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ELDR congratulates liberal Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, for being awarded the prize of European of the Year at the annual European Voice awards. “Meglena Kuneva has shown that championing consumers’ interests can help make the European Union more popular”, the editor of European Voice said.
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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.
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Health care for all: a new liberal challenge?
On 27 November 2008 in Rome, Italy, the European Liberal Forum (ELF) and the Fondazione Critica Liberale held a conference on “Health Care and Fundamental Rights in Europe”. The discussion focused on the challenges for the creation of a European healthcare single market, following the publication of a Directive proposal on the subject of “Patients' Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare” this year by liberal Commissioner Androula Vassiliou and a number of European Court of Justice decisions on cross-border healthcare and on the necessity of modernising European national healthcare systems. The conference was chaired by Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli, liberal member of the board of the European Movement, and ELDR was represented by President Annemie Neyts, also vice president of the ELF and Secretary General Federica Sabbati. Among those taking part were Italian Senate vice-president Emma Bonino, Lord John Alderdice, President of Liberal International, who spoke on “Human Rights and Mental Disorders”; Professor Andre Knottnerus, President of the Health Council of the Netherlands as well as Professor Umberto Veronesi, former Italian Health Minister and oncologist. Conference proceedings will be published in a booklet next year.
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Neyts and Sabbati meet Italian liberals
At the occasion of the visit to Italy for the “Health care and Fundamental Rights in Europe” conference, ELDR President Annemie Neyts Uyttebroeck and Secretary General Federica Sabbati held meetings with several Italian liberals. Amongst them were several representatives of Italia dei Valori, namely party leader Antonio di Pietro MP, Leoluca Orlando MP, spokesperson of the party, as well as the group leaders of the party in the Camera and the Senate. Equally, Neyts and Sabbati held meetings with Emma Bonino, Deputy president of the Italian Senate and the new leader of Radicali Italiani, Mrs Antonella Casu.. The focus of the meetings was discussions about the European elections of June 2009 and particularly the prospects for Italian representation in the liberal group in the next European Parliament. In that light, a meeting was also held with Francesco Rutelli, co-chair of the European Democratic Party which together with the ELDR forms the ALDE Group in the current European Parliament.
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ELDR in Kiev to explore new liberal opportunities
An ELDR delegation will visit Kiev on 5 December 2008 for meetings with Ukrainian liberal parties discussing their future cooperation with ELDR. The delegation will be led by Kristiina Ojuland, first vice-speaker of Estonian Parliament and ELDR Vice President and includes also Mátyás Eörsi, leader of the liberal group in the Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe. The occasion is the General Assembly of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) that will take place from 5 to 7 December 2008 and that will gather 200 young liberal delegates coming from 45 different countries in the world. A press conference will be held in the National University of Kiev on 5 December 2008.
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National Elections in Romania
On 30 November 2008 the National Liberal Party from Romania made history. Romanians gave the National Liberal Party 19% of their votes proving that the measures taken by the liberal government in the last four years were in the best interest of the citizens and of the country’s future. “Today Romanians have shown with their vote that they trust the National Liberal Party and the liberal vision on a proud and prosperous Romania” said liberal leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu on 30 November 2008.
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A liberal MEP witness of the terrorist attack in Mumbai 
Liberal MEP Ignasi Guardans Cambó (CDC, Catalonia), colleague and member of the ELDR party, was witness to the tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai last week in India, and luckily remained unharmed. Guardans Cambó had been in Mumbai as leader of a European Parliament Trade committee delegation for talks on a new trade deal between India and the EU. Efforts to conclude the deal would continue, assured a spokesperson of the Parliament, and would be strengthened.
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ALDE Winter Academy for young liberals 
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament gathered yesterday, 2 December 2008, for a two-day Winter Academy. About 90 young liberals and democrats from 27 European countries met to discuss issues related to migration, the situation of refugees, Roma communities and a broader debate on the borders of the European project. ALDE European Winter Academy on Migration and Integration was co-organised with the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and Young Democrats for Europe (YDE).
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LYMEC Extraordinary Congress: towards a political Europe
The European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) held its Executive Committee and Extraordinary Congress in Brussels from 21 November to 23 November 2008. Over 100 delegates from all over Europe discussed and adopted a comprehensive Action Plan aimed at highlighting the political priorities and key issues that will drive LYMEC's political action in the upcoming year. Its main aim is to contribute to the creation of a political Europe and winning seats in the European Parliament elections in June 2009. The Extraordinary Congress also saw the by-election of a new member of the LYMEC bureau, Olesja Selivanova (FCY, Finland).
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Liberal breakfast on strategic campaigning 
Hosted at the ELDR headquarters in Brussels, the latest in the series of “Liberal Breakfasts” was held on 2 December 2008 on the topic “Local politics – liberal strategies to power”. The event was organised in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Brussels, and the German liberal party FDP, Auslandsgruppe Europa. Guest speaker was this week Flo Clucas, president of the Liberal Group (ALDE) in the Committee of the Regions and deputy leader of the Liverpool City Council. Clucas presented the British Liberal Democrats’ experience in strategies on how to reach out to the voters at local level. As ELDR and its members are gearing up for the European elections this was yet another inspiration on how to strengthen the liberal movement across Europe.
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