ELDR Vice President Van der Laan and Commission Vice President Kallas and Finnish Europe Minister Thors

The Netherlands will have a snap general election on Wednesday June 9, following the collapse of Prime Minister Balkenende’s fourth government since 2002. Whereas changing governments on average every two years is generally not something I would applaud, the early demise of this Christian Democrat - Labour coalition (with protestant conservatives thrown in for the majority), is probably a blessing in disguise. This coalition has achieved very little in their three years in office. (more…)

Praxoula Kyriacou, Leader of the United Democrats (Cyprus)

The Germans celebrate these days the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of their country. The end of partition in Germany led to the end of the cold war in Europe and to the opening of a brighter future for the new generations of Europeans.

In Cyprus, the prospect of an agreement on reunification being achieved in the near future has given rise to grave concerns amongst certain quarters and has activated neutralizing plans.

It’s obvious that the new ambient atmosphere has been well planned and graciously funded on the basis of the well tried model of recent years. The aim is to discredit both the UN representatives as well as the interlocutors, in an attempt to intimidate them and damage their image among the public. (more…)

ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP

Although not fully enthusiastic about Barroso’s political programme for the presidency of the European Commission, described by Annemie Neyts, President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) as being “a bit wooly”, Neyts admitted that Barroso’s presentation of his priorities for the next 5 years at yesterdays ALDE Group meeting “was excellent, very straight to the point”. (more…)

Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders

Coming back to the financial crisis, how did we get there? How could such sophisticated machinery fall apart so rapidly?

The jury is still out as to the importance of each specific ingredient. But it is clear by now that a combination of factors, both at the macro and micro levels, together led to a huge underestimation of risks and, ultimately, to a total loss of confidence in the financial system. The whole world was looking at the future through a rear mirror of low defaults and high growth. (more…)

ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck

Dear Mr. Nyrup Rasmussen, dear European Socialists, Thank you for your letter. You are surprised about our commitment to the Single Market. You should not be. Liberals believe that Europeans benefit from the Single Market. It gives European consumers more choice and better products. It gives European companies opportunities to grow and create jobs.

Do you believe that Denmark would be better off without the opportunities it offers? Would Danish consumers want to live without French cheese, Italian shoes, German technology or Finnish phones? Do you believe Danish companies would want to stop exporting their goods to the rest of Europe, thus risking their employees’ jobs?

The Single Market is not an end in itself for Liberals, but rather serves as the most efficient means to meet the citizens’ demands.

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Didier Reynders at the European Business Summit

Didier Reynders, as Belgian minister of Finance, you have been at the front line of the financial crisis. What do you believe is the most urgent issue that needs to be addressed now?

The financial crisis is not over yet. In the short run, the focus should be on restoring confidence and lending to both enterprises and individuals. Experience from previous crises indicates that one should act quickly to remove bad loans or distressed assets from banks’ balance sheets. Hiding the problems will only delay the recovery. (more…)