ELDR leaders to discuss election results

ELDR prime ministers, ministers, commissioners and party leaders will gather together on Thursday 18th June for the traditional ELDR Leaders and Ministers meeting in advance of the European summit.

This meeting will be the first time that ELDR's leaders will have gathered since the European elections and the main focus of the discussions will be the election results and the composition of the liberal democrat group in the European parliament.

Party leaders will also discuss the latest state of play regarding the Lisbon Treaty with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen; the priorities of the upcoming Swedish EU presidency in the company of Maud Olofsson, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of Centerpartiet, Sweden and Cecilia Malmström, Swedish Minister for European Affairs and the presidency of the European Commission.

The participants will arrive from 11:30 (possibility of “doorstepping”) and there will be a family photo and press conference at 14:30 following the meeting. The event will take place at the Palais d'Egmont, Petit Sablon 8 in Brussels, Belgium.

Please find below a list of party leaders, ministers and commissioners attending the meeting:

President of the ELDR Party

Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, MEP

Prime Ministers, Commissioners, Ministers and Leaders

Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Estonia
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark
Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland
Brian Cowen, Prime Minister of Ireland
Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
Siim Kallas, European Commission Vice-President, Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud
Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition
Charlie McCreevy, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services
Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid
Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Enlargement
Karel de Gucht, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belgium
Cecilia Malmström, Minister of European Affairs, Sweden
Astrid Thors, Minister of Immigration and European Affairs, Finland
Werner Becher, Leader Liberales Forum, Austria
Gjergj Dedaj, Leader, Liberal Party of Kosovo
Ivars Godmanis, Co-President, Latvia's First Party / Latvia's Way, Latvia
Werner Hoyer MP, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Free Democratic Party, Germany
Jelko Kacin MEP, Liberal Democratic Party of Slovenia
Mikhail Kasyanov, Leader People's Democratic Union, Russia
Sergey Mitrokhin, Leader Yabloko Party, Russia
Norica Nicolai, National Liberal Party, Romania
Maud Olofsson, Deputy Prime Minister, Leader Centerpartiet, Sweden
Leoluca Orlando MP, Italia dei Valori, Italy
Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Leader Mouvement Réformateur, Belgium
Mark Rutte MP, Leader VVD, The Netherlands
Federica Sabbati, ELDR Party Secretary General, Italy
David Usupashvili, Leader Republican Party, Georgia
Guy Verhofstadt, Leader Open VLD, Belgium
Graham Watson MEP, Leader ALDE group, European Parliament, United Kingdom

Liberals even stronger in new European Parliament

The ELDR party MEPs are set to strengthen their influence in the next European Parliament as they increase their MEPs relative to 2004 and to the EDP members, with whom they form the current ALDE Group. ELDR MEPs within the liberal group are expected to bring 75 out of the 84 total seats.

Given the Christian Democrats’ and Socialists’ losses, more than ever it will be Liberals who will play a pivotal role in the European Parliament, influencing the European agenda in the upcoming 5 years. Without our support no majority is possible in the EP.

As a rising party amongst the pro-European political families, European liberals have stood up to euro-skeptic forces across Europe. Commenting on the results, Annemie Neyts, ELDR Party President and newly re-elected MEP stated, “Liberals will remain the guardians of freedom and will stand up to the voices that want to dilute the role of the EU. In doing so we will reveal the inability of populist parties to substantiate their rhetoric”. “I am also happy to announce that almost half of our MEPs will be women”.

The losses suffered by the two largest parties were mostly due to gains made by far right, nationalist movements, which reinforces the strong performance of liberal parties. The nasty attacks of the leader of the PSE against liberals during the campaign haven’t paid off. Furthermore, the regrettable representation of far-right, populists parties won’t be able to respond to the most pressing challenging of today’s economic crisis and its consequences. Neither protectionism nor nationalisation will help to overcome this crisis.

Amongst liberal parties increasing their representation:

FDP, Germany, 12 MEPs (+5 compared to 2004)
Italia dei Valori, Italy, 7 MEPs (+6 compared to 2004)
D66, The Netherlands, 3 MEPs (+2 compared to 2004)
Center Party, Estonia, 3 MEPS (+2 compared to 2004)
FolkPartiet, Sweden, 3 MEPs (+1 compared to 2004)
Zares, Slovenia, 1 MEP (+1 compared to 2004)

ELDR also welcomes the results of our new member party, Irish Fianna Fàil, which elects 3 MEPs. ELDR congratulates the UK Liberal Democrats, second largest delegations in the Liberal group, for their 11 MEPs.