From 29 April to 1 May 2008, LYMEC is holding a seminar on EU-Africa relations in Barcelona. Over 40 young liberals are expected to gather to discuss the re-launching of a strategic partnership between the EU and the African Union.  The focus of the discussions will be the economic, cultural and historic relations between the EU and African countries, how the EU can do more to provide assistance to Africa and what Africa can and is doing on its own. Distinguished lecturers and speakers from a wide range of European and African countries are expected at the event. Read more ...

 The 54th ELDR Council Meeting, which took place on 11th April 2008 in Tallinn, Estonia, saw three new member parties join the European liberal family, the first phase of the drafting of the ELDR manifesto for the 2009 European elections and two crucial statements on the recent political and judicial developments in Turkey and in Tibet.The programme continued on Saturday 12th April when representatives of liberal political parties from all over Europe discussed, during a crowded seminar, the techniques and communication strategies for the upcoming EU elections in the presence of Joe Hansen, member of the US Democratic Party and political consultant involved in the US presidential campaign. Read more ...

 Finnish liberal Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen hosted the liberal Latvian and Danish prime ministers, the European affairs ministers from Bulgaria, Finland and Sweden, the ELDR Party President, the ALDE parliamentary group leader and liberal commissioners Siim Kallas, Neelie Kroes, Meglena Kuneva and Olli Rehn for an unofficial two-day summit on 6-7 April 2008. Read more ...

 Kristiina Ojuland led an ELDR delegation to Latvia on Thursday 3 April 2008 to prepare the membership application of the liberal democrat party “Latvia First Party/Latvia’s Way” (LPP/LC) with ELDR, led by Prime Minister Godmanis and by Minister for Transport and Communication Slesers. In Riga, Ojuland met with the ten members of their parliamentary group led by Andris Berzins MP, a former Latvian prime minister and with Oskars Kastens, Minister of social integration. She discussed the key political priorities of the party, including public administration reform – stronger local government with a lower amount of municipalities – and the economic measures that the party intends to implement to keep the Latvian economy healthy. Read more ...

 The Free Democrat - SZDSZ – would leave the government coalition on April 30 forecasting a minority socialist government.  This is what Janos Koka, the leader of the Hungarian party stated yesterday, following the vote of the liberal MPs in favour of withdrawing their ministers from the centre-left alliance. After the SZDSZ National Council, the party plans to hold two extraordinary delegates' meetings - the first one will most likely be on April 25, a liberal delegate said, when an official decision will be taken on quitting the government coalition. Read more ...

 From 12 to 26 March 2008 VVD members have voted through phone, post and internet to express their preference between two party presidential candidates: Rotterdam mayor Ivo Opstelten and North Brabant province executive councillor Onno Hoes. More than 67% preferred Opstelten. Outgoing party president Jan van Zanen on Monday 31 March praised both candidates for their fair-play campaign. President-elect Opstelten responded to look forward to become a “liaison” officer between the grass roots of the party and the political leadership. Hoes called upon the party members to rally around the new president.The new party president will formally take office at the VVD spring general assembly to be held on 23 and 24 May in Noordwijkerhout, near The Hague. The party president is responsible for the party organisation and structures. The political leader of the VVD is Mark Rutte, MP. Read more ...

 Newly elected leader of the Liberal Democrats (UK), Nick Clegg has now been in charge of the party for 100 days. One of the main challenges for Mr Clegg is to re-engage the British public with liberal ideas and values. The Liberal Democrats achieved close to a 25% share of the vote in the last general election in 2005, a figure which has since declined.The Party membership certainly seems to be reinvigorated under the new leadership with Mr Clegg stating at the March party conference in Liverpool that, “members from every part of Britain have been telling me how pleased they are that we are stepping up the fight against the two establishment parties. Our determination to open up politics, and give control over health, education, and the environment back to the British people, is really resonating.” Read more ...

 Après trois semaines de détention arbitraire, un tribunal russe a autorisé ce vendredi 21 mars à Saint-Pétersbourg, la remise en liberté de l'opposant Maxim Reznik, chef du parti réformateur Yabloko, le seul parti russe libéral. Ce dernier avait été arrêté le jour de l'élection présidentielle, le 2 mars dernier, dans des circonstances troubles.Maxim Reznik, 33 ans, avait été interpellé le soir de l'élection quand, sortant de la permanence de son parti à Saint-Pétersbourg, il avait vu un de ses amis se battre avec des inconnus et avait tenté de s'interposer, d’après les déclarations de Yabloko. Read more ...

 On 1st April 2008 the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament organised a seminar on the subject of the enlargement of the Atlantic Treaty and the opportunities for European Security and Defence Policy. Annemie Neyts, ELDR Party President and ALDE Coordinator on Foreign Policy, Security and Defence, spoke at the conference which took place ahead of the upcoming NATO Spring Conference in Bucharest, Romania.  Read more ...