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ELDR president calls for EU treaty ratification before Euro electionseldr, Sunday 21 October 2007 14:00 ::. Following the agreement by EU member states to a new EU treaty in the early hours of 19 October, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party’s President Annemie Neyts called for the text to be “pushed through ratification as soon as possible so that it can be ready for the European Parliament elections in 2009”.In closing remarks to ELDR national member parties on the final day of the ELDR’s annual congress, Neyts, who was re-elected on a further two year mandate, said that the ELDR would do its best to “unite our member parties behind a number of common themes that we can agree on”. She added that the ELDR could assemble “a gallery of major political figures” for the European elections in 2009. Earlier, a resolution had been passed whereby the ELDR agreed that it should put forward a common candidate for the presidency of the European Commission in 2009. Referring with displeasure to comments made by US President George Bush about a possible World War III and the “madness” of the president of Iran, she said that liberal democrats “will need to keep watch on what is going on in the world”. Also elected to the ELDR’s Bureau were MP Markus Löning (from the host party Freie Demokratische Partei), MP Kristiina Ojuland (Reform Party, Estonia), deputy mayor of Rotterdam Jeanette Baljeu and Wilfried Derksen (D66, Netherlands). During a busy congress, ELDR delegates debated a long list of resolutions and a theme resolution. Among a number of points, the ELDR said that “the EU should continue to lead the efforts for a peace-keeping mission to be deployed in the province of Darfur in Sudan and for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis. In parallel, the EU should take the lead in the efforts for arms control, disarmament and military denuclearisation and to make a stance against the militarisation of space”.In a hard-hitting resolution on Russia, the ELDR condemned “the tendency of individual EU member states to deal with energy and other trade issues on a bilateral basis, thereby weakening a common approach which would provide genuine military and energy security for all, and calls upon all EU States to work through the EU in such negotiations”. Ahead of the EU-Russia summit on 26 October, the ELDR encouraged “the negotiation of a long-term agreement with Russia establishing the trade and development links between Russia and the European Union, including in the area of environmental co-operation” but said that any such agreements must be subject to Russia becoming a full multi-party democracy, operating a free market economy and respecting the rule of domestic and international law. The ELDR also approved a resolution on the final status of Kosovo, put forward by the Liberal Party of Kosova. If Kosovo and Serbia fail to produce an agreement by 10 December 2007, the ELDR believes that “the report of UN Special Envoy Maarti Ahtisaari must be put into effect since further delay can only increase tensions and instability in Kosovo and this part of Europe”.On the EU budget, the ELDR argued for future EU budgets to be focused more stringently on a clear set of priorities, such as investment in research, innovation, infrastructure, the fight to cut greenhouse gas emissions and cross-border crime. The ELDR also said EU leaders should strengthen their ambitions in cutting the budget set aside for the agricultural sector and urged member states, within the framework of the budget review, to open up for a reform giving the European Parliament a single seat in order to stop the inefficient and expensive moving of Parliament between Brussels and Strasbourg. A video report of the congress opening can be viewed by clicking here For more information, please contact Julian Hale on communication@eldr.eu or 02 237 0143. |
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About usELDR is the party for liberal democrat values in Europe. Together with our liberal members parties across the European continent we are transplanting the principle of freedom into politics, economics and all other areas of our societies. The ELDR provides an increasingly vital link between citizens and the EU institutions and is continuously growing in size and significance. |
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