ALDE Party Liberal Bulletin 03 2013

third ISSUE 2013

Lead article: UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg Focus on: Success of the Austrian liberals

Theodoros Skylakakis: Greek EU Presidency

London Calling!

Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

Contents Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

Map of Europe, the ALDE family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10

‘We are the real reformers’ UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4

ALDE Party Election timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11

President’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6

Focus on: Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12

Associate members corner Building a more democratic Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 8

The ALDE Party on Facebook and Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14

The challenges for the Greek Presidency: A race against time and election politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16 Liberal movers and shakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 18

Calendar / 28-30 November 2013 – London, United Kingdom ALDE Party Congress / 6-8 December 2013 – Budapest, Hungary European Liberal Forum: preparing the European elections / 7-8 December 2013 – Berlin, Germany FDP Extraordinary Congress

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party is the party representing liberal democrat values across Europe.

In conjunction with our liberal member parties throughout the European continent, we are translating the principle of freedom into politics, economics and across all other areas of our societies. The ALDE Party provides an increasingly vital link between citizens and the EU institutions and is continuously growing in size and significance.

The ALDE Party is made up of more than 50 member parties from across Europe. Liberal Democrats created their European political family in 1976, ahead of the first European elections. ALDE was established as a truly transnational political party in 1993.

Liberal Bulletin is a publication of the ALDE Party. It is published three times a year.

/ 19 December 2013 – Brussels, Belgium ALDE Party Leaders’ meeting / 1 February 2014 – Brussels, Belgium Special electoral meeting for a common candidate for European Commission President / 22-25 May 2014 – European Union Elections for the European Parliament

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, aisbl Rue Montoyerstraat 31, 1000 Brussels Tel. +32 2 237 01 40 – Fax +32 2 231 19 07 Editors: Daniel Tanahatoe, Catherine Hardy, ALDE Party Publisher: Didrik de Schaetzen, ALDE Party Date of publication: 19 November 2013 Layout: Trinome.be Printing: Hayez.be With the support of the European Parliament

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Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

Editorial There are only six months to go until the European elections. For many, this means they are starting to think of the elections coming up in May 2014 – but this is not the case for ALDE. Since I took up the position as ALDE Secretary General last year in September, my team and I have been travelling across Europe to engage in a dialogue with our member parties about how we can best prepare ourselves for next year’s campaign for the European Parliament elections.

There’s a lot at stake. ALDE have traditionally been the kingmaker, residing in the centre of the European Parliament.

Siding with the centre-left on human rights and civil liberties issues, on questions of the EU’s internal market we usually find majorities with the centre-right. Can we retain that role in a new parliament likely to be more diverse with the expected rise of left and right wing EU-critical parties?

Voter research that we recently conducted in a number of member states confirms that voters associate liberalism with exactly those issues. That same research also shows that the ALDE Party family might have difficulty keeping up our share of the vote in May 2014, although there are definitely a number of bright spots in the European Union where we can expect to score well.

The main concern of voters – now and next year – remains the economy and thereby also jobs. Despite some positive economic indicators, for voters there is great concern about the recession and slow growth, which has lasted so long and led to high unemployment, especially in the south of Europe. Voters are convinced the EU is part of the solution in tackling the economic crisis and they believe that finding the answer to youth unemployment should be a key priority.

I believe that the work on drafting our European election manifesto over the summer and the feedback the draft received overall will reflect our voters’ concerns. However, we need to do more than convince our traditional base of voters. Our research shows that across many countries, there is a strong potential for liberals. The proportion of voters who say they would consider voting for an ALDE member party is significantly higher than the current vote share. This is our challenge; finding a clear vision and communicating it.

We need to win over these “ALDE Considerers”. They are generally positive towards the European Union, and either they believe the EU is a good institution, but needs reform or they say it is failing now, but can be made good again by urgent reform. Positive messaging about improving the EU in terms of efficiency, simplicity and value for money resonates well with voters across the spectrum, but especially with ALDE Considerers.

So let’s roll up our sleeves. We’re ready for next year’s campaign. Let us, as Liberals and Democrats, find the solutions for the future of Europe – A stronger, yet simpler Union. Have a good Congress!

Jacob Moroza-Rasmussen Secretary General of the ALDE Party

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Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

Lead article

‘We are the real reformers’ As Liberals from all over Europe congregate here in London for the annual ALDE Party Congress, it is sobering to think that just over one century ago this continent was about to be torn apart by the two most destructive wars the world has ever seen. Even just twenty-five years ago, the Iron Curtain was still firmly drawn, and the countries of Europe were ready to unleash mutual devastation on each other at the touch of a button. For all its faults, we should not forget that the European Union has brought about an era of unprecedented peace, freedom and prosperity to this continent. Uniquely in our history, we now find ourselves preparing to settle our differences about the future of Europe not on the battlefield, but at the ballot box.

However, as we look ahead to the European elections next May, no-one can deny that the EU is facing unprecedented challenges. While

there are encouraging signs that we are now emerging from the worst of the economic crisis, many countries continue to suffer crippling rates of youth unemployment and government debt. Growing support for Eurosceptic and xenophobic parties across Europe threatens to fill the European Parliament with a record number of far-right MEPs. And there are difficult questions to be answered over how to reconcile the stronger economic governance required in the Eurozone with the need to improve democratic legitimacy and preserve the integrity of the single market.

This is not the time for Liberals to shy away from Europe. We remain one of the strongest forces in the European political landscape; we have two Prime Ministers and hopefully Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg will become our third, eight European Commissioners and political parties -4-

in power in twelve European governments. The ALDE Group plays a crucial role as the pivotal force in the European Parliament, holding the balance of power between the left and right. As we enter into this new and challenging period, it is vital that we maintain a strong Liberal voice that allows us to continue punching above our weight in shaping the political direction of the EU. Here in the UK, the Liberal Democrats know we have a tough challenge ahead of us, as for the first time in generations we prepare to fight a major national campaign not as a party of opposition but as a party of government.

But we also know that we have a proud record of success, both at the national and European level.

In government, Liberal Democrats have helped businesses create over a million new private sector jobs and a million new apprenticeships.

Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

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This is not the time for Liberals to shy away from Europe. We remain one of the strongest forces in the European political landscape; As we enter into this new and challenging period, it is vital that we maintain a strong Liberal voice that allows us to continue punching above our weight in shaping the political direction of the EU.

We’ve invested billions of pounds on improving the education of Britain’s most disadvantaged children and taken over 2 million of the lowest earners out of paying income tax. Meanwhile, our colleagues in the European Parliament have played an instrumental role in significantly reducing red-tape for small businesses, defending 70 billion euros of vital EU spending on research and innovation and delivering radical reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. Furthermore, Liberal Democrats both in Westminster and Brussels have fought to ensure that Britain remains part of vital EU police and judicial cooperation and have championed green growth and the fight against global climate change, against the instincts of many of our Conservative colleagues.

Building on these achievements, Liberal Democrats are determined to fight an unashamedly pro-European campaign. The Conservatives are bitterly divided over Europe, and are becoming increasingly Eurosceptic in their attempts to fend off the electoral challenge from UKIP. Labour prefer to sit on the fence and to not mention Europe at all. Only the Liberal Democrats, as the “Party of In”, are

prepared to make a positive, passionate case for Britain’s continued EU membership. Only we will fight to defend the millions of jobs linked to our trade with the rest of the EU, and the billions in foreign investment that being a member of the world’s biggest single market brings. And increasingly, the voice of British business is speaking out and strengthening our case. Here in London, a recent poll found that four in five business leaders in the financial services sector want the UK to remain in the EU, whereas over a third would relocate staff if Britain were to leave the single market. But our campaign will not just be about defending jobs in the UK against the economic lunacy of the Eurosceptic. Liberal Democrats also believe we must seize the opportunities to kick-start economic growth, both in the UK and across Europe, by reforming the EU for the better.

Working together with our Liberal allies across Europe, we can work to remove existing barriers in services, telecoms and the digital economy and unleash the true potential of the single market to generate growth in some of Europe’s most innovative and dynamic sectors.

By completing ambitious EU trade deals with

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leading economies including the US, India and Japan, we can give a huge boost to EU exports and create millions of jobs. And by focusing EU funding on cutting-edge innovation and modern infrastructure we can ensure European countries retain their competitive edge in the 21st century. At the same time, we should work to enhance the EU’s democratic legitimacy, for example by strengthening the role of national parliaments, and make sure that the EU does more where it adds real value and less where it doesn’t. I believe that it is we pro-Europeans who are the real reformers.

Together, we as Liberals can build an EU that is richer, stronger, greener and more democratic.

Our opponents try to claim that being pro-EU must somehow mean being anti-reform. It is time for us to prove them wrong.

Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

President’s Column

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The cloud on the horizon is about the size of a man’s fist

While only 38 of our 55 member parties are involved in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, as citizens of the EU, the outcome will be of importance to us all. That is why the adoption of a manifesto for the European Parliament elections is the centrepiece of our Congress this year in London. I hope it will be a short, clear statement of Liberalism applied to today’s crisis-ravaged Union.

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Five years of recession or low growth have hit EU citizens hard. Thanks to the cushions of universal unemployment benefit and universal sickness insurance on the one hand and higher levels of education on the other, these difficulties have not yet doomed any democracy to dictatorship. But the rise of right wing extremist and populist parties (polling over a quarter of votes cast in national or local elections in Italy, France, the UK and other member states) and the fate of our Liberal colleagues in Germany remind us of the dangers of economic depression.

Liberals know what we need to do. We know the power of the market economy to lift people out of poverty. Opening fully the internal market to trade in services would give a huge boost to business. So too would the conclusion of more free trade agreements with third countries, as the EU’s FTA with South Korea has shown. But finding support for such policies against the protectionists of right and left is hard: the former oppose free movement of people, the latter free movement of goods and services into the EU. Liberals know that if people cannot improve their lot at home through trade they will vote -6-

Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

with their feet, as the human tragedy in the Mediterranean and at the borders of Greece and Bulgaria shows.

Only when we sort out our immediate problems of sovereign debt and bank capitalisation will sufficient attention be paid to the bigger challenges we all face in common: world population growth and migratory pressures, climate change and energy security, internationally-organised crime and terrorism. Yet rarely have such global challenges been more pressing and rarely recently has common concern been so lacking. Drawing on the writer James Joyce, I spoke in Dublin of the need to forge in the smithy of our souls the conscience of a continent. To draw on Charles Dickens for our London Congress I might add that the cloud on the horizon is about the size of a man’s fist.

planet hotter, drier, less fertile, more dangerous and more diseaseprone. Cutting fossil fuel use must be top priority. As a Liberal I do not often quote Lenin. But Lenin held that the whole of human progress depended on socialism and electricity. History has proven him wrong on the first count. It will not prove him wrong on the second.

Last month, Europe welcomed Aung San Suu Kyi. This remarkable Liberal came to the European Parliament to collect the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought and conscience awarded to her 23 years ago.

This month Parliament received Malala Yousafzai, nominated by the ALDE Group and successfully elected as this year’s recipient of the same prize. Let the courage of these two women, in different frames but in defence of freedom, be an inspiration to Liberals everywhere.

On Friday 8 November I flew in to Manila, with the turbulence caused by typhoon Haiyan giving the aircraft a bumpy landing. I was there to salute the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats on the 20th anniversary of their founding. I was also there to talk to legislators from the Climate Parliament network about the urgency of making the switch from fossil fuels to clean energy to mitigate climate change. The increasing frequency of such extreme weather events is utterly consistent with climate science; the recent rise in sea levels doubles the damage from storm surges of seawater. Unless we act fast - unless we mobilise on the scale that any other war requires - we risk losing the war against temperature rises which are making our

Sir Graham Watson MEP President of the ALDE Party

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Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

On 24 October, twelve Associate members met in Brussels for a special workshop on how to engage Associate members in the European elections campaign. From left to right: Margarita Starkeviciute (Lithuania), Athena Drakou (Greece), Jacques Gautron (France), Steve Sollitt (United Kingdom), Roelien Kramer (The Netherlands), Jurnan Goos (The Netherlands), Istvan Hegedus (Hungary), AmĂŠlie Pans (Belgium), Thomas Leys (Belgium), Enzo Palumbo (Italy), Francesca Mercanti (Italy), Donnacha Maguire (Ireland), Daniel Tanahatoe (ALDE Party secretariat).

Associate members’ corner

Building a more democratic Europe

The European Union is in the midst of a far-reaching debate about its future role. What does it stand for?

Who does it represent? How should it work with its member states? Should it be a Europe of independent states, or a federal Europe? Should its citizens be allowed to participate more in the political process at EU level?

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Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

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Athena Drakou and Miguel Duarte (right) are this year’s Associate members delegates to the ALDE Party Congress

One of the recent changes, resulting from the on-going debate, gave the European Parliament an equal footing with the EU Council. Yet, the more the voices of the EU citizens have been heard through their elected representatives in Brussels, the less citizens have been attracted to the EU, a result blatantly obvious in the declining turnout for European elections. A recent Pew survey found that pro-EU feeling generally has fallen from 60% in 2012 to 45% in 2013. There is a growing feeling of a “democratic deficit” among European citizens. As such, we need to decisively continue developing democracy at the European level and opening opportunities for citizens to directly participate on the European political arena.

The ALDE Party has already taken a significant and bold step in developing a true European democracy by creating its Associate membership network, allowing individuals to participate in the discussion of ALDE Party resolutions and the manifesto, as well as to be present at ALDE Party congresses. However, this is not enough, as Associate members still don’t have the right to vote on decisive moments of the Party, neither can they, by themselves, submit resolutions to the congress. Neither do

We need to decisively continue developing democracy at the European level

we have a formal Associate member structure, working through the year inside ALDE Party.

The empowerment of ALDE Party Associate members, by recognising them as an integral part of the party and as such giving them full participation rights, would be a sound decision in the liberal tradition. The establishment of a permanent Associate member steering committee would also be a step in the right direction. Both actions could contribute to the establishment of liberalism in the countries where there is not yet an ALDE Party presence -9-

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and would strengthen it where the liberal presence is weak. Furthermore, these advances would reinforce the development of a more transparent, accountable and democratic Europe, and would set a positive example for the rest of the European parties.

Athena Drakou and Miguel Duarte Associate member delegates to the ALDE Party London Congress in London

Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

As of 19 November 2013

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Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

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Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

Focus on: Austria Political liberalism has a short history in Austria. Founded in 1993 by a small group of deputies in the Austrian Parliament, Austria’s ALDE member party, the Liberales Forum (LIF) was initially successful, winning seats in both the national and regional elections. In 1999, however, their share of the vote fell below the 4% threshold and the party lost all its seats in the Austrian Parliament. Subsequently, LIF lost all the regional elections. It took until 2006 for Austrian Liberals to return to the Austrian National Parliament, thanks to a strategic alliance with the Social Democratic party. However, the failure of the coalition between the Conservatives and the Socialists led to new elections in 2008. Taken by surprise by the snap election, the Austrian Liberals again missed the threshold of 4%. How, then, did they make their come-back, getting more than 5% in the national elections in 2013 and returning to the Austrian National Assembly with nine seats?

Looking back to success and failures For a long time Austrian Liberals had difficulty making their voices heard in public. The reason is partly historical: there is no tradition of Liberalism in Austria. The revolution in 1848 was, of course, based on liberal values, but was directed against the multi-ethnic Habsburg Empire and had close links to the idea of a common German state. After the economic crisis of the late 19th century, political liberalism was absorbed by German nationalism with strong elements of racism and anti-Semitism. Although liberal values

prevailed in the cultural and intellectual fields, politically it became marginalised. In the years between the First and Second World Wars, there was no liberal party in Austria. After the Second , the far-right party FPOE (formerly VDU) claimed to have a liberal wing but this was only ever a marginal force within the populist and extreme right-wing party. This small liberal grouping later formed the nucleus of a true liberal party, the Liberal Forum.

The Liberales Forum was created in 1993 under the leadership of Heide Schmidt and immediately was given firm recognition,

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joining the ELDR (now ALDE Party) and Liberal International (LI). The LIF won subsequent elections both on the national and regional level until 1999.

Then, however, it very narrowly failed to pass the threshold of 4% necessary for obtaining seats in the Austrian National Assembly. The LIF lost its seats in the regional parliaments as a result. In a strategic alliance with the Social Democrat party, LIF gained one seat in the national elections in 2006 and was represented by the then party leader Alexander Zach; however, in 2008, LIF again missed the 4% threshold.

Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

Despite the poor results of LIF in national and regional elections there was clearly growing interest in liberal values. Many citizens and civil society organisations shared the basic messages of the Austrian Liberals. But it seemed LIF had not been able to communicate its programme in a way that was absorbed by the liberal sector of the Austrian population.

also still held liberal opinions. The potential electorate was estimated at about 20%.

However, the ALDE members cannot expect to be automatically identified with the vanguard of liberal values. In Austria, many respondents that clearly favour liberal values belong to other democratic parties, forming groupings within the socialist or the conservative parties.

From left to right: Liberales Forum President Angelika Mlinar, NEOS Leader Matthias Strolz and ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson at an electoral campaign rally in September of this year.

Liberal values exist are recognised by many Austrian citizens, however the LIF did not reach its potential electorate

Why then the success in 2013?

liberals supported the liberal wing of the conservatives. The result now, however, was convincing. The NEOS-LIF alliance got an equal share from both groups, equating to more than 50% of its support. The remaining voters came from the socialists, the core voters from the LIF and from those who had lost faith in all parties running in the elections.

The interest was there among citizens. It simply needed to be harnessed.

The values of Austrian Liberals chime with liberal values across Europe. This has been clearly documented by academics: (Pohoryles, R. 2012, Position Paper, in: Jansen, M.; van Veenstra, A.; Vuijk, G., eds. 2012. Liberal Values Compared. Brussels: European Liberal Forum): They are founded on personal responsibility, a commitment to open societies, an efficient and effective free market in a framework that guarantees fair competition, the rule of law and a commitment to deepening and enlarging a democratic European Union based on a widely-accepted European Constitution.

A study commissioned by the European Liberal Forum and the ELDR (now ALDE) in 2011 looked at the distribution of liberal values in Central Europe. For Austria, the Liberal Future Forum helped with this study. It clearly shows that a majority of the Austrian population favours state intervention over marketbased solutions and individual responsibility; however, a significant part of the population

There can be many reasons for success. Whilst LIF could not drum up enough support among liberal-minded citizens, there was clearly an increasing frustration with the traditional parties. People organised themselves in civil society organisations with clear liberal orientations: they fought against the lack of transparency in public organisations, against bureaucratic hurdles, against populism and xenophobia and for human rights. These movements aligned themselves and created a new political party, NEOS, led by Matthias Strolz. LIF watched this development closely and negotiated an alliance with these liberal movements.

The result was a new type of political activity, ranging from traditional advertising in the media as well as, for Austria, unconventional campaigning including door-to-door calling, private events hosted by supporters, intense use of social media, and some unconventional (and sometimes irritating) public performances.

Lacking faith in the success of a liberal party, a high proportion of the potential LIF electorate had in recent election voted for the Greens.

Hoping for a change, many market-oriented

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The lesson to be learnt is that success is based upon factors and actors outside the liberal parties themselves. In countries like Austria, liberal parties have no or little tradition. But there is a clear need for more liberalism.

People organise themselves in civil society organisations that represent liberal values.

They want a change in the political system and they respond to a reliable alternative that promises such a change. Hence, the campaign requires a clear and unconventional message. The Austrian Liberals had a suitable alternative to offer and have still not fulfilled their potential.

Ronald Pohoryles International Officer of Liberales Forum

Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

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Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

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Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

The challenges for the Greek EU Presidency :

A race against time and election politics Greece assumes the rotating presidency of the European Council on 1 January 2014 and so the Greek presidency has a brief timeframe to promote the European Union agenda. Due to the European elections it will have less than four months to deliver on complicated dossiers and this during a pre-election period.

A tense time, during which electoral prospects are going to influence the behaviour both of governments and of the European Parliament. Liberal MEP Theodoros Skylakakis from Greece explains to Liberal Bulletin.

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Liberal Bulletin - SECOND ISSUE - 2013

The Greek presidency has set four priorities: Growth - jobs and cohesion Further integration of the EU and the

Eurozone Migration policy, and Maritime policies The agenda is very ambitious since it has to be delivered with a spartan budget (about half the resources in terms of people and expenses compared to other presidencies due to the harsh austerity measures implemented in Greece) and with other Greek issues, related to the troika evaluation, still pending.

Out of these four policy areas the first and the last are most likely the ones where the presidency can best deliver. This is because we are moving forward to a European election with eurosceptic forces in full swing all over Europe.

In the south the austerity policies, coupled with extremely high unemployment, high interest rates and scant financial resources, have created a very strong anti-government and anti-system sentiment. The traditional Christian democratic and socialist parties are considered as part of the problem and people are reaching out to new populist political forces to express their anger and despair. For

the same reasons, but from a totally different perspective, in the centre and the north of Europe the traditional euro-sceptics are also growing. And the same is happening also in the east where the current south-north divide feeds a feeling of a European Union that is at best irrelevant in the daily lives of ordinary people.

Thus the agenda of growth and jobs is the only one that has real traction all over Europe in this pre-election period. Bold initiatives on EU integration or immigration, though extremely important for the future, are highly unlikely to be a priority for the euro-complacent forces (the EPP and the S&D) in this pre-election period. From these forces, which are still dominating EU politics today, we have little to expect in the eve of these elections.

How to achieve jobs and growth is however another issue. The Greek presidency, which embodies the current Greek government coalition and the wider EPP-S&D consensus, is probably going to promote a non-ambitious agenda based on little real economic reform and flimsy solidarity. In my mind we need both but in a much bolder dosage. We need structural reforms and a decrease in size in size

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of the public sector in Europe. At the same time we also need increased liquidity and lower interest rates (which imply increased solidarity in the Union as a whole), and policies more ambitious than those currently in place. Thus we can hope for the best but not realistically expect it at least until the European elections.

Finally in the maritime sector – where I am also involved as rapporteur of the EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification file - we can hope for the finalisation of some dossiers, since Greece, as a sea-faring nation, has a lot of expertise in this specific sector. This is what we will try at least – Parliament and the Greek presidency - though the schedule is tight.

Theodoros Skylakakis ALDE Member of the European Parliament from Greece

Liberal Bulletin - second ISSUE - 2013

The ALDE Group in the European Parliament has a new account on Twitter, the social networking service. For regular news, live comments and updates from our MEPs, follow @aldegroup.

Liberal movers and shakers European Parliament Vice President Edward McMillan-Scott was presented with the Medal of Honour by the President of the Venice-based European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, Professor Horst Fischer, ‘‘in recognition of his lasting efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights’’.

Member of the European Parliament Antonyia Parvanova was elected as the new leader of the National Movement for Stability and Progress, one of our two member parties in Bulgaria. ‘‘National unity and social justice will be the position that will stand together’’, said the newly-elected leader at a recent event.

European Commissioner for the Environment, Slovenian liberal Janez Potočnik, is awarded by the United Nations with its Champions of the Earth prize. He is awarded for his efforts to promote a greener EU economy. The prize is awarded to leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a significant and positive impact on the environment.

Khatuna Samnidze succeeded David Usupashvili as the new chair of Georgia’s Republican Party, one of the two ALDE member parties in the country. A new chairperson had to be elected after Mr. Usupashvili, who is speaker of the Georgian parliament, left the post.

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