re-elected in 2024. As NEOS enters a coalition agreement with the ÖVP and the SPÖ, he becomes the chairman of the NEOS parliamentary group in March 2025.

Anikó Paróczai 

Deputy Mayor of Budapest’s XIXth District

Momentum, Hungary

Anikó Paróczai is the Deputy Mayor of Budapest’s XIXth District. A graduate of business management, she joined Momentum in 2018 to campaign for the 2019 European election and to be active at local level in Budapest. She later became Momentum’s international officer. In 2024, she became Deputy Mayor of Budapest’s XIXth District.

Martin Dubéci

Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament for Progresívne Slovensko

PS, Slovakia 

Martin Dubéci is the Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament for Progresívne Slovensko. A graduate of political science, he worked in cabinets and campaign staffs for Slovak MPs and ran for office in the 2010s. After joining PS, he was elected Member of the Slovak Parliament in September 2023 and became the leader of the PS parliamentary group. In June 2025, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament and became the only opposition Deputy speaker of the Parliament.  

Monika Zajkova 

MP & party leader of Liberal Democratic Party

LDP, North Macedonia

Monika Zajkova is an MP, the leader of LDP (North Macedonia) and President of LIBSEEM. A law graduate, she joined the youth wing of LDP in 2011 and lead it in 2017. She worked as an advisor to the parliamentary group and as head of the cabinet of the Minister for Local Government during the 2016–2020 term. Elected member of the North Macedonian Parliament in 2020, she became the youngest woman, the second youngest parliamentarian. In 2022, she was elected chairwoman of the LDP. She was re-elected MP in 2024.

Pavle Grbović

MP & the Party leader of Movement of Free Citizens

PSG, Serbia

Pavle Grbović is an MP and the leader of PSG (Serbia). A law graduate, he joined PSG at its founding in 2017. In 2018, he was elected councillor in Belgrade. In 2020, he was elected president of his party. He was elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2023 Member of the Serbian Parliament.  

Taras Kachka

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration

Sluga Narodu, Ukraine

Taras Kachka is Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. A law graduate, he worked as a Ukrainian high civil servant at the justice, finance and agriculture ministries from 2001 until 2014. In 2019, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine. In July 2025, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

Sabina Ćudić

Member of the Bosnian Parliament and Party Leader of Naša stranka

Naša stranka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sabina Ćudić is a Member of the Bosnian Parliament and Party Leader of Naša stranka. A graduate of political science and human rights, she became a local MP of the Sarajevo Canton in 2014. In 2018, she was elected a regional MP of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2022, she was elected to the national House of Representatives and has been a member of PACE since 2023. On 11 October 2025, she was unanimously elected party leader of Naša stranka. 

Assen Vassilev

Member of the Bulgarian Parliament and Party Leader of We Continue The Change 

We Continue The Change, Bulgaria

Assen Vassilev is a Member of the Bulgarian Parliament and Party Leader of We Continue The Change. A Harvard graduate in economics, he worked as an entrepreneur, consultant and lecturer before joining politics. In 2013, he is appointed Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism in a caretaker government. From May to September 2021, he is Minister of Finance in a caretaker government. In September 2021, he co-founds We Continue The Change with Kiril Petkov, Economy Minister at the time. The party wins the November 2021 legislative election and forms a coalition government. Assen Vassilev is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance from December 2021 until June 2022. He is consistently re-elected Member of the Bulgarian Parliament since 2021. On 28 September 2025, he is elected party leader of We Continue The Change. 

Jan-Christoph Oetjen

 MEP and President of the European Liberal Forum

FDP, Germany 

Jan-Christoph Oetjen is a Member of the European Parliament and President of the European Liberal Forum. A graduate of economics, he joined FDP in Lower Saxony in 1995. In the 2000’s and 2010’s, he is elected local councillor and member of the Lower Saxony State Parliament until 2019. In the 2019 European election, he is elected MEP for FDP and re-elected in 2024. The same year, he is elected President of the European Liberal Forum.