Last week, ALDE Party held its first hybrid Council Meeting in Rome, Italy.  There, the ALDE Party Bureau, member party delegates and liberals from across Europe addressed some of Europe’s most pressing challenges.

During the event, the Council adopted eight resolutions focusing on foreign affairs issues, such as the crises at the Belarus-Poland border and a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, as well as human rights issues such as the release of Saakashvili and illegitimate surveillance of EU citizens.

The resolution ―  Diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and associated events ― calls on ALDE Party members to, in view of the industrial scale human rights abuses taking place in China, such as persecution against Uyghurs and the crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement groups, take the following actions to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics:

“ALDE Party members to work within their respective national legislatures and governments not to accept any invitations to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics or its associated events with a view to achieving a united stand between European countries;

ALDE Party Members of European Parliament and EU Commissioners to initiate an EU-wide and EU-candidate country diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics or its associated events.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― A humanitarian solution to the crisis on the Polish/Belarus border ― proposes the following actions to deal with the current crisis at the Polish/Belarusian border:

“Insist and enforce that member states uphold the rights for asylum seekers; insist upon the use of Frontex in Poland; grant unhindered access to journalists, NGOs and lawyers at the Polish/Belarus border; work for a withdrawal of all unnecessary military forces; strengthen the sanctions on Belarusian officials and introduce sectoral sanctions”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― On illegitimate surveillance of EU citizens ― deals with issues raised by the recent international scandal on the illegitimate use of the surveillance software ‘Pegasus’ stating that:

“The fight against terrorism and organised crime ensures the security of our societies. This, however, shall never cast a shadow on the freedom of media, the freedom of speech and never shall legitimise the mass surveillance of civilians without due process and for political purposes. It is unacceptable that an EU member state uses secret service weapons to intimidate critics and suppress dissent.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― On warning signal that Russia may be planning Ukraine invasion ― recognises the threat that Russia’s actions around Ukraine pose, noting that:

“The threat of a major conflict erupting in Ukraine cannot be overstated. For the past seven-and-a-half years, Russia has been waging a hybrid war against Ukraine involving a conventional military component along with cyber, informational, and economic elements;

in the spring 2021 Russia has amassed as many as 175,000 troops, tanks and warplanes near the border with Ukraine;

Russia’s latest movement of troops and tanks toward Ukraine are warning signal that the Kremlin may be on the verge of another invasion of Ukraine.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― On the situation after parliamentary elections in Russia ― deals with the deteriorating situation regarding democracy and human rights in Russia after the September 2021 parliamentary elections, calling on the Russian Federation to:

“Fulfil its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and return to the democratic way of development, release political prisoners, and restore civil freedoms;

stop dangerous military gambling and cease threatening neighbouring states.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― On Opposing the Certification of Nord Stream 2 ― addresses the geopolitical nature of the Nord Stream 2, recognising that:

“The Nord Stream 2 will dramatically increase Russian ability to weaponise energy to gain all-European and global political benefits;

 the certification and launch of the gas transit through Nord Stream 2 will nullify the reliance of Russia on Ukrainian pipelines, which is currently a crucial constraint against escalating Russian invasion of Ukraine;

the authorisation of the Nord Stream 2 is a threat not only to European energy security but to the values of the EU.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The resolution ― Georgian authorities must release Saakashvili ― calls for the liberation of former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in light of the following circumstances:

“The Georgian authorities currently detain Mr. Saakashvili, in prison based on questionable evidence; Mr. Saakashvili is the former President of Georgia and a citizen of Ukraine was imprisoned in October and spent nearly 50 days on a hunger strike while in jail. Saakashvili collapsed in prison due to deteriorating health;

the European Court of Human Rights has decided to indicate interim measures in the case of Saakashvili v. Georgia (application no. 54641/21) concerning the applicant’s health situation.”

You can find the whole resolution here

The final resolution ― On the situation in Nicaragua ― addresses the events following the sham presidential and legislative elections were held in Nicaragua amid allegations of fraud taking into account the following events:

“Daniel Ortega eliminated all credible electoral competition and crushed the integrity of the electoral process through the systematic arbitrary incarceration, harassment and intimidation of presidential precandidates, opposition leaders, student and rural leaders, journalists, human rights defenders and business representatives;

those arbitrarily arrested face fabricated, politically-motivated and ambiguous criminal allegations without any evidence in a process marred by serious violations of procedural guarantees, which demonstrates the lack of independence of the judiciary.”

You can find the whole resolution here

You can also watch some of the Council highlights on our YouTube channel or below.