Thanks to Liberals, the European Parliament won key concessions over the new SWIFT agreement, obtaining satisfaction on most issues, in particular that the Commission and Council committed to establishing an equivalent EU system that will filter the bank transfer data of EU citizens before agreeing to US data transfer requests.

A definitive timetable will soon be fixed for replacing the current US system (reliant on bulk transfer of European data) with a genuine European mechanism which will fully respect data privacy and civil liberties without undermining the fight against terrorism. Alexander Alvaro (FDP, Germany), EP rapporteur and chief negotiator for Parliament on the agreement declared: "Parliament has stood up for citizens' rights to privacy by insisting that the current transfer of bulk data via Swift will be replaced by a properly controlled European data transfer system."
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Setting appropriate conditions for older workers to remain active in the labour market for longer; making the most of labour immigration and adopting the “Blue Card Directive”; improving Europe’s education and training systems; and supporting youths in their transition to work and in their efforts to engage in our societies are just some of the many proposals advanced this week by liberal European commissioners on the ELDR Focus Year website on demographic change. The website also contains latest information, frequent updates and new friendly features that help members and citizens to get quickly acquainted with European Liberal Democrat opinions.

The major political event of the year in Sweden, the so called Almedalen week, is just around the corner. Taking place between the 4^th and 10^th July on the idyllic island of Gotland, it brings together all political stakeholders in Sweden; from Party Leaders to NGO representatives and business for seminars, speeches and networking. Constructed around the political parties, the interest in the Almedalen Week from media and lobbyists will reach record highs this year, as Sweden is set to head into very tight and unpredictable general elections in September. Swedish ELDR Member Parties in government, Centerpartiet and Folkpartiet, are naturally prominently featured in Almedalen.

The conference €URonomics – Bailout or Bust? organised by the ELDR Party on 17 June registered a high number of participants and intensive discussions on the future of the Euro zone. The conference highlighted the need not just to put a plaster over the situation in Greece and hope the problem with its debt level is healed, rather, liberals consider that concerted and coordinated action by all member states is needed to ensure that no country finds itself in the same predicament in the future.   

An ELDR delegation composed of Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, ELDR Party President; Kristiina Ojuland MEP; and Michael Jensen MP were in Moscow last week to attend a conference organised by ELDR member, the People’s Democratic Union, about the future direction of Russia and how the country might co-operate better with the European Union in terms of developing mutual understanding between its peoples and addressing global issues, such as economic stability, climate change and combating international terrorism. The ELDR delegation also met with the leadership of ELDR’s long standing member party in Russia, Yabloko. To read more click here.

A network of Iberian liberal parties, think-tanks, and political organisations was formally created on Monday. The network, which will be called the “Iberian Liberal Forum”, will focus on the strengthening of Liberalism in Iberian territories, through the exchange of ideas and the organisation of common events, including an annual meeting. The first annual meeting of the Forum will be held in Lisbon in 2011 and the second in Galicia in 2012. To read more click here.