Profile of Jongeren Organisatie Vrijheid & Democratie

The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy (JOVD) was founded in 1949 as an independent liberal political youth organization in The Netherlands, it is thereby the oldest existing political youth organisation in the country. It officially became the youth wing of the main Dutch liberal party, the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in 2000. Based on a contract of cooperation JOVD retains full independence from its mother party. Many successful politicians, including the current leader of the liberal opposition in parliament, Mark Rutte, have been active members of JOVD before they started their political career. Residing under the National Board the organisation is made up of about 20-25 branches in which its approximately 2000 members are organized on a local level. JOVD has its own office in the political centre of The Netherlands near to the Parliament in The Hague. Back in the 70s it was JOVD that started the discussions that eventually led to the formation of a new government coalition composed of Social Democrats and Liberals, effectively excluding the Christian parties from governing for the first time since 1918. It was this non-confessional cabinet that enabled, gay marriage, shop opening on Sundays and legalised prostitution and euthanasia in The Netherlands. Recent JOVD campaigns include a 'kebab competition' in 2005 favouring the integration of young Dutch and Turks from immigrant families, a road tour supporting the European Constitutional Treaty in 2007 and a petition against a new flight tax in 2008. Every year JOVD elects the 'Liberal of the Year', an honorary title which was last given to Member of European Parliament Sophie in 't Veld from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the European Parliament, praising her fight for civil liberties and emancipation. Before the price has been awarded to, among others, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, former Dutch Finance Ministers Gerrit Zalm and liberal philosopher Paul Cliteur. JOVD is full member of both the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY). It also has many bilateral contacts with other liberal youth organisations in Europe and beyond. Recent international activities include study trips to the Netherlands Antilles (overseas territories in the Caribbean) and to several of the new EU member states such as the Baltic States, Romania and Bulgaria but most recently also to Turkey, Morocco and the Southern Caucasus. For several years JOVD has co-organised the Balkan Summer School in Serbia or Croatia and in 2009 it is the host of the annual ‘Beneliberals’ conference.