Ruling party of Ireland Fianna Fàil applied for ELDR membership

The party Fianna Fàil, leading government party in Ireland, announce today the intention to file a formal application for membership with the liberal ELDR Party. Successful discussions on membership were started today by Markus Löning, German MP and ELDR Vice President and Federica Sabbati, Secretary General of ELDR, who arrived in Dublin this morning to meet with Fianna Fail officials among them Minister of European Affairs Dick Roche and the Secretary General Sean Dorgan.

“We express our great satisfaction with this step taken. I personally will advocate the membership of Fianna Fàil in the ELDR Bureau” said Löning who is also spokesperson for European Affairs for the FDP group in the German Parliament. The ELDR bureau that will meet on 13 March will formally discuss the application and process a recommendation to the ELDR Council deciding on membership applications. The Council is scheduled to meet on 16 April in Brussels one day after ELDR’s European Campaign Launch (http://www.eldr.eu/campaignlaunch/).

“Therefore, there has never been a better time than now to join us”, added Federica Sabbati. “With the Irish being part of the European Liberal Democrats – she continued - we will be strongly committed to lead the upcoming debate in favour of the Lisbon treaty that will further democratize the European Union and ensure greater effectiveness. With European Liberals Fianna Fail will gain committed partners across Europe”.

ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts welcomes the news that Fianna Fáil has decided to apply for membership of the ELDR Party. Fianna Fàil has long been a pro European party leading Ireland into the EU.

ELDR and Fianna Fail’s cooperation will be based on shared values believing in the European integration, common economic policies and the liberal principles of the rule of law as defined in ELDR’s founding document, the Stuttgart Declaration. This would make Fianna Fàil a welcome and highly valued member of the European liberal democrat family.