“Europe must choose between power and irrelevance.”
With these strong words, ALDE Party President Svenja Hahn opened the 45th ALDE Party Congress in Brussels on Friday, setting the tone for a weekend of bold debate.
The unveiling of The Brussels Declaration marked the start of the Congress, a defining moment that reaffirms ALDE Party’s liberal vision: to defend democracy, strengthen the rule of law, and secure prosperity in an uncertain world.
Read The Brussels Declaration here.
In her opening address, President Hahn delivered a rallying call:
Without power our values will not survive. Another Europe is possible, a confident united Europe that can shape its own destiny.
With this Congress taking place in Belgium, delegates heard from our two Belgian member parties: Mouvement Réformateur (MR) and Open VLD.
Georges-Louis Bouchez, President of MR, welcomed delegates:
Now is the time for a bold, confident, liberal agenda for Europe. If Europe wants to become a superpower it has to stop being a super-conference. Leadership does not come from bureaucracy, but a ballot box.
Frédéric De Gucht, newly elected President of Open VLD, added:
The real challenge is mindset. For too long Europe has doubted itself. We built rules when we should’ve built opportunities, we regulated ambition instead of rewarding it. That hesitation must end now. Europe needs audacity, risks and leadership again.
Later in the Opening Ceremony, liberal leaders including Renew Europe Group President Valérie Hayer and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin delivered messages to Congress. A thematic panel on “Europe Rising: The Strategy for Global Leadership" followed, with speakers sharing strategic priorities for making the EU a global superpower.
The panel highlighted the threat of hybrid warfare, election manipulation and the importance of enlargement and maintaining European values in the face of rising autocracy. Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement emphasisised the importance of liberal values: “without values, what are we?” While Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs, called for further EU reform.
You can watch the Opening Ceremony below or on YouTube.