Friday 24 October saw the ALDE Party Congress kick off in Brussels with a Welcome Session and the Council Meeting. ALDE Party President Svenja Hahn led the Welcome Session featuring two Estonian liberals: Kaja Kallas, High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission and Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia.
Kallas urged Europe to push for further economic power and more efficient decision-making:
“Europe is more capable of playing the geopolitical game if we are working together, this is why enlargement is crucial. As we know from history the windows of opportunity open for a short time, so we need to use this short time frame to push progress.”
“Our geopolitical power only comes from being able to adopt decisions. But we are hitting the point where unanimity voting allows one country to block the other 26 member states, which means we have a problem. If we don't have a common European position, then we don’t have a role in the global sphere.”
Michal reiterated the importance of European cooperation and power:
“Innovation is our best weapon. Economic strength is the backbone of geopolitical power. We need clear, clever and practical decisions not endless paperwork.”
“EU enlargement is not a charity, it’s a strategy. It strengthens both economy and security. If Ukraine loses, Europe loses.”
The Council Meeting followed, where delegates considered a range of resolutions to be submitted and proposed amendments. Members also aligned on ALDE Party’s strategic priorities ahead of the wider Congress sessions. Seven urgency resolutions were agreed upon to discuss at Saturday's Congress session.
It was announced that the next Council Meeting will take place at the ALDE Party Congress in Vienna, Austria in June 2026.