European liberals elected a new Bureau, adopted 10 key resolutions and took part in a number of high-level political debates as they gathered in Estoril for the annual ALDE Party Congress.
Svenja Hahn elected ALDE Party President
Svenja Hahn MEP from FDP has been elected as the new ALDE Party President for a two-year mandate by over 96% of Congress delegates.
Taking over from Senator Timmy Dooley and Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP, in her first statement as ALDE Party President, Hahn expressed her commitment to deepening cooperation among European liberals.
"We liberals must bundle and reform our forces in Europe and find common answers to the challenges of our time. Liberal forces are successful when they counter populists with progressive reforms. European liberals must resolutely defend the rule of law and democracy, strengthen competitiveness and economic growth and enhance security and defence capabilities," she said.
Congress delegates also elected Yoko Alender (Reformierakond, EE), Sal Brinton (Liberal Democrats, UK), Rik Daems (Open VLD, BE), Yevheniia Kravchuk (Servant of the People, UA), Jouni Ovaska (Keskusta, FI) and Lucia Plaváková (Progresívne Slovensko, SK) as ALDE Party Vice-Presidents.
Liberal leaders host ALDE Party Congress opening
Senator Timmy Dooley and Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP hosted the official Congress opening ceremony, featuring keynote speeches by Iniciativa Liberal leader Rui Rocha MP, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and other liberal leaders.
“We have five years to shape our liberal narrative for Europe, at national and European level. Let’s do it together,” said Kyuchyuk.
“We leave this Presidency full of confidence for the future of this party,” added co-President Dooley.
European liberals adopt key resolutions in Portugal
European liberals adopted 11 resolutions on urgency topics ranging from the conflict in the Middle East to election standards in Georgia and Venezuela when they gathered for the ALDE Party Congress in Portugal.
Empowering change: Liberal Ministers share success stories
Ministers from our political family discussed how they have been shaping governments across Europe at a high-level panel debate on the second day of the ALDE Party Congress.
"There is a special role for us liberals to keep a middle standing, avoid extreme polarisation and come up with solutions," said Finland's Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz (SFP, FI).
"If you are honest to yourself you will find a lot of allies in unexpected places. Polarisation is often a veil of not being radically honest with each other," said Estonia's Minister of Climate Yoko Alender (Reformierakond, EE).
Securing Europe: Liberals discuss Ukraine’s road to victory
Four leaders exchanged ideas on solutions to break the deadlock and ensure Ukraine wins Putin’s war of aggression almost 1,000 days after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
"What needs to be done now is to change the dynamics of this war, for example the incursion in Kursk. Our task is to enable Ukraine to do that more," said former Dutch Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren (D66, NL).
"We have to explain to people that without security, there is no discussion about education, culture or climate change," said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann MEP (FDP, DE).
Reviving Liberalism: Leaders discuss 2024 EU elections
Leading European liberals tackled the outcome of the 2024 European elections and discussed the way forward for the European Union.
“We are not happy about the result. But we should not blame the electors, we should listen to them," said Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (DP, LU).
“We need to find a way to bring some joy to the campaign and restore people’s faith that there is a better future," said Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka.
Council meeting kicks off ALDE Party Congress
Liberal members and delegates gathered for a Council meeting on the first day of Congress.
Meeting for the first time since the ALDE Party Council in Vilnius in June, members adopted the draft budget for 2025 and discussed various items on the Council agenda including updates on membership fees, political projects and corporate engagement.
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