During the Party’s Council meeting ELDR unanimously approved three new parties as full members, raising the number of members to 56, the addition of which sees ELDR establish itself as a pivotal player in Slovenian and Latvian politics and a welcome return of French participation in the Party. The parties are:
Latvia First Party / Latvia’s Way (LPP/LC), a key political force in Latvia holding posts in parliament and government, including prime minister Ivars Godmanis.
Zares-nova politika, Slovenia, is the third biggest party in Slovenia.
The Citizen’s Alliance for Democracy in Europe (ACDE), France, is still a young party but includes three MEPs from the ALDE Group in the European Parliament.

Commenting on the expansion of ELDR’s membership, the Party President, Annemie Neyts, stated “I wholeheartedly welcome with great pleasure the new three parties to our European liberal family. Their desire to join ELDR is a sure indication of the growing appeal of liberal ideas and values in Europe and the role of ELDR in supporting and communicating such principles”.

The political discussion of the Council focused on foreign, security and defence policy. Commenting on the Lisbon Treaty Mrs Neyts observed: “This new Treaty is an improvement upon the present arrangements. The European Parliament will gain a much greater say in EU affairs, but so will the national parliaments if they make use of the new possibilities”.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip also participated in the meeting and stated “in conditions of a cooling world economy the threat of protectionist ideas is growing. Therefore good results for liberals in 2009 European Parliament elections are extra important – in order to stand for freedom, free market and other basic liberal values.”

The debate focused on foreign security and defence policy as this is one of four themes around which the ELDR manifesto will be based. Future discussions in the framework of drafting the ELDR 2009 electoral manifesto will take place on the themes of “Liberal Europe” (i.e. on civil liberties) and the EU Single Market. The final ELDR electoral programme will be adopted by the ELDR Congress on 30 and 31 October 2008 in Stockholm:

The resolution on Tibet expressed support for the Dalai Lama’s call on the Tibetan people to demonstrate non-violently, reaffirming the so-called “middle way” approach to enjoy a genuine political autonomy. The resolution also urged China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to establish a moratorium on the death penalty.

On judicial reform in Turkey "ELDR strongly reaffirms its support for the reform programme of Prime Minister Erdogan and his Government and rejects any notion that they are undermining the secular nature of the Turkish State," stated Annemie Neyts, ELDR Party President.