European Liberal Youth LYMEC warmly welcomes the decision by the ALDE Group in the European Parliament not to include the Italian Five Star Movement in the group.
“Though we understand the urge to increase the size of the group and comprehend the advantages and added value of being back in the position of kingmaker in the parliament, we are relieved that ALDE Group chose to stick to quality rather than quantity when it comes to MEPs” says LYMEC president Sissel Kvist.
LYMEC was critical both of the compatibility of the positions of the Five Star Movement with the group’s values, and of the lack of transparency in the negotiating process.
“The Five Star Movement is a populist and Eurosceptic movement. We do not see how any of these traits would fit into the ALDE Group. Furthermore, the way the whole process was handled, with members of the group only learning about the plans through media, is far from the ideal way to manage a merger of this caliber. We urge the group to be more transparent in these processes in the future”, president Kvist continued.
European Liberal Youth LYMEC is the youth wing of the ALDE Party and one of the youth wings of ALDE Group.
