Over 730 liberals from across Europe gathered at the Hofburg in Vienna across the weekend, sending a clear signal on liberal momentum. The second day of ALDE Party's 50th anniversary Congress was focused firmly on the future.
The Vienna Declaration
The 2026 Congress concluded with the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and a series of policy resolutions aimed at strengthening democracy, security, competitiveness and European cooperation.
Presented by ALDE Party President Svenja Hahn MEP and NEOS Leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the Vienna Declaration sets out the liberal movement’s priorities for the years ahead:
- Strengthening democracy the rule of law
- Economic competitiveness
- Digital resilience
- Climate protection
- Enlargement of the European Union
Liberals across Europe are already delivering in government: from the Netherlands and Ireland to Estonia and Ukraine and many more - but the Vienna Declaration pledges to build on that work, with a clear message: where liberals lead, reforms follow.
Read the full Vienna Declaration here.
Ahead of this year's Congress session, delegates heard from the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and inspiring D66 leader Rob Jetten. He spoke on the importance of fighting for democracy and rejecting compacency - words which framed the importance of our adopted resolutions. He said:
“Growing up people thought democracy had reached its destination but today we know better, democracy does not defend itself it must be protected. Authoritarians can sell fear, populists can sell anger, but as liberals we can sell progress. I believe Europe’s liberals are ready to answer. Let's show Europe what liberal leadership looks like.”
Adopted resolutions
With these words in mind, this year’s Congress focused on future-oriented policy debates. With 50 years of experience behind us, liberals used the moment to push forward with renewed ambition.
Delegates adopted five urgency resolutions and seven regular resolutions aimed at shaping the years to come.
Key themes included digital resilience, economic competitiveness, women’s rights, enlargement, climate action and continued support for Ukraine, Georgia and other partners. Click below to read the full list of resolutions and what they mean for Europe.
Read our latest adopted resolutions here.
Liberal awards
The Liberal Awards were co-hosted with the European Liberal Forum, alongside the Friedrich Naumann Foundation – Europe and LYMEC - European Liberal Youth, recognising three individuals for their contribution to liberal politics.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP to former German Federal Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, in recognition of her lifelong defence of freedom and civil liberties.
She said: “We must fight to ensure that the enemies of freedom and liberal democracies do not gain ground. We want to contribute to a strong FDP in Germany so the party returns to the Bundestag in 2029.”
The Rising Star Award, presented by Yannick Shetty (NEOS, Austria), went to Yi-Pei Chou Turvey, the first Member of the Scottish Parliament of Taiwanese and East Asian descent.
She said: “More than ever we must fight violence and division because we owe that to our young people and our communities. We need peaceful and productive debates.”
The Liberal of the Year Award was presented by ALDE Party President Svenja Hahn MEP to Dutch Prime Minister Jetten.
Jetten, the Netherlands’ youngest and first openly gay Prime Minister, was recognised for helping restore confidence in liberal politics and broadening its appeal among younger voters. He said: “We showed that we can win elections by running a positive campaign, and now other liberal parties are doing the same across Europe.”
Photo Gallery
Check out some of our photos from across the weekend!
Browse our full Congress gallery here.
Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend in person and online, we had a great time celebrating ALDE Party’s 50th anniversary with you all.
We choose the future!