By Joao Mendes

I was born in December 1986. Portugal officially joined the European Union in 1 January 1986. In other words, I was born in the European Union.

There are those who yearn for a time they knew before the EU became what it is today. Others yearn for a time before the EU itself, and wish for the EU to end. I yearn for the EU to develop, become stronger and more democratic, a bastion of liberal democracy spanning an entire continent - and perhaps even beyond.

By LYMEC Treasurer Anne van der Graaf

Liv Holm Andersen, who is a trainee in the Danish Embassy of Greece, has visited the new liberal party of Greece, “Democratic Alliance”. In this article she is drawing a picture of the party and its situation through an interview of the party’s campaigning leader Mr. Anastasopoulos.

When the protesters first gathered on October-Square starting around 7:30pm I was having dinner with a couple of Swedish activist in a nearby restaurant.  The square was completely surrounded by police, but apart from what we saw later this was “normal” police – no sign of any “Spetsnatz” or military personal.

On December 19, 2010 Belarusians were supposed to elect the country’s new President. In theory. But in practice their fragile dreams were destroyed in less than an hour in a most brutal way.

Lorenzo Marchese, 06/11/2011

LYMEC bureau member Jeroen Diepemaat spoke about disenchantment with politics and Euroscepticism at a debate organised by the Austrian ELF-member Liberale Zukunftsforum. You can find a short report from the debate by clicking the following link (text in German): http://www.pohoryles.at/2011/10/31/politikverdrossenheit-bericht-von-der-tagung-zum-osterreichischen-nationalfeiertag/