Table of contentsCombating climate with a new ALDE project An evening with Charles Kennedy Lisbon Treaty: the witch hunt is over The traditional liberal breakfast at the ELDR Head Quarters   The traditional Energy Globe Award 2008 Gala, yesterday at the European Parliament. On the stage: Jos Manuel Barroso, Hans-Gert Poettering, Irina Virganskaya, Mikhail Gorbachev, Dionne Warwick, Alanis Morissette. ELDR FamilyThe European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR Party) brings together 55 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, 100 MEPs in the ALDE Group of the European Parliament and ministers in more than 20 governments in Europe belong to the liberal family. Combating climate with a new ALDE project The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe has just launched "theChangers.eu" (www.thechangers.eu), a fun and educational website, to encourage everyone to take action to reduce their environmental foot print. The interactive website www.thechangers.eu offers several useful pieces of advices on how people can take to reduce their energy consumption and thus contribute to reducing global warming. An evening with Charles KennedyWould you join Charles Kennedy for an evening in Brussels? You can do that on Tuesday, 10 June, 2008. The UK MP, president of the European Movement and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, who in 2005 presided over the best election results the party had known in 80 years, will be in the Belgian capital to meet liberal colleagues at the Open-VLD Headquarters, 34 Rue Melsens/Melsensstraat 34, 1000 Brussels, as of 7 p.m. Annemie Neyts, MEP and President of ELDR, will be introducing him.Lisbon Treaty: the witch hunt is overThe Lisbon treaty is no longer a matter of a witch hunt. The middle ages are over, and EU needs to go ahead with a new modern European Charta, which can answer in a pragmatic down to hearth way at the concrete questions of the European citizens. As everybody knows Ireland is the only EU Member State holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, as required by its own constitution, and in the run up to the upcoming referendum on June 12, it is more important than ever to inform people about what is and what is not in the Lisbon Treaty. For this reason ELDR has invited all its members to personally campaign on the benefits and the opportunities of the European CharterThe traditional liberal breakfast at the ELDR Head QuartersFriedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, the FDP Auslandsgruppe in Brussels and the ELDR party will host the traditional Liberal Breakfast on Wednesday May 28. The theme is the Treaty of Lisbon. MEP Andrew Duff, ALDE spokesperson on Constitutional affairs and Leader of the British Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament will give his views on the EU after the Treaty of Lisbon.  30/05/2008 : FDP Congress 07/06/2008 : Swedish Peoples Party Congress 13/06/2008 : Center Party Congress 19/06/2008 : ELDR Leaders Meeting 09/07/2008 : ELDR Bureau Meeting 30/10/2008 : ELDR Congress in Stockholm 18/12/2008 : ELDR Leaders Meeting ELDR Partyrue MONTOYERstraat 31 (7th floor)1000 BruxellesBelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.euwww.eldr.eu

  To ensure proper delivery of this newsletter, please add newsletter@eldr.eu yo your email address book.Table of contentsTurkey: ELDR concerns over a controversial freedom of speech law ELDR supports the gay pride in Moldova UK local elections: Lib Dem Clegg happy with second place Aloys Rigaut is the new president of LYMEC ELDR alerts on the risks faced by journalists in Europe Emma Bonino appointed Vice President of the Italian Senate Social liberals Lithuania celebrate the 10th anniversary   Jodoigne en fte: les libraux de toute la Belgique runis pour clbrer le 1er Mai. Cette anne, 2000 visiteurs ont assist la fte et ont pu remarquer le stand du parti ELDR qui tait surement le plus vivant!ELDR FamilyThe European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR Party) brings together 55 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, 100 MEPs in the ALDE Group of the European Parliament and ministers in more than 20 governments in Europe belong to the liberal family. Turkey: ELDR concerns over a controversial freedom of speech law The Turkish parliament has approved the softening of a controversial law which could limit the freedom of speech. Article 301 of the Turkish constitution forbids insulting the Turkish identity. The law has been used in the past to prosecute writers and journalists critical of the authorities, including the newspaper editor Hrant Dink, killed in January 19 2007, and the Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, persecuted since 2005.ELDR backs the efforts of the liberal European Commissioner Olli Rehn during his official visit to Ankara to express his concern on the risk of limitations to the freedom of speech and religion. ELDR supports the gay pride in MoldovaOn Sunday May 11 the Moldovan Pride march was again blocked by a group of 200 - 400 people who surrounded the bus of the Pride marchers. ELDR launches an appeal to the authorities to consent to another demonstration, ensuring the full respect of the fundamental rights of all the minorities, including sexual behaviour. UK local elections: Lib Dem Clegg happy with second place The UK Liberal Democrats with 25% of the votes pushed Labour (24%) to the third position in the local elections held on May 1 2008 in parts of England and Wales. With this good performance they gained over 4,200 council seats, namely Liverpool that was Labours number one target, now becomes Lib Dem.Aloys Rigaut is the new president of LYMECThe LYMEC Congress meeting on May 2-3 in Barcelona elected Aloys Rigaut (the Belgian youth Reform Mouvement party) as its new president. The outgoing president Roger Albinyana said goodbye and wished that young liberals would remember three words in their work: idealism, ideals and ideas.The LYMEC Congress adopted resolutions on a wide range of issues including the priorities for the European Parliament elections 2009, cross border health care, the Bologna process, Olympic solidarity and climate change. ELDR alerts on the risks faced by journalists in Europe France, Italy, Spain, Northern Ireland and Denmark: the risk faced by journalists concerns not only Africa, China and Russia, but also the old Europe. On World Press Freedom Day, May 3 2008, Reporters without Borders published for the first time an investigation into violence against journalists within several countries of the European Union. ELDR alerts on the danger faced by journalists in Europe: The Mafia intimidations and menaces in Italy; the risks on the major French cities suburbs, the thorny situation on the North of Spain due to the ongoing intimidation from the ETA, paralyze the vital democratic process of a country. Emma Bonino appointed Vice President of the Italian SenateELDR wishes good luck to Emma Bonino, I Radicali, ELDR member, hoping she will participate in the Italian economic re-launch and the governmental stability. Recalling the events in Southern Italy linked to Mafia, Annemie Neyts, the ELDR president, counts on her, as the new Vice President of the Italian Senate, for an effective discussion in the Parliament.Social liberals Lithuania celebrate the 10th anniversary On April 25 Vice President Johannes Lebech MEP participated in the 10th anniversary Congress of the New Union, the Lithuanian social liberal party and ELDR member. He congratulated the 2000 delegates of the party on their achievements in the Lithuanian parliament and government. The New Union is led by Arturas Paulauskas, the Minister of Environment. 15/05/2008 : Liberal International congress 23/05/2008 : ELDR Political and Information Activity: Centre Party, Sweden 23/05/2008 : VVD Congress 24/05/2008 : European Movement 60th Anniversary Congress 30/05/2008 : FDP Congress 07/06/2008 : Swedish Peoples Party Congress 13/06/2008 : Center Party Congress 19/06/2008 : ELDR Leaders Meeting 09/07/2008 : ELDR Bureau Meeting 30/10/2008 : ELDR Congress in Stockholm 18/12/2008 : ELDR Leaders Meeting ELDR Partyrue MONTOYERstraat 31 (7th floor)1000 BruxellesBelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.euwww.eldr.eu