“The nomination of Herman Van Rompuy (current Belgian Prime Minister) and Baroness Catherine Ashton (current European Commissioner for Trade) as President of European Union and the High Representative of EU respectively mean the start of a new era.  Nonetheless, let me express my deep disappointment because of the lack of liberals amongst the four top jobs” Annemie Neyts, President of the ELDR party said this morning at the press conference of the 30th Congress of European liberals in Barcelona.
“It now depends on how many liberal commissioners there will be”, she continued. We ask the conservatives to maintain the pact: as Liberals we want to play a crucial role in the new Commission”.
Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition, while she expressed her concern on the choice of the EU presidency, said she was happy about the nomination of a woman as a High Representative.
In such a sensitive moment, Dick Roche, Irish Minister for European Affairs said: “It is critically important that the EU focuses on the big issues such as creating sustainable jobs, providing energy security and re-establishing the link between the citizens and Europe”. ELDR is the best and really the only one able to establish a dialogue on Europe amongst citizens. We must win again the minds and hearts of people”.
Talking about the theme resolution of the Congress, Annemie Neyts highlighted “that in this resolution there is a new path for sustainability and economic growth:  ‘greening’ the economy, boosting investments in technology, research and creativity, and providing a functioning regulation, which aims to prevent new crises.”
Artur Mas, Catalan leader of Convergencia, ELDR member said: “Never before have Catalans prepared such an international political event. On the path of the liberal thought now we have to keep increasing the welfare state, and the liberal answers are the best in Europe.”
Strengthening the liberal message of the Congress, Neelie Kroes put forward the single market and the common currency as real milestones for European Liberals: “It means no borders and in the same time we maintain our cultures and our languages. If e.g. Ireland hadn’t had the Euro, the situation would have been even worse.  As Commissioner for Competition, she concluded, I am the referee ensuring a fair game, making the rules clear and transparent, especially in such a hard moment. As liberals we are aware that we need to keep the market rules and fight protectionism”.

The ELDR bureau, gathered in Barcelona for the annual two-day Congress, rallied yesterday unanimously behind the Romanian presidential candidate Crin Antonescu.
Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck: “Romania should have a president who truly treats all parties equally and thus being a person of the State and not a man of the Party. The Romanian state, with all its institutions, needs a profound reform: eliminating political clientelism and mobilizing competent people.
Neyts: “Facing the economic crisis, Crin's programme includes concrete steps in helping the economy to revitalize, keeping Romanians’ welfare as a priority. His objectives are to stimulate the creation of jobs through different packages of fiscal incentives given to SME and measures of fiscal simplification for attracting foreign investments.
Neyts concluded: “The ELDR Bureau welcomes Crin Antonescu's proposal, if he were to be elected as President of Romania, to work for a strong Europe, with consolidated institutions, a Europe in which Romania will become a success story. His main project as President is the definition of Romania's role within the European Union while focusing on energetic security and Romania’s preparation to adopt the Euro.

Levelling the political playing field for women is one of the foremost commitments of ELDR.

The aim of the European Liberals has always been equal opportunity ensuring for men and women the possibility to develop their talents and give a harmonious shape to politics. ELDR works so that women can represent the civil society in an equal proportion as men.

Gender equality is now more than ever a milestone for the liberals and therefore ELDR undertakes the issue to a European level with the participation of 600 delegates at the annual Congress in Barcelona for the two-day of meetings, seminars and the adoption of the theme resolution “Kick-start Europe! For a new prosperity”.

We welcome the two last nominations as European commissioner of Cecilia Malmstrom, Swedish Minister of European Affairs as well as the nomination of Geoghegan-Quinn, the Irish member of the European Court of Auditors. Compared to Socialists and Conservatives, European liberals lead the way with regard to the proportion of men and women. In our parliamentary group ALDE 45.2% of MEPs are women. Furthermore, both our EP Vice Presidents  are women (Diane Wallis and Silvana Koch Mehrin) and we feature a fair gender equality in the current Commission with key Liberal Commissioners such as Neelie Kroes, Mariann Fischer-Boel, Meglena Kuneva and Androulla Vassiliou.  

Just like liberals demand more successful women in business for guaranteeing a strong economy, we demand that the European Union is also committed to a representative democracy, with women participation at its highest levels.