ALDE Party Liberal Bulletin 01 2015

Liberals winning here!

Green growth norwegian liberals host oslo Council Trine Skei Grande: Venstre puts people first Keskusta in the lead in Finland Interview with Prime Minister to-be Juha Sipilä Czech Ano goes from strength to strength Pavel TeliÄ?ka tells us how

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

Contents

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.

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

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.

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party Rue d’Idalie 11 - box 2, 1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 237 01 40 – Fax +32 2 231 19 07 Editors: Daniel Tanahatoe, Andrew Burgess, Emma Mustala (ALDE Party) Publisher: Didrik de Schaetzen (ALDE Party)

Interview with: Trine Skei Grande . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4 President’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6 Focus on: ALDE succes in Finnish Elections Interview with: Juha Sipilä . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 8 Interview with: Marcus Rentala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11 Finland: Parliamentary elections 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12 Third European Liberals in government meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14 Interview with: Pavel Telička . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16 Individual membership: More than the sum of its parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 18 Spain enters a new era. Interview with: Fernando Maura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 19 ALDE Party online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 20 Liberal movers and shakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 22

Date of publication: 5 May 2015 Layout: Trinome.be Printing: Hayez.be With the support of the European Parliament

Calendar / 9 May 2015 – Oslo, Norway ALDE Party Council / 15-17 May 2015 – Berlin, Germany FDP Congress / 21 May 2015 – Stuttgart, Germany European Liberal Forum Ralf Dahrendorf Roundtable.

“TTIP – Putting the Pedal to the Metal?” / 2-3 June 2015 – Brussels, Belgium LYMEC and ALDE Committee of the Regions young councillors meeting / 25 June 2015 – Brussels, Belgium Liberal pre-summit ahead of the European Council / 19-21 November 2015 – Budapest, Hungary ALDE Party Congress

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although elections are still some time away. Liberal Bulletin has spoken with ALDE Group Vice-President Pavel Telička on the success of his party.

Our members from Andorra also came back strong in their national elections in March and re-entered the parliament, now as the second biggest force of the country.

Editorial “A new dawn in Europe – the light of liberalism is increasing across the continent” As European Liberals we have faced tough times over the last years, mainly as a result of the crisis hitting the continent and the disgruntled climate following this for fiscally-responsible parties. We have seen setbacks in several countries where we hoped for better results for liberals.

We also got a smaller decrease overall in the European Parliament elections last year, although we also had several bright spots with fantastic results in individual countries.

However, the hard work that we have seen from our member parties across Europe in standing strong for our values of fiscal responsibility and social fairness and equality is paying of. We have seen a string of good results for liberals across Europe, both on local, regional and national levels, where the citizens have rewarded our members for their efforts in their national contexts.

During 2014, we brought the number of EU countries having an ALDE Party Prime Minister up to 5 Prime Ministers in total. So far, in 2015 we managed to get an excellent result in Estonia in March, returning Estonian liberal Prime Minister, Taavi Rõivas, for a renewed mandate. Our other member party Estonian Centre party also had a strong showing, coming in second in the elections.

Just as I’m writing these lines, we have had the Finnish parliamentary elections, which saw an excellent result for all three ALDE Party members. Centre Party became clearly the biggest party in the country and will very likely have their leader, Juha Sipilä, taking over as new Prime Minister. In this edition of the Liberal Bulletin we have an exclusive interview with Juha Sipilä in which he outlines his views on Finland, the EU and the way forward. Our other two parties SFP and Ålandsk Centre also produced excellent results; SFP got their highest number of votes since 1991 and Ålandsk Center managed to secure the MP seat from Åland. A very satisfying result for all ALDE Party member parties.

With Finland sending a liberal Prime Minister to the European Council in the future, we are now at 6 ALDE Party Prime ministers, and with opinion polls in respectively Denmark and Ireland looking optimistic for a chance to increase the number of Prime Ministers further later in the year. Similarly we have high hopes for our member party ANO from Czech Republic, which is in a strong lead in opinion polls currently,

Our British members, the Liberal Democrats are as I’m writing, in the final stretch of their parliamentary election campaign to try to defend as much as possible of their fantastic 2010 election result. We all know that being a junior partner in government is tough and it usually costs to be the responsible party taking that role, but I’m encouraged to see the energy and strategic thinking employed by the Liberal Democrats in the campaign and I’m confident that they will manage to return a decent number of MPs to what currently looks like a hung British parliament.

In the regional and local elections we have also shown good results this year. Our German members, FDP, have gone through an internal reflection period and came with a very good result in the state election in Hamburg in February, coming back with 7.4% of the votes. Similarly, we have seen our Austrian members NEOS continuing their solid performances in the local elections earlier this year.

In Lithuania, our member parties also performed well in the March local elections, where especially our member party Liberal Movement solidified their strong showing from the European elections and once again became one of the country’s biggest parties, picking up many of the directly elected mayors, including the mayor of the capital Vilnius, where Remigijus Šimašius won the position in a very strong showing.

Very encouraging - especially with the prospects of the parliament elections coming in 2016.

In the Netherlands, our member parties VVD and D66 also came out strong in their regional elections, as VVD continued to solidify their position as the biggest party in the country and D66 once again showed a strong increase in their support.

There are many more positive stories like this all across Europe and one thing seems absolutely clear. The future is looking very optimistic for European Liberals.

We have the right ideas for progress in Europe and the people are responding well to them in the places where we manage to come across with our messages. We are working smarter than ever before in many countries, we are learning from each other in an unprecedented way and we will continue to harvest the fruits of our hard work. From ALDE Party’s side we are putting our efforts into supporting our member parties by bringing our campaign experts together and learning from each other’s successes and failures, helping to implement tools and techniques where needed, to produce an even stronger liberal representation across Europe.

It is indeed morning in Europe for us liberals!

Jacob Moroza-Rasmussen Secretary General of the ALDE Party - 3 -

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“

We live in a global age and the right to seek happiness should not be limited by where one is born.

Free movement is a fundamental value which should not be taken for granted.

”

Interview with: Trine skei grande Trine Skei Grande is the leader of ALDE Party member Venstre in Norway.

In May, her party hosts the ALDE Party Spring Council in the country’s capital city Oslo. In this interview, she outlines how Venstre puts “people first” in their politics.

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first issue - 2015 You have served as Leader of Venstre - the oldest political party in Norway established in 1884 - for five years now.

How has the political landscape changed during your leadership?

When I took over the reins of the party Norway had just re-elected a centre-left government including both social democrats and socialists. A strong economy meant the government had every opportunity in the world to re-prioritise. Unfortunately, they did no such thing and our schools, research and environment suffered as a consequence.

As liberals, we have co-operated with other parties interested in boosting our schools, research and entrepreneurship. We have sought support to wean our society off an oil-based economy, while ensuring that we offer a social safety net for the most vulnerable. This co-operation has fortunately led to a change in government since I first became party leader.

Following intensive negotiations in 2013, we chose not to go into government but rather to support the government on certain issues from the Parliament. Together with the Christian People’s Party, the Conservatives and the Progress Party, we have agreed on a co-operation agreement, which stipulates the areas where we share common ground.

This agreement remains the foundation of our government today.

Venstre’s lead slogan is to put “people first” - what does this mean to you? What are some of your key priorities?

For us this slogan emphasises the importance of individuals over systems. We want to ensure that bureaucracy does not stand in the way of realising new ideas. In schools our focus is on the pupil, not the school system.

In the environmental and climate policy, it’s about changing what the car runs on – not on stopping it.

Individuals are more important than systems. Society is developed by investing in individuals. That is why Venstre puts people first. Our priorities are: education, environment, small business and welfare.

Your party is known for its strong environmental profile spanning everything from utilising new sources of energy to developing public transport as well as deploying new technology. Could you give some examples of what these reforms would entail in more practical terms?

For us it is vital that we preserve the environment for coming generations by upholding the biodiversity that exists today.

This will be a challenge, but it will also provide us with opportunities. We choose to focus on the opportunities.

We need to move away from old-fashioned fossil fuels and become a country at the forefront of environmental politics. We have a climate agreement in Norway between most parliamentary parties. We welcome the Government’s ambition to reach EU emission reduction levels. This will certainly bring about long-term changes, but as a green and liberal party we are of course keen to accelerate the pace of reform.

Specifically we are arguing for such measures as: introducing a green tax system: lowering taxes on labour and employment, while increasing taxes on activities which damage the environment. We want an emission-free transportation sector with greener cars.

Travelling by public transport must be both financially worthwhile and effective. A better public transport system makes it easier to travel and benefits the environment. This is why Venstre wants public transport to be better, cheaper and more accessible.

Migration is an important topic in Norway. What is the current situation in your country and the view of your party when it comes to migration?

Today, people are more mobile than ever before. We live in a global age and the right to seek happiness should not be limited by where one is born. Free movement is a fundamental value which should not be taken for granted. Venstre has a positive outlook on migration. Cultural and economic stimulus through immigration makes our society stronger, richer and more diverse.

There are great disparities of opinion between the various signatories to the co-operation agreement. For this reason we have settled on a separate protocol on migration. We have worked out a balanced agreement we could all be satisfied with.

For us it has been important to ensure that especially children who have spent a long time in Norway and feel connected to our country are given easier access to residency.

Have recent developments in Iceland concerning the Icelandic EU membership application affected Norwegian attitudes towards the EU? This topic has not featured too prominently in the Norwegian debate. What happens in the EU affects us, not least when it comes to emission reductions, but we have not felt the effects of EU debates in places such as Iceland or Scotland.

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Norwegians are interested in the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement to the extent that it ensures a predictable framework, but debate on everyday EEA issues is not highly present in mainstream Norwegian political debate. Given the fact that we only have a handful of media actors present in Brussels, media coverage of the EU in general is not as prevalent as we might expect, given the centrality of EU decisions for our laws and wellbeing.

In fact, there are activists in Norway who suggest that we should repeal the EEA Agreement and seek out a free trade deal along the lines of the EU-Switzerland agreement. Support for this standpoint is thankfully marginal.

Finally, what is the must-see or mustdo in Oslo for all ALDE Party Delegates arriving for the Council meeting in May? I live in Oslo and think it is a wonderful tourist destination. Hop on one of our many ferries to visit one of the islands dotting the Oslo fjord. Take this opportunity to go for a hike and just relax, visit one of our many museums and parks. My particular favourites include the famous Munch Museum or the Vigeland Park to experience great art. For those of you not scared of heights I can only recommend paying the Holmenkollen ski jump a visit.

The Grunerløkka district offers a lot of life with cafes, bars, restaurants and quaint little shops. Down by the harbour you will find Oslo City Hall, one of Oslo’s finest buildings, or stroll over to Astrup Fearnly - a unique museum of modern and contemporary art.

I always give my colleagues in Parliament a long list of tourist tips when moving to Oslo – and we’ll make sure we share it with all Council delegates as well.

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It’s hard to be a Liberal when prejudice fills the air.

This is why we need always to speak up in support of Liberals.

” President’s Column This year the ALDE Party is engaged in a process of Rethinking Liberalism. I outline below three areas I think are important.

history becomes increasingly a race between education and catastrophe’.

1. Individual responsibility

Individual responsibility also shapes our ideas of individual freedom and democracy.

The concept of individual responsibility - that every human being is responsible for her or his actions - is one that emerged from the various reformations of the Church of Rome. It is not found in the Orthodox Christian Church, which has changed little in the past 1000 years. It almost emerged in Islam: arguably, it did for a while, in the writings for example of the tenth century Syrian philosopher Al Maari; or in the work of the great Mughal emperor Iqbal who codified a bill of rights into India’s constitution while in western Europe we were burning heretics like Giordano Bruno at the stake; or in the enlightened scientific thinking which arose in the great Islamic caliphates of Cordoba and Constantinople. Its absence from Islam today is a problem.

The idea of individual responsibility shapes social behaviour. It predicates morality. I do not regard Gandhi as a Liberal, but Gandhi summed up the dilemma in his seven social sins: Politics without principle. Wealth without work. Commerce without morality. Pleasure without conscience. Education without character. Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice.

It tells us that it is simply no good looking for The Leader or The Answer. We have to find these in ourselves. To reach our full potential as human beings is to become a leader.

That is why, for Liberals, human development is essentially about an increase in competence. As the writer HG Wells observed ‘Human

Let me quote Alexander Pope, in his Essay on Man, who summarises our principles: ‘Two principles in human nature reign; Self-love, to urge, and Reason, to restrain; So drives self-love through just and through unjust, To one man’s power, ambition, lucre, lust: The same self-love, in all, becomes the cause Of what restrains him, government and laws.’

The ALDE Party Congress this year will be held from 19-21 November in Budapest. We chose Budapest to remind us that government and laws must restrain power, ambition, and abuse. If you believe in democracy, you have to recognise that sometimes the people get it wrong. And when they do, nobody has the legitimacy to tell them they got it wrong. But the same laws which allow self-love to urge must also allow reason to restrain. They must safeguard democratic freedoms. They must save us from ourselves.

2. Market economy Liberals believe in the market economy because the market is the single most powerful tool known to humankind to lift people out of poverty.

As Jonathan Sachs has observed, at the very least, the contribution of market exchange to history is that it, more than any other institution,

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has been counterforce to the primordial human instinct to fight. Unlike the battlefield, the market is an arena in which both sides can win.

However, as Adam Smith told us in his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments - which is sadly less well known than his second work, The Wealth of Nations - unless government is active in overseeing and controlling markets, cartels and monopolies will emerge and will kill competition.

The weakest link in the western approach to life in recent years has been inattention to the moral and ethical basis of capitalism. ‘Only money matters’ seems to be the watchword.

And this cannot be allowed to continue. We have a global economy.

Technology is globalising society. We do not yet have a global culture, global governance or a coherent vision of global concern.

We need a global social contract.

3. Community

“

We are the proud heirs of a wonderful body of thought, built on, extended and embellished down the ages.

Liberalism has its weaknesses. But nobody has ever been killed in the name of liberalism.

The Liberal commitment to community rests on the power of inclusiveness, the beauty of diversity and the recognition of equal worth.

As the slogan of our friends in the Friedrich Naumann Foundation reads ‘It’s about freedom’. Freedom is in our Liberal DNA. The recognition of equal worth means doing away with deference.

As Scotland’s poet Robert Burns put it ‘Princes and lords/Are but the breath o’ kings/An honest man’s the noblest work of God’.

It also means abolishing disdain. Seeing people for the human beings that they are. Guaranteeing them their dignity.

As the French aristocrat Antoine de St Exupéry wrote ‘On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible avec les yeux.’

If the history of progress in human dignity is that of a succession of battles against prejudice, we still have many battles to win.

Discrimination against the Roma and against homosexuals, for example, remains widespread.

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”

People can be persuaded only through conversation, not conversion.

Therefore there can be no clash of civilisations. Civilised people don’t clash; they engage.

This is not an easy approach to take. The historian John Gray argues that to think of humans as freedom-loving, you must be ready to view nearly all of history as a mistake.

A nightmare scenario

Imagine what Europe could be in December 2017. Russian tanks could be in Tbilisi and in Chisinau and on the outskirts of Kiev. The Podemos government in Spain could be demanding the same special treatment which was given to the Greeks. Marine Le Pen could be President of France and Matteo Salvini topping the polls in Italy.

There could be anti-immigrant Pegida rallies every week, not just in major German cities but in Austria and the Czech Republic too. David Cameron has failed to renegotiate the terms of the UK’s membership of the EU; and in the referendum on whether to stay or leave, Britons - afraid of developments on the continent and not understanding even the basics of how the EU works - vote to leave.

It’s hard to be a Liberal when prejudice fills the air. This is why we need always to speak up in support of Liberals.

Grigory Yavlinsky. Chen Guangcheng, the blind lawyer who took on the CPC. Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia. Leyla Yunus in Azerbaijan.

As Martin Luther King said, ‘You forget the words of your enemies, but you never forget the silence of your friends’.

We are the proud heirs of a wonderful body of thought, built on, extended and embellished down the ages. Liberalism has its weaknesses. But nobody has ever been killed in the name of liberalism.

There are many definitions of Liberalism. If I had to define Liberalism it might be thus: ‘Reason informed by emotion, expressed in beauty, elevated by earnestness, heightened by humour’. At least, these are ideals that should guide all Liberals.

Sir Graham Watson President of the ALDE Party - 7 -

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Focus on: ALDE success in Finnish Elections

Interview with: Juha Sipilä On 19 April 2015 Finland elected a new Parliament. It became clear voters wanted change, with Finnish ALDE Member Party Keskusta topping the polls and becoming the country’s largest party. The past four years has seen a rainbow coalition government, with six parties from left to right. Eventually this number was reduced to four parties when the left and the greens abandoned it midterm. In this election Liberal Bulletin got an exclusive interview with the to-be Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on his views on Finland, EU and the way forward.

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first issue - 2015 Keskusta’s campaign slogan in these elections was “Suomi kuntoon” (“A Better Finland”) - What are some of the main issues in your opinion and how would you fix Finland?

The situation in Finland is difficult. I believe that it is a 10-year project to get our country back into shape. This is not an easy thing to do, but I have full confidence that we can succeed if we put our hearts and minds into it. This is also what our election slogan is all about.

What we need now is a combination of cuts, reforms and growth. Finland needs 200,000 new jobs in the private sector within the next ten years. Our goal is to create economic growth of about two percent by 2019. This calls for increased growth in new sectors, such as bioeconomy and creative industries. I believe Finland has huge potential in these fields. However, there is no easy way out. We must also maintain a strict spending discipline and carry out some big structural reforms (social and healthcare reform, pension reform) to help re-build our competitiveness. The previous government wasted many years without making these desperately needed decisions. Now we simply must face reality and live up to the challenge.

The Finnish society has been facing a crisis of leadership. This is one of the main issues I would like to focus on. The next government needs a new kind of strategic thinking, i.e. the ability to concentrate on a few of the most important targets instead of many little ones. The goal here is to do less but get it done and do it better. It is my firm belief that the cure to Finland’s woes can only be found through increased mutual trust.

I have therefore suggested an extensive social agreement between political parties, entrepreneurs, trade unions and employers’ organisations.

“

Since you became party leader of Keskusta entrepreneurs have flocked to your party.

Many say it is due to your background as a successful entrepreneur yourself. What is the best way to help small and mediumsized businesses (SMEs) thrive in Finland and in Europe?

The role of small and medium-sized enterprises is absolutely vital for the Finnish and for the European economy. In the past few years, most of the new jobs were born specifically in these fields. One of the main concerns for growing companies is a lack of financial resources. That is why Keskusta has proposed setting up a new growth fund to help reduce bottlenecks and supplement private funding to businesses. This way the state property could better be put to use.

Taxation should encourage people to work, take risks and start new businesses.

The overall tax rate cannot be increased.

We also need to cut red tape – both here in Finland and on the EU-level.

Excessive norms and regulation prevent the economy from growing, hamper our global competitiveness and cause lots of unnecessary headache for everyone involved.

You are, as they say, a fresh face in politics as you haven’t been involved in politics until you were elected MP when you first ran for office in 2011. Has having a different background than most politicians affected your politics in some way?

I have often told people that, for me, politics is first and foremost about finding solutions to common concerns. I have also described it as a kind of civil service. As mentioned previously, my background is in business life. Of course there are differences, but the general rule in both business and politics is the same: to gain results you have to have a

The next government needs a new kind of strategic thinking. The goal here is to do less but get it done and do it better.

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vision as well as an ability to focus on a few main targets.

I have not regretted my decision to move into politics as Finland now urgently needs a change of direction. The last weeks of the Stubb government gave a very bad image of Finnish political decision-making. I want to be part of changing this policy culture towards a more solution-oriented and cooperative one.

Finland shares a border of 1340 km with Russia. While Russia is an important trade partner for Finland, you are in favour of the sanctions that have been put in place.

How do you see Finland’s and the EU’s relationship with Russia evolving? How do you see NATO in this question?

Russia’s actions in Ukraine cannot not be accepted. That is why the EU sanctions were inevitable. However, sanctions alone are not enough to resolve the crisis. We also need diplomatic dialogue. As neighbouring countries, we must be able to have good and direct relations with each other. The recent development in Russia has been truly concerning. I do not see a military threat, but we will follow the situation there closely.

Keskusta has a long, stable and moderate foreign and security policy line, with military non-alignment as one of its corner stones.

Our main goal is to preserve stability in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region. I believe that military non-alignment continues to be the best solution for Finland. NATO membership is not a topical issue at the moment. We will continue to focus on the practical partnership programme and maintain the possibility to apply for membership if the situation should suddenly change. A possible membership application must be subjected to a referendum.

Finland is the land of a thousand lakes… as well as a thousand regulations. You have put forward a manifesto featuring 101 superfluous regulations that should be dealt with. How would you proceed with this work?

The manifesto acted as an important discussion opener. The 101 proposals to reduce overt regulation and bureaucracy listed were collected from submissions of ordinary citizens, entrepreneurs and communities all across Finland. Keskusta has continued this work by constantly taking in new proposals and updating the document.

All parties basically agree on reducing the bureaucratic burden, but concrete action plans have so far been missing. We have tried

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to raise the issue in pre-election debates and openly stated that for us, this is one of those big issues we would like to see incorporated in the next government programme.

Youth unemployment is a huge problem across the EU and the youth guarantee has been viewed as a solution to it. Finland has been in the forefront when it comes to implementing the youth guarantee. What do you think of this? How should youth unemployment be combatted?

It is obvious that the employment of young people needs to improve. The youth guarantee was one of the previous government’s main targets. The general idea behind it was good, but the methods and results have not proven to be very successful. We feel that there is a need for a more comprehensive approach, including better study guidance and the development of various forms of work-based learning

“

Focus on: ALDE success in Finnish Parliamentary Elections

in secondary education. A young person risking social marginalisation needs tailormade, not schematic, solutions.

Your party’s roots are in the countryside and keeping the countryside vital is important for you. What does the future of the countryside look like?

Keskusta wants to develop the country and its different regions in a balanced manner. Cities and countryside are both needed. I sincerely believe that tapping into bioeconomy could give the countryside a new boost. It has the potential of turning into a billion Euro success story for all of Finland.

Agriculture is an important policy area for your party. Are you content with the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) in the EU? The main concern for us is to ensure that profitable agriculture can be practiced in

For me, politics is first and foremost about finding solutions to common concerns.

I have also described it as a kind of civil service.

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all member states. I think it was a shame that the so-called 141-support for farmers in Southern Finland was abandoned. It was an important part of the EU Accession Treaty. In the future, we should continue to safeguard our national interests by being more active and constructive.

It is calculated that about 40% of the Finnish PM’s job is related to the EU. Should you become PM, how would you approach the co-operation with your future colleagues? In your view, which are the most pressing issues in the EU in the coming years?

I have been doing international trade for 25 years before my new career in politics. I am certain that there will not be any problems in dealing with my European colleagues. It is, after all, just a matter of simple human interaction.

In the near future, the EU should focus on at least three big issues: getting the economy back on track, cutting red tape and boosting bioeconomy. All Member States must pursue resolute economic policies, take responsibility for their competitiveness and answer for their own debts. Jointlyagreed rules must be followed. The flood of unnecessary norms and regulations must likewise be contained. EU-level regulation should always have an added value. The EU also needs to be a trendsetter in climate issues and bioeconomy. This will create many opportunities for new jobs.

Focus on: ALDE success in Finnish Parliamentary Elections

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Olohuonetentti Finland’s politics comes closer to home Sometimes you hear politics depicted as boring, distant or difficult to understand. To change this a movement calling itself ‘Olohuonetentti’ (“Living room debate”) launched before the Finnish Parliamentary elections, aiming at encouraging people to take matters into their own hands and organise panel debates in their own homes.

Liberal Bulletin seized the opportunity to have a quick chat with one of the lead candidates of the other ALDE Party member in Finland, SFP’s Marcus Rantala, who recently released a video of himself answering voters’ questions in the street in one sentence, thus avoiding making things more complicated than they need be.

Today you participated in your first Olohuonetentti. What do you make of the concept? Will it replace candidates campaigning outside supermarkets and on town squares in the future?

It was great! Sometimes traditional panels are not that progressive and the differences between the candidates do not emerge clearly. Assembling in someone’s living room for a more intimate debate allows for a more thorough presentation of the candidates: not only do you acquaint yourself with the policy, but also with the person behind it. I think we will need to combine different campaign elements in the future: you still need to be available in the streets in addition to being present on social media, as well as being open to embracing new forms of campaigning.

Social media is a strong element in any campaign today, but how do you stand out in the noise?

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I find social media tricky. I think it is important to be active on social media, but if you start one month ahead of elections it’s too late. It is also important to remember social media is not a one-way channel, rather, it is a platform for dialogue with voters. Being a good politician means being a good listener.

Throughout your campaign, what was the key concern of voters?

This election has been all about jobs and the economy. People are worried about loosing their jobs, which is why it is so important to lower taxes, encourage foreign investment and stop borrowing money from our future generations. We need to be responsible with public spending and make sure Finland regains its competitiveness.

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Focus on: ALDE success in Finnish Parliamentary Elections

Finland: parliamentary elections 2015 THREE ALDE MEMBER PARTIES WINNING SUoMEn KESKUSTA Established 1906 15,8% in last parliamentary elections in 2011, 21,1% in 2015 Three MEPs Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Olli Rehn and Paavo Väyrynen Keskusta has more than 150 000 members SVEnSKA FoLKPARTIET Founded 1906 4,3% in last parliamentary elections 2011, 4,9% in 2015 One MEP Nils Torvalds The party has been in government since 1979 CEnTERn ÅLAnD Founded 1976 Åland has 1 seat out of 200 in the Parliament Mats Löfström of Alandsk Center beats incumbent elected representative Elisabeth Nauclér - 12 -

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2015 CONGRESS 19-21 NOVEMBER

SEE YOU IN BUDAPEST! Reclaiming liberalism events 1.

Lisbon Congress

20-22 November

2014

Oxford Seminar

22 March

Oslo Council

8-9 May

2.

3.

Brussels Seminar

Venue tbc Seminar

5 June

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4 September

Budapest Congress

19-21 November

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Third European Liberals in government meeting 4 February 2015, Tallinn, Estonia At the invitation of Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas and ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson, European Liberal Democrat leaders in government convened in Tallinn, Estonia, on Wednesday 4 February.

At the meeting they discussed a number of challenges facing the European Union including security and defence, fighting terrorism while protecting liberal democracy and how to tackle the economic crisis, create jobs and restoring balanced budgets. They issued the following statement: sECUrITY AND DEFENCE Defending our vision of a Europe united, free and at peace Our vision of a Europe united, free and at peace has been severely undermined by the Russian actions in and around Ukraine. The crisis in Ukraine poses a grave threat to the European security environment. It challenges the foundations of the international order after the Cold War, including the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Russia. The annexation of Crimea into the Russian Federation and the ongoing military intervention in Eastern Ukraine supported by Russia are unacceptable breaches of international law and have emphasised the importance of our determination and unity. In this regard we agree to: Reiterate our full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial

integrity within its internationally recognised borders;

law as well as with its international obligations and responsibilities;

Condemn the large-scale offensive by Russian-backed separatist at the multiple locations in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts as well as against the city of Mariupol. This is an utter disregard of the Minsk Agreement;

Improve security and defence co-operation in Europe thereby taking into account the growing instability in our eastern and southern neighbourhood, from the Middle East to North Africa, as well as transnational and multi-dimensional threats;

Particularly condemn the indiscriminate attacks on residential areas, and loss of civilian lives; Call for an immediate ceasefire, engage in a constructive dialogue and continue ongoing diplomatic efforts towards a sustainable political solution to the conflict which respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; Continue the EU’s sanctions policy towards Russia until it complies with international - 14 -

Enhance the transatlantic link and co-operation between the EU and NATO with an emphasis on practical co-operation on the major security challenges that both the EU and NATO face to the East and South of our borders, as agreed at the European Council of December 2013 and the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014. We urge the EU and NATO to work closely together in Ukraine as well as in the fight against terrorism and radical extremism;

K eep European Neighbourhood Policy and Western Balkans high on the EU’s agenda as the stability of those regions is of paramount importance to the EU; S ecure the long-term future of Europe’s energy supplies. We will reinforce a European single market of energy that will provide European consumers and businesses more and better products and services, increase competition, and lead towards more secure supplies. We believe an integrated market will be better suited to handle the development of renewables and their integration into the energy production mix. At the same time it will create new jobs and make us less dependent on energy imports such as gas imports from Russia.

Fighting terrorism and protecting liberal democracy In light of the barbaric terrorist attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Europe must reconsider its anti-terrorism measures and current mechanisms of co-operation to ensure that we detect and defeat terrorist networks before they can strike. The fact that those acts were perpetrated by individuals born and living in our societies make it clear that new approaches are needed regarding immigration laws, education and integration policies so that they match the challenges posed by interconnected and globalised societies of the 21st Century. At the same time, we must defend our liberal core values among which freedom of expression and the right to privacy are central. In this regard we agree to: E nhance co-operation and information sharing between Member States and their police and security forces in order to allow them to better fight the terrorist networks and cells and to prevent the use of the Internet for propagating hate speech and recruiting volunteers for radical extremism and terrorism. We call the European Commission and the European Parliament to end the deadlock on a revised EU Passenger Name Record agreement at the earliest opportunity; efend the right to privacy for European D citizens. Initiatives towards an enhanced level of information collection and sharing in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks must not lead to restrictions of civil liberties. We must protect our citizens against terrorists and at the same time uphold their right to privacy, freedom of speech, and all civil liberties and individual rights; ppose any move towards restricting the O freedom of movement, which is the fun-

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Our vision of a Europe united, free and at peace has been severely undermined by the Russian actions in and around Ukraine. The crisis in Ukraine poses a grave threat to the European security environment.

damental achievement of EU integration.

Instead, we call to revise the immigration laws, education and integration policies so they better match to the challenges posed by the 21st Century; ork towards an open Europe. Europe W will need to be open for ideas and talents that are willing and able to contribute to job growth and prosperity. At the same time we will continue to enforce a system that prevents irregular migration.

ECONOMY Creating jobs and restoring balanced budgets Record levels of unemployment, including youth unemployment, threaten the longterm cohesion and stability of Europe. We believe in the power and success of the European single market which has created millions of jobs and will prioritise the completion and expansion of the single market, not least in services, identify and create new opportunities for economic growth and greater innovation, and boost the EU’s competitiveness. In this regard we agree to: nderline the importance of solidarity in U the EU while at the same time the need to respect agreed rules and commitments.

To secure growth and jobs, emphasis must be put on structural reforms in Member States. Quantitative easing is not a silver bullet to stimulate the European economy. Many companies are reluctant to invest, not because of a lack of liquidity considering the historically low interest rates, but rather because of a lack of belief in reform efforts in the Eurozone. ork to create a modern economy that W simplifies life through more e-services, and stimulates e-commerce by improving faster internet across, guaranteeing an open internet, fighting for net neutrality - 15 -

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and creating a genuine single market in telecommunications. The digital economy is vital to jobs; eaffirm our commitment to free moveR ment, a founding principle of the European Union that benefits our economy and society and is at core of a strong single market.

We will strive for measures that contribute to the fight against terrorism while upholding free circulation of persons”; ork for an EU-US free trade agreement W that could boost the European economy by over 100 billion Euros annually. At the same time, such agreement should uphold the highest standards in the domain of health, food safety, environment, consumer protection, and other relevant areas. We will also strive for free trade agreements with other major economic regions; epeat that the greatest social and ecoR nomic crisis now facing Europe is unemployment, especially among young people, and that liberals in government reaffirm their commitment to tackling this through policies such as expanding access to apprenticeship programmes.

The following took part in the meeting: Roger Albinyana i Saigí, CDC, Catalonia; Miro Cerar, Stranka Mira Cerarja, Slovenia; Klaus Frandsen, Radikale Venstre, Denmark; Loreta Graužinienė, Darbo Partija, Lithuania; Carl Haglund, Svenska Folkpartiet, Finland; Priit Kallakas, Eesti Reformierakond, Estonia; Jürgen Ligi, Eesti Reformierakond, Estonia; Urmas Paet, Eesti Reformierakond, Estonia; Didier Reynders, Mouvement Réformateur, Belgium; Taavi Rõivas, Eesti Reformierakond, Estonia; Mark Rutte, VVD, The Netherlands; Sir Graham Watson, ALDE Party

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With a solid programme, a strong leadership, a highly professional campaign team and enormous effort, ANO became a new and highly credible political entity.

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Interview with: Pavel Telička

Czech ANO from strength to strength The Czech political party ANO which joined the ALDE Party in November of last year, was only founded in 2011 and ever since has gone from strength to strength on the Czech political scene, now represented at all levels. Liberal Bulletin interviewed the Vice-President of the ALDE Group Pavel Telička MEP to learn more.

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first issue - 2015 What do you believe made Czech citizens support your party in such great numbers?

It needs to be said that ANO has been established by people who never had the ambition to enter political life. The reason why the leader of ANO Andrej Babiš and other founding members decided to exit successful businesses or left prominent careers, was the public demand which has been growing significantly. The public in recent years would normally associate a politician with corruption or at least unfulfilled promises. The so-called established or traditional parties, both on the left and on the right, lost a lot of their credibility. Not just by being unable to deliver on issues of real need and interest of the Czech citizens, but also by numerous corruption and other scandals which were often left unaddressed, investigated or explained. In other words, we have been experiencing crisis of politics. People had enough and to avoid arriving at complete resignation of citizens or let populists or extreme politicians grab their opportunities, something had to be done. Apart from the public demand it was extremely important that people have seen newcomers into politics who had no reason to make such a step from their purely personal interest point of view. They were highly credible and among them had a strong leader. People understood the direct and frank language, were witnessing that from their point of view real issues were being tabled and first possible solutions too. ANO and especially the leading personalities were intensively communicating in the regions. After having listened, we were coming with proposals how to tackle many of the existing problems.

Gradually ANO established its offices in all the regions, was close to the citizens. Unfortunately early elections were called which were rather too early for us. I am sure that having them at the regular date nine months later ANO would have won them. But still, with a solid program, strong leadership, a highly professional campaign team and enormous effort ANO became a new and highly credible political entity. Since the first elections we have won the European ones too and did extremely well in municipal too. We not only have the Mayor of Prague but the majority of the mid-to-large cities.

Could you describe the key values of your party and how this reflects in your way of doing politics?

It is not by accident that we have joined ALDE. Our values are in majority identical or similar to the ones of other ALDE parties. We are a centre to centre-right political movement, honouring liberal values and freedoms. But in addition to that, we really tackle issues, irrespective of whether it is popular or not. We might not use the usual political speak that citizens had enough of in the Czech Republic in re-

cent years, but rather come with measures that should contribute in significant changes in the Czech Republic but also in its position in the EU. In fact, we have the ambition to contribute also to badly-needed changes in the EU. Maybe we are too straightforward for some, but our aim is to deliver and not to be elected at any price. In fact, Andrej Babiš has become famous for having said he would like to run the country as he would be running his private company. I am sure that people understand what he meant by that. In the past, politicians in the Czech Republic were running the country as if there was always somebody available to pay the bill for bad policies and satisfying their personal interests.

ANO means it to serve the citizens.

membership, including the EU funds. But we want to be a much more active member, Czechs can have more influence and should be at the core. It is also a matter of fact that some of the Czech and EU norms and policies are not well focused on creating the right environment for entrepreneurship and businesses. Legislation is too complicated and too burdensome. Administrative burdens are high. I could go sector by sector but it would be a long list.

What are the key lessons learned from your past successful election campaigns that you would like to share with the liberal sister parties?

We need to strengthen not only consumer confidence but also trust of businesses. There is a lack of confidence in the economy. The Juncker Plan, especially the second and third pillars, if well elaborated and implemented, should do the trick. Further developing the Internal Market and regulating better and also cutting administrative burden is a must. We need to integrate markets and invest in excellence.

We have to be much more efficient on funding. How come we do not measure today how much of funds going into innovation really contribute to innovation? If the economy will grow faster, investors will invest, jobs will be created, a consumer will have more opportunities and will gain confidence. But as I have said, a lot has to be done also on EU level, and really done. Too much talking leads nowhere.

I think that the answer to this question is partly mentioned above. For me the key word is trust. Trust that the citizens have in us. You always have to have this on your mind. Then one should be able to set a vision, precisely identify and prioritise real issues in which the state has a role. Policy measures have to follow fast. And then deliver. Which means, one has to have courage and forget surveys and polls. The rest lies in professional and creative campaigning.

And we had a great team and a leader that gave it all.

What pitfalls do you need to avoid as a newly created party?

ANO has to avoid the mistakes of so-called traditional parties and stay humble and refrain from complacency. It has to stay open as a movement, but has to be extremely cautious as an inflow of former members of other parties is starting. And it has to go step by step. ANO is still gaining maturity, but some “maturity” we want to avoid.

Your party aims for significant changes in the Czech society and would like to advance political and economic reforms. Could you outline some of these reforms and highlight where ANO has made the difference in implementing these reforms in the work of the coalition government?

Come on, the government is in place just a year and I think we would be a bit arrogant to describe success here and there already now. The reforms are numerous. But let’s mention some: The tax collection is pretty poor. Tax avoidance is a real problem. The system is that far that avoiding to pay taxes is considered to be a sign of being smart. Anti-corruption measures are also high on the agenda. ANO wants to bring down the annual budget deficit. We need to be much better at utilising the benefits of EU - 17 -

Recent data from the eurozone confirms that a stronger economy is finally under way. In your view, what more can be done to strengthen consumer confidence and boost economic growth in the European Union?

In last year’s European elections, your party became the leading party in the Czech Republic. You and your colleagues chose to sit in the ALDE Group where you are Vice-President. How would you assess the work so far in the European Parliament?

I have been for long in the Czech Government services, heading also preparation of the country for membership, in diplomacy, in the Commission. But last nine years I have been in business. So you can understand that I would like us to act faster, to be better focused, to be addressing the real issues, to contribute to creating an economy and society fit for competition in 21st century. Still early days for me but I can say that ALDE Group, regardless of the fact that we can also do better and sharpen the focus, was the right choice. ALDE is conceptually strong, generating policy lines with a degree of courage which others do not match, a strong leader of the group. So far, no need to complain. But still able to step up and also have a more intensive interaction between the group and the party.

If we want to do well in the coming elections.

And ANO wants to do better.

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The enthusiasm for individual membership in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece confirm that in times of shaky national politics, committed liberals turn to the ALDE Party.

More than the sum of its parts Until 2011, ALDE Party was, similarly to other European parties, an umbrella organisation consisting of national liberal parties in Europe.

But thanks to a decision of the Bureau of the ALDE Party and its President, Annemie NeytsUyttebroeck, since four years, individuals can become members of ALDE Party. Since then, the number of individual members has been increasing steadily and is now reaching the bar of 1200 members from over 40 countries.

It was a bold step to give individuals a say in a European political party – an unprecedented and until now unreplicated one. Sure, the Party of European Socialists (PES) has individual membership, but it requires you to be a member of a national member party. The liberals do not require such affiliation, understanding how important it is to accept people for their values and not their party affiliation. And the resonance of individual membership of ALDE Party in those countries, where there are either no, or only weak liberal parties, confirms this choice. People become individual members in search of a network and a means to be involved in the political party that is closest to their convictions. The enthusiasm for individual membership in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece confirm that in times of shaky national politics, committed liberals turn to the ALDE Party.

In face of the steady increase in membership and the growing demand for activities by the individual members, Athena Drakou and Miguel Duarte, both the delegates to the ALDE Party Congress in 2013, launched a petition to create a Steering Committee. The political body tasked to set out the strategy and goals of the individual members was elected in April 2014: Julie Cantalou, Frédéric de Harven, Athena Drakou, Miguel Duarte and Ermanno Martignetti. One year after the election of the first Steering Committee of the Individual Members in ALDE Party it is time to make a first balance of what could be seen as an experiment.

Since our election in April 2014, we have build up a extensive structure both geographical and thematic. Over 30 local and country coordinators organise regular meetings and events across Europe and liaise with the Steering Committee. Together with the Steering Committee they have managed to organise over 30 events in one year. The increase in activity has also had a direct impact on membership, which has increased by 50%, by far exceeding our target. First cross-border events have been organised in Brussels and Maastricht, and the participation of the individual members in the Congress and the Council has grown too. The first mandate of the Steering Committee will end in November this year and the elections - 18 -

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will take place at the ALDE Party Congress in Budapest. We hope that many of you will actively participate in these elections and contribute with your ideas.

I called the individual membership an experiment, because the Individual Members are pioneers – people who believe that Europe is a project of tolerance, rule of law, peace and prosperity worth fighting for. People who feel truly European and want to participate in European politics. Slowly but steadily the Individual Members are realising their potential and by that realising the potential of the ALDE Party.

Just as the EU should aim at becoming more than the sum of its member states, we believe that the ALDE Party could, thanks to the individual membership, become more than the sum of its parts.

We might still be a small group of pioneers, but to paraphrase Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change [a party]; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”.

Julie Cantalou Chairwoman of the Steering Committee

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Interview with: Fernando Maura Barandiarán MEP

200,000 voters, fewer than before. Within the same political space, the other centrist party Ciudadanos would get over 3 million votes, harvesting the losses from the PP, PSOE and UPyD parties and from abstentions.

Liberal and centre parties in Europe have in its policies the best social ideals from the left-wing and the best market ideals from the right-wing including, of course, the aspect that liberal stances most love: placing values at the heart of politics and fighting for democratic freedom. As for Spain, in my opinion, liberals should become the catalyst for the democratic regeneration from within the institutions, not by assaulting them –as populist parties such as Podemos claim.

Is there a new role for civil society, now that the political spectrum is being fragmented?

In any case, civil society must achieve what the parties have failed to do. We need to encourage all platforms, political associations, people linked through social networks... to support the birth of a Third Spain that will fill us with hope for the future of our country.

Spain enters a new era Populists from both right and left are on the rise in growing parts of Europe. Traditional political parties, particularly on the centre-left, are under pressure. Spain is one of the countries where the political spectrum is changing too. According to recent opinion polls, and as confirmed by the outcome of the regional elections in Andalusia on 22 March, it seems clear that the two-party era that began with the 1978 Constitution, represented by the Partido Popular (PP) conservative party and the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) socialist party, now gives way to a multi-party system. To discuss these developments and to learn more about where it leaves centrist and liberal parties, Liberal Bulletin spoke with the Spanish Vice-President of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament, Mr Fernando Maura Barandiarán.

The outcome of the regional elections in Andalusia shows that a multi-party system is emerging in Spain. If elections were to be held today, how would the old two parties do?

to say the least, and populism to say the most”, according to a recent The Economist’s description. Socialists, only a few steps behind Podemos, would get 5 million votes, that is 2 million less than four years ago.

Should national elections be held now, the Partido Popular would win with 6.4 million votes, which is 4.5 million votes less than in the previous elections. The “Populars” would be followed by the new party Podemos –that finds common political ground with Syriza in Greece - with about 5 million votes. This party, like its Greek peer, represents “uncertainty

Where does this new multi-party system leave liberal and centrists parties?

According to current polls, Union Progress and Democracy (UPyD), the party that was born nearly eight years ago to satisfy the hunger for democratic regeneration professed by voters who are getting tired of poor political practices, would collect about - 19 -

A future that will undoubtedly be written thanks to the main role of young people in Spain. The European elections in May 2014 showed that the Spanish political map has shifted. But it’s no longer a matter of working exclusively on different politics, which is also necessary; it is now also a matter of working with different politicians.

Those of us who have years of experience must be aware that the new era in Spain is to be written by young people. And we must support them to make it possible. It’s certainly not about disappearing; it’s about knowing that we should no longer aspire to be the main players in this new era. And whoever fails to come to terms with this, will not exist.

It is as simple as that.

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We must be placing values at the heart of politics and fighting for democratic freedom.

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Liberal Breakfast focuses on Latvian Presidency’s priorities On 28 January, the ALDE Party and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation held a Liberal Breakfast in Brussels, to discuss the Latvian presidency’s priorities, challenges and the conflict in Ukraine. 1 January 2015 was historic because it marked the beginning of Latvia’s first Presidency as a Member State of the European Union.

Jānis Bērziņš, spokesperson of Latvia’s Permanent Representation

ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson opened the event by saying “Latvia’s history over the past 25 years has been remarkable as they not least liberated themselves from the Soviet Union and were able to overcome a deep recession, and with this they have something to teach the EU and Greece on how to deal with the economic crisis. I hope that the Latvian Presidency can bring some of that spirit into their management of the EU and inject some energy into the EU”.

Juris Pūce, leader of ALDE Party member Latvijas Attistibai, spoke about three pertinent issues for Latvia and the EU – the competitiveness of the European economy, TTIP and Ukraine. He stated that competitiveness is the core necessity for economic growth and that it is the responsibility of European Politicians like himself to make sure that growth is sustainable by eliminating barriers to the Single Market and creating a true Digital Europe. As for Ukraine, he urged for the need for Europe to stay united on its approach to Ukraine and that Europe should support Ukraine through a path of reforms.

Photos © Friedrich Naumann Foundation Europe

ALDE Party President Sir Graham Watson

Liberal International President Dr. Juli Minoves

The Spokesperson of Latvia’s Permanent Representation to the EU, Jānis Bērziņš, discussed the Latvian Presidency’s three main priorities – to have a competitive Europe, a Digital Europe and an engaged Europe. Though Latvia was severely affected by the economic crisis, it was the fastest growing economy until this year and now is the second fastest growing economy. Jānis Bērziņš stated that the reason for this is that during the economic crisis Latvia not only implemented policies of austerity but increased spending on investment in cohesion and structural projects. The Latvian Presidency hopes to use the lessons learned during the crisis to reach an agreement on a European investment plan and to help strengthen and continue building the Single Market.

The European Union is facing many challenges at the moment such as the slow recovery of the economy, high unemployment rates and the conflict in Ukraine.

Jānis Bērziņš stated that over the next six months the Latvian Presidency hopes to tackle many of these challenges by achieving a finalised European investment plan, a general approach on data protection, unblocking European PNR legislation, a Digital Single Market Strategy and holding a successful Eastern Partnership Summit. With this ambitious agenda, Sir Graham Watson closed the breakfast by saying “We believe we are going to have a good Latvian Presidency since Latvia, a small country, was able to survive seven centuries of foreign occupation – they know how to get things done”.

Latvijas Attistibai Leader Juris Pūce

A special guest of the Liberal Breakfast was Liberal International President Dr. Juli Minoves.

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A selection of the best from the ALDE Party newsletter Liberal Eyes and our social media

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Liberal movers and shakers Judith Pallarés was one of the eight elected parliamentarians from the Liberal Party of Andorra, which ran for office independently again in the country’s recently held parliamentary elections. She commented that: “Andorran liberals now form the leading force of opposition in the parliament.”

Edgar Savisaar, Keskerakond’s party leader and Tallinn Mayor concluded after Estonia’s parliamentary elections on 1 March that four contenders for the highest number of personal votes from all over Estonia came from Keskerakond which kept a firm second place with a 25% vote share. The other ALDE member party Reformierakond remained the number one party.

Remigijus Šimašius won the mayor seat in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. A leading candidate for ALDE Party member Liberal Movement (Liberalai), his party had excellent results across the country, advancing not only in the cities but also in smaller towns and districts – securing in total nine mayor seats and 219 city councillor seats.

Katja Suding, the FDP lead candidate in Hamburg, obtained 7,4% of the votes in the elections for the citystate’s regional parliament. State government paternalism and parochialism are foreign to her. Suding is a strong supporter of freedom: “It is the individual who should decide how he wants to live, not the politicians.”

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Support the European liberal values and become an individual member You can now support the work of European Liberal Democrats by becoming an individual member of the Party.

For â‚Ź20 per year (â‚Ź10 if under 30), individual members have access to party events, invitations to networking opportunities, home delivery of publications and quarterly newsletter, and are able to table amendments to motions at party congresses via an elected delegate. To find out more and join, visit aldeparty.eu/joinus

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