Press Release

1.    The international community needs to put an end to the violence and avoid civil war.

Leaders who deliberately target their own population should be stopped with all available means, and prosecuted in international criminal courts. The world cannot accept another genocide. The peoples of the Arab world deserve better.

European Liberals endorse the decision by the UN Security Council to protect civilians by all means necessary. We expect the EU to act swiftly, decisively and coherently to ensure this – and this should also go hand-in-hand with a longer term strategy. The initial signals have not been encouraging, with European governments giving contradicting messages. This is not the time for playing in the sandbox – letting bilateral relations take precedence over a common EU voice is not a fruitful way forward.

2.    Arab peoples calls for freedom should be heard – need for substantial increase in trade and education.

The Arab populations succeeded – single-handedly – to remove long-time dictators. While this is impressive, they will be in need of immediate assistance very soon.

For European Liberals, this is the chance of the century for democratic development in this part of the world. Hampered by state control for so long, we now need to reach out our hand to these societies.

The EU should consider an equivalent of a Marshall Plan for the Arab World, as well as to considerably lower barriers for free trade to involve them progressively into the EU’s Single Market. Arab students should also be offered scholarships to European schools.

3.    Europe should humbly acknowledge its pre-revolutionary failures – but not let that hinder us to do the right post-revolutionary things and stand by and offer assistance where asked for.

With its geographical vicinity and intertwined history, Europe will have a role to play in Arab developments – both when it comes to development of society – but also in handling the streams of refugees that are likely to arrive on Europe’s shores.

In Tunisia and Egypt, Constitutional revision is around the corner. In most parts of post-revolutionary Maghreb, the people’s will is admirable – but the channels for it, political parties, are weak.

Europe needs to step up here with funds and assistance. It should not interfere in developments, but it should offer genuine help when requested – and a particular emphasis should be put on strengthening civil society. This help should go out to all parties on a non-discriminatory basis.

Note to the editor: On 11 April 2011, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party is convening a range of actors dealing with development and political party assistance in the Arab world to Brussels to discuss the European approach and role in these developments.

More information will follow on www.eldr.eu closer to the event.

The ELDR Party is hosting a Liberal Lunch Summit on Thursday 24 March 2011 in advance of the two-day European Council meeting in Brussels. This summit will take place between 12:00 and 14:00 at Egmont Palace, Petit Sablon 8, Brussels, Belgium

Topics on the agenda are set to be the “Pact for the Euro”, which would see stronger coordination of economic policies among eurozone members, for which a broad outline was agreed at last Friday’s eurozone summit; the new European Stability Mechanism (the replacement for the current financial support facilities); and the ongoing situation in the Middle East and North Africa.

At the invitation of Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, ELDR Party President, the summit will convene the following people:

• Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Estonia

• Didier Reynders, Vice-Prime Minister, Belgium

• Werner Hoyer, Minister of State for European Affairs, Germany

•Siim Kallas, European Commission's Vice-President, Commissioner for Transport

• Mari Kiviniemi, Prime Minister of Finland

• Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President, Commissioner for Digital Agenda

• Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark

• Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of The Netherlands

• Guy Verhofstadt MEP, Leader ALDE Group, European Parliament

Liberal Lunch Summit Schedule

Egmont Palace, Petit Sablon 8, Brussels, Belgium

11 h 45 - 12 h 00 - Arrival of the participants

12 h 00 - 13 h 25 - Liberal Lunch Summit (upon invitation only)

13 h 25 - 13 h 30 - Family photo

13 h 30 - 14 h 00 - Press Conference

For further information about this meeting please contact Robert Plummer, rplummer@eldr.eu; tel +32.2.237.01.47

European Liberals utterly condemn the escalation of violence in Libya. “This is appalling”, expressed ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP. “A regime that shoots and bombs its own people has lost any legitimacy it might have had”, she said.

European Liberals fully support German Foreign Minister and liberal party leader Guido Westerwelle’s call for sanctions on Libya, co-initiated with the Finnish liberal-led government.

“There is yet again a failure of a unified European position, let alone common EU action”, comments the ELDR Party President. “The Qaddafi era is at its end but some European governments still struggle to live up to our standards of liberal values. Condemnation of violence must now be backed by concrete action.”, concluded Neyts-Uyttebroeck.

To read more on European Liberals views on Libya, click here.

Note to the editor: Liberals have been calling for urgent and coherent actions throughout the Arab liberation:

• Liberals fully support the transition process in the Arab world
• Annemie Neyts takes an active stance on developments in the Arab world
• European Liberals congratulate the Egyptian people to their determination for freedom
• European Liberals supportive of Arab calls for freedom
• European Liberals support democratic evolution in Tunisia

European Liberals welcome wholeheartedly the overdue resignation of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. "It was the Egyptian people's determination, courage and will for freedom that paved the way for a transition towards a truly free society", comments ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, and continues "Tunisians and now Egyptians sent a powerful signal to both the Arab region and the world at large: The Middle East can be transformed from within and by its own will. The military has now to live up to its promise that their takeover of power is purely transitory".

The resignation of the former Presidents has been step 1 and now step 2 has to follow and will be even more important. Great challenges await these countries. A society based on principles of constitutional liberalism has to be formed. Free and fair elections are only one step towards a real liberal society. The ELDR Party will do what it can to support its liberal partners in Egypt throughout this transition process – notably naturally its allies, members of the Liberal International, the Democratic Front Party and El Ghad – and urge other European stakeholders to do the same.

With the Arab world in its immediate vicinity, Europe must understand these developments and rise to the occasion. It has to play a crucial role and greatly step up its efforts to support the establishment of the rule of law, and help building a system to ensure civil and economic rights for which a pluralistic political party system and a functioning market economy are crucial. Drafting a new constitution, formulating political party laws and building a pluralist society does take time and requires careful work and patience from all actors involved. Europe knows this from experience and can for this reason provide a lot of assistance.

As the ELDR Party President concludes, European Liberals expect the EU institutions to start working immediately there is no time to lose: "The wave of Tunisian refugees and other Africans entering Italy over the weekend could not be more powerful a signal that the EU must now develop a comprehensive economic and social partnership with the Mediterranean that will create a real perspective for a future in dignity and economic prosperity for the people in North Africa".