In the latest event in the series of "Liberal breakfasts" hosted at the ELDR headquarters and organised in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Brussels, and the German liberal party FDP, Auslandsgruppe Europa, Alexander Alvaro, MEP and member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs spoke on "Civil liberties and E-Communication: Liberal strategies to strengthen consumer protection".

Alvaro reported on the current Parliament's efforts and those of Liberals in particular to ensure the protection of the fundamental right to privacy on the Internet as one of the most urgent tasks. The Internet can be a tool to expand the fundamental rights, empowering people with boundless information and connecting them across the world. In the same time the Internet also poses a profound danger to these fundamental rights, potentially exposing citizens to state surveillance, while serving as a tool for criminals and terrorists. It is the challenge on how to regulate the Internet in such a way that allows to draw on the benefits, while limiting the very real and serious dangers of abuse.

Striking an appropriate balance between privacy and security is at the heart of the liberal mission.

The lively discussions between Alexander Alvaro and the participants in ELDR's overcrowded meeting room were yet another confirmation that our fundamental freedoms must remain at the forefront of liberal policies.