ALDE Party co-Presidents Senator Timmy Dooley and Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP hosted the official opening ceremony of the 2024 ALDE Party Congress in Estoril, Portugal.
Over 500 liberal leaders, members and delegates from across Europe gathered for the meeting in Estoril, Portugal, set in the context of a new European mandate starting after the European elections in June.
🎉 The official opening of #ALDECongress has started!#ALDEParty Co-President @ilhankyuchyuk kicks off with welcome remarks 👏
— ALDE Party (@ALDEParty) October 5, 2024
Join us live with special guest speakers on YouTube ➡️ https://t.co/AOkW9zDdIA pic.twitter.com/fjbKSMrFs9
“We need more liberals in power. We need strong leaders that can build a competitive, integrated Europe with defence capabilities, based on human rights and the rule of law. We have five years to shape our liberal narrative for Europe, at national and European level. Let’s do it together,” said co-President Kyuchyuk.
“It’s time to be ambitious. Our foundations are solid and we do not start from scratch. We leave this Presidency full of confidence for the future of this party. We see the incredible potential of the people that will take up the mantle from us. They are committed, visionary and ready to take this movement to new heights,” added co-President Dooley.
Many thanks to @timmydooley and @ilhankyuchyuk for your service to @ALDEParty! pic.twitter.com/nWlkLYPgO3
— Juris Pūce (@pucej) October 5, 2024
Iniciativa Liberal leader Rui Rocha MP outlined the party’s success story since its foundation in 2017 to the last European elections, when Portuguese liberals won their first two mandates in the European Parliament.
“What began as a vision is now reality. Liberalism is no longer a footnote or the domain of a few technocrats. More than a party, it is now a movement, a force. Make no mistake: the future is bright, and the future is liberal in Portugal,” said Rocha.
“It’s time to take pride in what we’ve built and be bold about where we go next. ALDE Party must be the driving force behind the next chapter of European progress, leading with vision, integrity, and purpose. Let’s build the party of opportunity, of progress, of leaders.”
#ALDECongress kicked off in Portugal. Good to see @Xavier_Bettel again. Passionate as always about the courage for standing up for values & freedom for all and protect the weakest.
— Lubica Karvasova (@LubicaKarvasova) October 5, 2024
@ALDEParty pic.twitter.com/R3pSbS1MF3
Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, told members about the importance of staying true to liberal values to preserve a key role in the European political space.
“If we stick to our values, we can prove as liberals that we are the ones that don’t judge people about their religion, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation. What we want is to give the opportunity to all of us to make the best of what we can, and to be proud of that success,” he said.
“We will continue to fight against impunity and to bring to justice all the perpetrators of war crimes and also the leadership responsible for the crime of aggression. We need to be sure that Russia will pay for the damage caused by the aggression against Ukraine,” added European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.
“We have been a wonderful liberal and democrat team, but now the job is extremely difficult. We need to simplify the way the EU works; innovate along the lines of the Draghi report; and reforming the European Union in order to unify the continent,” said EDP Secretary General Sandro Gozi MEP.
“This Congress is more than just a very exciting Bureau election, it puts wind in the sails of liberals for the new European mandate. Liberals, centrists, and democrats are here to stay. Pro-European, innovative policies can only lie in the centre,” concluded Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer MEP.
🔴 LIVE now – #ALDEParty Bureau candidates take the floor for a debate on key issues for Europe’s liberals!
— ALDE Party (@ALDEParty) October 5, 2024
Watch here đź’» https://t.co/AOkW9zDdIA#ALDECongress pic.twitter.com/1OK6MXsLaW
Earlier in the day, candidates for election to the ALDE Party Bureau took part in a Q&A session. The results of the election will be announced at the Congress meeting on 6 October.
You can watch a recording of sessions below or on our YouTube channel.
The ALDE Party Congress continues with various high-level political debates, thematic sessions and the Congress meeting on 6 October. Click here for the full programme.
Scroll through our photo album on Flickr and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook to make sure not to miss a beat from #ALDECongress!