Liberal summit to show commitment to an ambitious new Treaty Liberal Democrats remain most successful political family in Belgium Progressive Democrats take part in Irish government FDP Congress focused on culture and social policy LYMEC summer school: "Different Shades of Liberal & Democrat Policies" Det Radikale Venstre elects new Leadership and D66 new Board Members EU must step up fight against human trafficking - the new slavery of the 21st century Liberal summit to show commitment to an ambitious new Treaty The Prime Ministers, Foreign Affairs Ministers and Political Leaders belonging to the European Liberal Democrat family will gather for a summit on 21 June to discuss the liberal view on the new EU Treaty.A press conference will take place on 21 June at the Palais Egmont (Petit Sablon 8, B-1000 Brussels) from 14.30 to 15.00 followed by a family photo opportunity from 15.00 to 15.10. Chaired by Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, ELDR Party President, the speakers will include Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Estonia, Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister of Romania and Graham Watson, ALDE Group Leader.This summit will gather: Roger Albinyana, President of the (European Liberal Youth) LYMEC, Catalonia, SpainAndrus Ansip, Prime Minister, Estonia Mihai-Adrian Cioroianu, Minister for Foreign Affairs, RomaniaGjergj Dedaj, Political Leader, PLK, KosovoKarel de Gucht, Minister for Foreign Affairs, BelgiumAnders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister, Denmark, Katarina Gloncakova-Golev, Vice President of the ELDR Party, SlovakiaGergana Grancharova, European Affairs Minister, BulgariaSiim Kallas, European Commissioner, Estonia Markus Löning, Vice-President, ELDR Party, GermanyCecilia Malmström, Minister for EU Affairs, SwedenJuli Minoves Triquell, Minister for Foreign Affairs, AndorraAnnemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, President of the ELDR Party, BelgiumLeonard Orban, European Commissioner, Romania Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister, RomaniaOlli Rehn, European Commissioner, FinlandDidier Reynders, Political Leader, MR, BelgiumMark Rutte, Political Leader, VVD, The NetherlandsVesna Pusic, Political Leader, HNS, Vice President ELDR Party, CroatiaAstrid Thors, Minister of Migration and European Affairs, FinlandGuy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister, BelgiumGraham Watson, President of the ALDE Group, UKRead moreLiberal Democrats remain most successful political family in BelgiumThe elections which took place on 10 June in Belgium saw the Liberal Democrats win the most seats in the Parliament. With 23 seats for the French-speaking liberal party Mouvement Réformateur (MR) and 18 seats for its Flemish counterpart Open VLD, the Liberal Democrats remain the number 1 political family in Belgium with the biggest number of MPs - a position they have held since 1999. Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party, commented the elections’ results as follows: “I salute the excellent performance of MR, which under the leadership of Didier Reynders, has managed to establish itself as the biggest French-speaking party in Belgium, thereby ensuring that reforms will be delivered and good governance will triumph”.“I send my warmest thanks to Guy Verhofstadt who has been an exceptionally European-minded Prime Minister and has allowed Belgium to significantly progress economically and ethically”. “Remaining the first political family after eight years in government proves the success of the liberal recipes for improving the quality of life. Europe’s Liberal Democrats are proud of the performance of the Belgian liberal parties in this election”.With such results, the Liberal Democrats in Belgium are playing a key role in the negotiations for a new government. The King of Belgium has appointed Didier Reynders as Informateur to lead the talks aimed at preparing the ground for the formation of a new Belgian Government. Read moreProgressive Democrats take part in Irish government The new three-party coalition Irish Government of Fianna Fáil (Conservative), the Greens and the ELDR member Progressive Democrats (PD) began its first day in office on 15 June. The new coalition will also be supported by at least three Independents who have concluded their own separate deals with Fianna Fáil.Bertie Ahern was elected Prime Minister by the Parliament for the third time in a row. He allocated two Government departments to the Green Party and one to the Progressive Democrats, with the remaining 12 positions being filled by Fianna Fáil. Mary Harney, the acting leader of the Progressive Democrats, was reappointed Minister for Health and Children. Asking the Parliament for support to the government, Mary Harney said: “I strongly believe in collective responsibility and loyalty in Government. That is what I have sought to achieve over the past ten years and that is what I want to achieve with our new colleagues in Government over the next five years”.Read moreFDP Congress focused on culture and social policy “Culture needs freedom” and “Freedom, fairness and opportunities” were key topics for discussion at the FDP Congress on 15-17 June in Stuttgart, Germany. The 662 delegates, over 400 guests and 300 journalists dealt with 107 policy proposals. Concluding the Congress, FDP Party leader Guido Westerwelle said that this Congress was important for the "idea of the freedom" and stressed that “FDP knows where it wants to go." FDP delegates reelected Guido Westerwelle as Party Leader with 87, 60 of the votes. Rainer Brüderle, Andreas Pinkwart were reelected for the position of Vice-Presidents and Dirk Niebel for the position of FDP Secretary General.ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck and ALDE Group Leader Graham Watson addressed the 58th Federal Party Congress of the FDP on 16 and 17 June. ELDR Secretary General Federica Sabbati also attended the Congress. Read moreLYMEC summer school: "Different Shades of Liberal & Democrat Policies"This summer again, LYMEC will organise its summer school. This year's school is somewhat special as it will for the first time gather LYMEC members with those of the Youth of the European Democratic Party, the second wing of our group of members in the European Parliament. The event entitled "Different Shades of Liberal & Democrat Policies" will take place from 3rd till 5th July in the European Parliament in Brussels, and will have as its aim to shed light on differences and similarities of different aspects of liberal democracy in Europe. The event intends to increase mutual understanding of the two European political parties and lay foundations for future cooperation. The summer school is organised in close partnership and under the patronage of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament. The event will provide for many interesting speakers from the ranks of the two parties. However, the emphasis will be placed on interaction among participants in a number of plenary sessions and working groups. As ever, LYMEC’s Summer School will also be an opportunity for fun and social activities of young liberals.Read moreDet Radikale Venstre elects new Leadership and D66 new Board Members On 15 June, Det Radikale Venstre's parliamentary group elected Margrethe Vestager as its new leader. Margrethe Vestager was Minister of Education from 1998 to 2001 and Party President from 1993 to 1997. Morten Østergaard (MP since 2005 and former Party Vice-President) was elected as new vice Chairman. Søren Bald is still Party President and Marianne Saxtoft Party Vice- President.On 12 May, D66 held its biannual Congress in Rotterdam where several elections were held for positions in the National Board, amongst others. Mrs. Ingrid van Engelshoven was elected by the Congress as the new Chairperson of the National Board. Mr. Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy was elected International Secretary of D66 and Chairman of the International Democratic Initiative Foundation (IDI), succeeding Simone Filippini. See for all current board members and their portfolio the English website www.democrats.nl. EU must step up fight against human trafficking - the new slavery of the 21st century The ALDE group in the European Parliament held a public hearing on human trafficking on 12 June to explore how EU legislation on human trafficking could be improved and how Member States could better implement existing tools. ALDE also wished to draw attention to the plight of thousands of women trapped in networks of criminal gangs and call for an emergency helpline for victims. Karin Riis-Jorgensen and Silvia Ciornei recently launched a cross-party Written Declaration (no 35) seeking support from a majority of MEPs to formally table this initiative which currently has received 189 signatures. Karin Riis-Jorgensen MEP (Venstre, Denmark) said "Victims of human trafficking are extremely vulnerable and need extra attention and guidance. Often they are afraid to go the local authorities, because they are scared of getting sent back to the traffickers. If we can provide the victims with a hotline, where they can seek help in there own language, we would ensure a better and safer return to a normal life."Maria Carlshamre MEP (Sweden) states "The ILO estimates that 80% of all victims of trafficking are women and children, most of them exploited for sexual purposes. It is crucial to address the issue of demand of sexual services in seeking a solution since trafficking would not exist if there were no clients."Read moreNext Events21/06/2007 : ELDR Leaders and Ministers MeetingELDR Leaders and Ministers Meeting in BrusselsFor more info, please contact the ELDR Secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org22/06/2007 : ELDR Bureau MeetingELDR Bureau Meeting in Brussels For more info, please contact the ELDR secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org 20/07/2007 : 29th General Assembly of IFLRYThe General Assembly will take place between July 20th and 22nd, 2007, at the Adam’s Mark Hotel, Dallas (Texas), United States As every year, this General Assembly will be of great importance to the future of IFLRY.For more information: http://www.iflry.org30/08/2007 : Centerpartiet Congress in SwedenThe Centerpartiet in Sweden will have a congress on August 30 - September 2.The congress will be arranged in Kalmar.For more info: www.centerpartiet.se15/09/2007 : Det Radikale Venstre Annual congressDet Radikale Venstre Annual congress in Nyborg. For more information:www.radikale.dk15/09/2007 : Lib Dems Annual ConferenceLib Dems Annual Conference in BrightonFor more info: www.libdems.org.uk18/10/2007 : ELDR Congress in Berlin, GermanyThe next ELDR Congress will take place in Berlin, Germany.For more info, please contact the ELDR Secretariat at +32 237 01 40 or at kputzeys@eldr.org13/12/2007 : ELDR Leaders and Ministers MeetingELDR Leaders and Ministers Meeting in Brussels.For more info, please contact the ELDR secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org 14/12/2007 : ELDR Party Bureau MeetingELDR Party Bureau Meeting in Brussels. For more info, please contact the ELDR secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org ELDR Party40, rue Montoyer (6ème étage)1000 Bruxelles BelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.orgwww.eldr.orgwith the support of the European parliamentClick here to unsubscribe

Liberal Success in Bulgarian Elections European Liberal Democrats are shocked by the violence against peaceful demonstrators in favour of gay rights in Moscow Liberal International is looking for a new Secretary General Louis Michel s'adresse aux citoyens de son pays pour les élections du 10 juin Progressive Democrats in Ireland are pivotal in moves to form new coalition ALDE Conference to hold conference on "Religious minorities as Cornerstone of Europe"Liberal Success in Bulgarian ElectionsThe liberals have lead a successful campaign in Bulgaria’s first European elections, which took place on 20th May, where more than 200 candidates were campaigning for the 18 MEP positions available. Despite a rather disappointing turnout of around 30%, ELDR member parties, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and the National Movement of Simeon II (NMSII) earned a total of 5 seats in the European Parliament.ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts offered her congratulations to the two liberal parties noting the results emphasise that liberals are seen as leaders on the European stage and in representing Bulgaria in the European Parliament. Commenting on the elections, Mrs Neyts stated “these elections are a significant step in the integration of Bulgaria into the EU and represent an important victory for liberalism in Bulgaria and across the Union.” The results mean that MRF achieved 4 seats with the election of Filiz Hyusmenova, Mariela Baeva, Metin Kazak and professor Vladko Paniotov. While the low turn-out dented the aspirations of the NMSII, Biliana Raeva obtained a seat. Read moreEuropean Liberal Democrats are shocked by the violence against peaceful demonstrators in favour of gay rights in MoscowEuropean Liberal Democrat MEP Marco Cappato was detained by police on 27th May in Russia’s capital, Moscow, as, together with his colleague MEP Sophie In't Veld (D66, Netherlands), he tried to present a letter signed by 40 MEPs from 15 countries and 5 different political groups to Moscow's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, protesting against his renewed ban of the Moscow Gay Pride Parade and intolerance towards homosexual people in Russia.The European Liberal Democrats condemn the Moscow authorities and police for failing to protect peaceful demonstrators from attacks by extremist anti-homosexual groups and for arresting peaceful gay and lesbian rights activists. “Peaceful demonstrators should be able to demonstrate. Russia, as a member of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, has a responsibility to allow the right to peaceful protest.”“European Liberals are fully committed to eliminate discrimination and harassment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. We will keep on campaigning for European values that we can be proud of and that includes giving equal opportunities to the LGBT community”, said Annemie Neyts, European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party President.Read moreLiberal International is looking for a new Secretary General  Liberal International is inviting interested individuals to apply for the position of Secretary General. The deadline for applications is 08 June 2007. The Bureau of Liberal International wishes to make clear that they are inviting personal applications from individuals, not nominations by parties or organisations.The Secretary General of Liberal International’s main responsibility is to:• develop political initiatives and new activities within the framework set by the Bureau;• be responsible for the organisation of the statutory events of the organisation (in particular meetings of the Congress, the Executive Committee and the Bureau);• initiate, prepare and carry out the decisions of the Bureau;• manage the office, staff and finances of the organisation;• represent LI externally and internally.The Secretary General is responsible to the Bureau and in particular to the President Lord Alderdice.Lex Corijn from Belgium took over from Jasper Veen as Interim secretary-general of Liberal International in London. Lex Corijn can be reached at lex@liberal-international.org , or Liberal International, 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD, tel 44(0)2078395905.The full vacancy and application form can be downloaded from : http://www.liberal-international.org/editorialIndex.asp?ia_id=1494Read moreLouis Michel s'adresse aux citoyens de son pays pour les élections du 10 juinLouis Michel (en disponibilité de son poste de Commissaire européen pour la campagne électorale), candidat du Mouvement Réformateur pour le sénat, a présenté la "lettre aux citoyens de mon pays" le 23 mai dernier, dans laquelle il fait à la fois le bilan de l'action des libéraux au pouvoir depuis 1999 et trace les grandes perspectives pour l'avenir. Sur sa situation personnelle après les élections, il est resté vague. Selon les medias, il n’exclut pas de devenir Premier Ministre. C'est la quatrième fois que Louis Michel utilise la technique de la lettre aux citoyens. Le premier but de la lettre est de faire un bilan de l'action des libéraux depuis qu'ils sont revenus aux affaires en 1999. "Depuis 1999, la participation de notre formation au pouvoir a fait la différence. L'image de la Belgique était catastrophique sur le plan international et les grands équilibres n'étaient pas respectés sur le plan intérieur. Par la réforme fiscale, nous avons rendu en moyenne 4.000 euros par ménage et par an. Nous avons réformé la police et donné un statut aux indépendants. Nous avons restauré l'image de la Belgique sur le plan international", a-t-il souligné.Enfin, il met en avant 5 grandes priorités: le travail, la sécurité, l'environnement, l'Europe et la mondialisation. A propos du travail, Louis Michel insiste sur l'importance de la formation en général et plus spécialement celle dont doivent bénéficier ceux qui n'ont pas d'emploi. "Cela m'attriste qu'il y ait chez nous 50.000 emplois disponibles pour lesquels on ne trouve pas de travailleurs qualifiés". En matière d'emploi, il met aussi l'accent sur les petites et moyennes entreprises "qui sont le moteur des créations d'emploi".Read moreProgressive Democrats in Ireland are pivotal in moves to form new coalitionThe Progressive Democrats lost six of their eight seats in the general elections that took place on 24th May. They are now left with two parliamentary seats with the election of Mary Harney and Noel Grealish as MPs. Following the loss of his own seat in Dublin South East, Tánaiste and PD leader Michael McDowell said he was leaving public life. The Chairman of the Progressive Democrats Peter Wyer has asked the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney to assume the functions and responsibilities of Party Leader until the formation of the next government in replacement of Michael McDowell. Despite the party's disappointing performance in the election, the Progressive Democrats have emerged as pivotal to the formation of the next government. Bertie Ahern, Ireland's newly elected prime minister and leader of the center right party Fianna Fail, has indicated that he is hoping to form a coalition with the Progressive Democrats and the Greens for the next government, with the support of Independents. He contacted Mary Harney personally to discuss prospects for a deal.Read moreALDE Conference to hold conference on "Religious minorities as Cornerstone of Europe"One of Europe's values is to live in unity and diversity. In an enlarged Europe, undergoing economic and social transformations, the challenges of globalisation, the management of migration flows and the increase of mobility between citizens, how can Europe promote multiculturalism and pluralism towards its religious minorities? The Alliance of the Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) is organising a roundtable on the 5th June 2007 entitled "Religious minorities: a cornerstone of Europe". The aim of this hearing is to gather religious leaders to discuss these questions, whilst paying a particular focus on the importance of intercultural dialogue. This hearing is sponsored by Luciana Sbarbati (Italy) and Marios Matsakis (Cyprus). The roundtable will be attended by a Chief Rabbi Joseph Levi of the Florence Synagogue, Mr Domenico Maselli from the Waldesian Church in Italy, an Abate Superiore of the Cistercians order, Prof. Pier Ferdinando Giorgetti from Livorno. An introduction will be made by leader of ALDE, Graham Watson. Following the remarks of the speakers, a debate will follow where the audience will have the opportunity to express their views.Read moreNext Events03/06/2007 : NMSS extraordinary CongressNMSS extraordinary Congress in the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.For more info: http://www.ndsv.bg/03/06/2007 : HNS Pre-election CongresOn 3rd of June in Zagreb (11,00, Concert Hall “Vatroslav Lisinski, Stjepan Radić Square 4)  Croatian People’s Party-Liberal Democrats (HNS) will hold a Pre-election Congress, which will present Party’s Election Program. For more info: www.hns.hr09/06/2007 : Swedish Peoples Party CongressSwedish Peoples Party Congress in Vantaa at Tikkurilan lukio.For more info: www.sfi.fi15/06/2007 : FDP CongressFDP Congress in StuttgartFor more info: www.fdp.de21/06/2007 : ELDR Leaders and Ministers MeetingELDR Leaders and Ministers Meeting in BrusselsFor more info, please contact the ELDR Secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org22/06/2007 : ELDR Bureau MeetingELDR Bureau Meeting in Brussels For more info, please contact the ELDR secretariat at +32 2 231 01 40 or by email at kputzeys@eldr.org 20/07/2007 : 29th General Assembly of IFLRYThe General Assembly will take place between July 20th and 22nd, 2007, at the Adam’s Mark Hotel, Dallas (Texas), United States As every year, this General Assembly will be of great importance to the future of IFLRY.For more information: http://www.iflry.org30/08/2007 : Centerpartiet Congress in SwedenThe Centerpartiet in Sweden will have a congress on August 30 - September 2.The congress will be arranged in Kalmar.For more info: www.centerpartiet.se15/09/2007 : Det Radikale Venstre Annual congressDet Radikale Venstre Annual congress in Nyborg. For more information:www.radikale.dk15/09/2007 : Lib Dems Annual ConferenceLib Dems Annual Conference in BrightonFor more info: www.libdems.org.uk18/10/2007 : ELDR Congress in Berlin, GermanyThe next ELDR Congress will take place in Berlin, Germany.For more info, please contact the ELDR Secretariat at +32 237 01 40 or at kputzeys@eldr.orgELDR Party40, rue Montoyer (6ème étage)1000 Bruxelles BelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.orgwww.eldr.orgwith the support of the European parliament