ELDR unites nearly 60 political parties from across Europe.
The ELDR is the European political party that promotes the liberal values of freedom and individual responsibility, democracy and the rule of law, respect for human rights and tolerance, a market economy and a democratic, strong and efficient European Union.
These principles led me to bring my party (Fianna Fail) into the liberal group.
The ELDR is growing in significance. It the third largest at the European level, with 8 European Commissioners and 84 MEPs in the European Parliament sitting in the ALDE Group. Parties within ELDR lead governments in four EU member states and participating in the coalition governments in many more countries.
Freedom and Solidarity is a member of the ELDR since October of 2010. Your sister Parties within the ELDR ‘family’ are proud that your successful party is a member of the European Liberal Democrats. Read the rest of this entry »
Three lessons can be learned from the popular democratic uprisings which should inform our policy from now on.
The first is that it is no good preaching the values of democracy if we arm its enemies. Having armed Gadhafi and other autocrats there is a logical case to be made for arming the protesters, particularly if we fail to live up to the ‘duty to protect’ laid down in the UN Charter: but this policy should be pursued only in extremis. Most important, however, is to stop arms sales to autocratic regimes wherever they are: democracy’s appeal is not limited to north Africa, nor the temptation to beleaguered autocrats to use arms against their own people. Read the rest of this entry »
The European Liberal, Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party is the third largest European political family, bringing together parties with common liberal, democrat and reform ideas from more than 30 European countries. Its role is to strengthen the liberal democrat movement throughout Europe, assist liberal democrat politicians to become better acquainted and to define a common political vision and communicate it effectively to European citizens.
The Brussels-based Secretariat of ELDR supports the activities of the party, organises its meetings, manages its external communication, facilitates European policy development and networking amongst liberal parties. To support our growing activities, we are now seeking a:
Head ofCommunication
The mission:
The Head of Communication will be responsible to develop and implement an efficient communication strategy which increases the visibility of ELDR, both internally (members) and externally (media, decision makers etc.) and raises its political impact in coherence with the global ELDR strategy;
Collaborate actively with the party’s political unit and provide the ELDR President and Secretary General with sound advise on all communication-related issues including media;
Spokesperson for the ELDR party with media and other external actors;
Manage and coordinate the work of the 2/3 communication team members ensuring accuracy and coherence of messages in various communication tools and activities. (website, publications, e-newsletter, press releases and conferences, thematic campaigns, seminars etc).
Pre-requisite qualifications :
A University degree (Political sciences, History, Economics, Law…).
Demonstrate interest and understanding of party politics. S/He should be a member of or close to a liberal (ELDR) party.
Several years of professional experience in Communication including internet communication tools, events, and media relation. Relevant experience acquired in other sectors is welcome.
Fluent English and French (spoken and written).
The ideal candidate profile :
A self-motivated person, able to demonstrate initiative and to work with autonomy;
A strategic thinker able to drive projects and to bring them to conclusion;
A team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
A motivating people manager, able to develop the team members;
With some experience at European level, has a thorough understanding of European politics and the workings of the EU institutions.
We offer :
The opportunity to build visibility in a dynamic and developing environment;
An international job based in Brussels with some travel, mainly in Europe.
Being part of a small team (11) of dedicated people working in a professional and friendly atmosphere;
Permettez moi d’apporter un éclairage européen à ce qui - une fois de plus - ressemble à un psychodrame à la française réduisant à sa plus simple expression : « la retraite » ce que d’autres ont ici à Helsinki intitulé «les défis du changement démographique », thème du congrès de l’ELDR, choisi par les organisateurs finlandais.
C’est en présence du premier Ministre, Madame Mari KIVINIEMI, présidente de l’un des deux partis libéraux finlandais, que la plupart des travaux ont été menés. Madame KIVINIEMI revenait juste de France où elle avait pu s’entretenir la veille avec le Président Sarkozy et tenté- nous confiera t’elle - de le convaincre du bien-fondé des idées libérales.
Dans la notion de défi, il y a tout d’abord un aspect positif qui semble échapper au débat français. L’allongement de l’espérance de vie n’est-elle pas une des plus grandes victoires du 20ème siècle ? Ne sommes nous pas ravis de voir nos parents à plus de 80 ans, en bonne santé, alors que leurs propres parents ont souvent disparu dans la fleur de l’âge ? Ne sommes nous pas ravis de savoir que nos petits enfants ont une espérance de vie qui approche 100 ans, que nous-mêmes nous pouvons espérer une vie plus longue, active et autonome ? Read the rest of this entry »
The International Academy for Leadership (Internationale Akademie für Führungskräfte - IAF) has been active in Gummersbach, Germany, since 1995. The task it was given was a threefold one:
* to provide an opportunity to deepen knowledge of liberalism as a political and economic philosophy and a practical approach to dealing with problems and issues that confront us all in the context of a globalising world
* to provide ample opportunity to engage in political dialogue
* to impart invaluable experience of intercultural exchange.
Yesterday MEP Kartika Liotard asked me to do more to adapt computer technologies to the needs of people with low literacy levels. I am writing here to say that I fully support the principle, and that is why digital literacy issues form one of the seven pillars of the Digital Agenda for Europe. I want to assure you that I take digital literacy seriously. Your background, current lack of skills and other factors like a disability should not be a permanent barrier to enjoying the benefits of the digital era.
Having said that, lack of literacy often does exclude people from the digital world. The difficult question is not whether to take action, but who is best placed to address Europe’s digital literacy deficit. And how do we mobilise the resources to make real changes, and not merely nice promises? Read the rest of this entry »
Creating the European public sphere - Europeanisation of the political party system: our task for the coming years.
Today’s challenges deserve a coherent response from the Institutions that govern the world’s largest internal market. Euro-barometers show that voters also demand European action on climate, energy and security.
The EU is the level to address these challenges. National parties should be honest about the fact that it is at that level where solutions should be found. We believe political parties should organise themselves at the level where major political issues need to be solved.
The recent EP-elections showed a low turnout of voters. Voters have little enthusiasm for the political level that is responsible for the solution of their key problems. We believe this turnout was caused by national political parties campaigning with two struggling souls in their breast: one soul that knows that we need to Europeanise to solve today’s problems and the other soul that tries to stick to its national focus. The resulting campaigns lack a convincing message to inspire voters. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s challenges deserve a coherent response from the Institutions that govern the world’s largest internal market. Euro-barometers show that voters also demand European action on climate, energy and security.
