ELDR Family The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR Party) brings together 57 political parties with common liberal, democratic and reform ideals. In 2007 the European Liberal Democrat political family achieved many successes in the various elections around the EU member states, bringing the total number of liberal democrat voters to 30 million Europe-wide.
Five EU prime ministers, one third of the members of the European Commission, 75 MEPs in the ALDE Group of the European Parliament and ministers in more than 20 governments in Europe belong to the liberal family.
President Neyts on the visit to the European Parliament of Czech President Klaus President Klaus will visit the European Parliament on Thursday 19 February. His controversial remarks in a French magazine last weekend clearly prove that Europe needs to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty will provide an answer to the current rotating presidency system, by introducing an EU President with a 2.5 year mandate to represent the EU. That’s something which the Czech President clearly hasn’t done last weekend. Known for being Euro-sceptic, he described himself in the interview as a “dissident” and compared the EU to the USSR. The EU President, with the support of the EU member states, would represent the EU for 2.5 years on the world stage. ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck: “Having a permanent President that truly represents the EU is not a luxury in a world where the EU wants to be a global player.” Neyts continues: “We can’t afford to have a leader again at the helm that hates so much everything for which we Europeans stand.”
Dutch liberal leaders plead for a sustainable pension Introduced in the 1950’s to provide for a decent retirement of elderly people, the Dutch pension system provides a basic income for all citizens over 65 years. With diminishing tax revenues because of the economic crisis and an ageing population both Dutch liberal leaders, Mark Rutte (VVD) and Alexander Pechtold (D66) pleaded last weekend to change the age of retirement to keep the system sustainable towards the future. The two leaders said that a much higher life expectancy than 60 years ago makes a higher retirement age simply unavoidable too.
Neyts and Di Pietro together for a European campaign in Italy During a two day visit to Brussels, Antonio Di Pietro (picture), Leader of ELDR member party, Italia dei Valori (IDV), discussed with the leader of the ELDR Party a coherent and harmonious political strategy for the European Elections. Annemie Neyts and Di Pietro discussed how a joint visual electoral campaign can be promoted in Italy in the upcoming months in view of June's elections.
ELDR meets China delegation Annemie Neyts (picture), President of the ELDR party will meet the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of China this Friday in the offices of ELDR on the Chinese-European relations, the world financial and economic crisis, other international issues and the relations between ELDR and the Chinese Communist Party.
LibDems: UK needs short-term nationalisation of weakest banks Nick Clegg (picture), Leader of the UK Liberal Democrats, ELDR member, supports a short-term nationalisation of Britain's weakest banks and an immediate end to bonuses for board members and senior management. In his speech on the economy recovery, delivered on Saturday to a policy research think tank in London, he also said that Britain can have, and should have, a global hub for international finance in the City of London. But that financial businesses such as hedge funds should not expect to be protected to a higher degree than punters in betting shops and casinos.
France: “Protectionism is a zero sum game” As a consequence of the French protectionist and interventionist politics for the car manufacturers, the ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts said: "According to the rules of the internal market and competition laws protectionism within the European Union is simply prohibited. European Liberals are proud that the liberal European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes (picture), will look very closely at such plans". Protectionism is a zero sum game that will not save French workers’ jobs.
Next events • 18th March ELF lunch debate "Can the G20 save globalisation?" • 19th March ELDR Prime Ministers lunch (informal EU summit), Brussels • 20-21st March ELFSpring Academy I“Europe in Practice”, Brussels • 21st March MR Europe Congress, Brussels • 3-4th April ELF Spring Academy II “Europe in Practice”, Brussels • 15th April ELDR Electoral Rally, Brussels • 16th April ELDR Council meeting, Brussels • 24-25th April ELF Spring Academy III “Europe in practice” • 4-7th June EP elections, Brussels • 18th June ELDR Leaders meeting (EU Summit), Brussels • 29th October ELDR Prime Ministers lunch • 19-20th November ELDR Congress, Barcelona • 10th December ELDR Leaders meeting (EU Summit), Brussels
Contact ELDR Party Rue MONTOYERstraat 31 (7th floor) BE - 1000 Bruxelles - Belgium T +32 2 237 01 40 F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.eu - www.eldr.eu
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