On 28 June, ALDE Party grew stronger as we officially welcomed Gibanje Svoboda, Moderaterne and We Continue the Change to our political party.
In a welcoming ceremony during the ALDE Party Council meeting in Helsinki, delegates voted to accept the three parties from Slovenia, Bulgaria and Denmark as full ALDE Party members.
Already engaged in the Renew Europe group, our three new member parties bring a proven track record of credentials and achievements within their national governments, reinforcing and diversifying ALDE Party’s influence on the European stage.
Gibanje Svoboda (“Freedom Movement”) is a social‑liberal party founded in 2022 which swiftly became Slovenia’s dominant force by championing pro‑European and fundamentally liberal values alongside environmental priorities.
The party obtained a record national support of 34.5% in the 2022 general election as party leader Dr Robert Golob was ushered in as Prime Minister. He currently leads Slovenia’s coalition government and initiated ambitious reforms in pensions, green tech, healthcare, justice and education, implementing a far-reaching agenda aimed at modernising the country.
"By joining the ALDE family, Gibanje Svoboda becomes part of a community of liberal and progressive forces united by shared values: freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, solidarity, and social justice. We believe in a Europe that respects the individual, upholds a strong social state, and pursues responsible development. We can meet Europe's challenges only through a united, values-based and confident EU. Together with our ALDE partners, we will work for a competitive, inclusive, sustainable and socially just Europe – one that is grounded in shared values and delivers security, opportunity and freedom for all its people,” said Golob.
Moderaterne ("The Moderates") are a centrist, liberal political party founded in 2021 by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen which position themselves between the traditional socialist and conservative forces, and seek to break the entrenched bloc politics with pragmatic, evidence‑based policies.
In their first election, Moderaterne emerged as the third-largest party in Denmark and joined a government coalition with the social democrats and fellow ALDE Party member Venstre, pushing significant reforms across key portfolios such as foreign policy, education, climate, energy and culture.
“We've been looking forward to this for a long time. Standing up for our liberal values, safeguarding freedom, and defending democracy are essential in a rapidly changing world. At Moderaterne, we share similar goals and values with Renew Europe and the ALDE family, so we're really excited to be joining. I genuinely believe that our shared vision and efforts will make this partnership strong and beneficial for everyone involved,” said Rasmussen.
We Continue the Change (Prodalzhavame promyanata, PP) is a centrist, pro-European party founded in 2021 by Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, which rose to power in 2021 after pushing for zero–tolerance to corruption, economic diversification and recovery efforts after COVID-19.
Under Prime Ministers Petkov and Nikolay Denkov, PP brought much-needed reformist energy and shifted national emphasis on government transparency, expelling Russian diplomats after Putin’s illegal full-scale invasion and implementing reforms that encouraged movement towards integration of Bulgaria into the Schengen Area and the Euro single currency.
“Democracy is under attack everywhere in the World including in Europe, and the only way to succeed is to continue to show that the democracy is the future, not in the past. It is in what we believe we are fight for is to be together. That is why we are here and we are sure that together we will succeed,” said Denkov.
“All I can promise that we will fight and we will fight for this together,” added Vasilev.
The ALDE Party family now stands at 73 member parties from 41 countries (including 24 EU member states), all committed to representing European liberals and democrats and fighting for a more free, democratic and prosperous future.
With 5 new MEPs joining, the ALDE Party family is strengthening its presence and influence within Renew Europe and remains by far its biggest partner with 54 MEPs representing more than two thirds of the Group.
Click here to find out more about our members and their liberal fight across Europe.