On Saturday 26 May liberals assembled in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, for the Conference of the South, a political project organised by the ALDE Party in cooperation with Dutch D66 and Belgian Open Vld.

This year, participants came not only from the Dutch Southern provinces, but also from Flanders, which helped building valuable and useful connections. During the event, participants discussed topics relevant for both sides of the border, such as energy transition, labour mobility, cross-border health and education services and safety issues.

One of the highlights of the conference was the address by Bart Somers, leader of the ALDE Group in the Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Mechelen, who inspired the participants with a plea for liberalism and freedom and against populism.

Bart Somers sluit de #D66Zuid18 conferentie af met een gloedvol pleidooi voor liberalisme en vrijheid en tegen populisme. Het liberalisme in Europa is in opmars! #D66 #OpenVLD #Eindhoven #Evoluon pic.twitter.com/e3mm7oRXTj

— D66 Eindhoven (@D66Eindhoven) May 26, 2018

https://twitter.com/birgitcordes/status/1000663633590923264