News

Last weekend (28 to 30 November) around 900 European Liberals gathered at Canary Wharf in East London’s Docklands to participate in the 34th Annual ALDE Party Congress. Taking place less than 6 months before the EU elections, the Congress was more crucial than ever. The Party’s President Sir Graham Watson MEP was re-elected to a two year mandate and five Vice-Presidents were also elected. ALDE Party’s electoral manifesto, “A Europe That Works”, was passionately discussed and approved by the Congress.

LYMEC, the European Liberal Youth, was of course present with its representatives, consisting of ten elected voting delegates and three additional Bureau members in attendance. Active in all areas of the Congress, our delegation managed to insert crucial amendments to the manifesto, calling for a mandatory transparency of voting in the Council. This measure would deeply improve the openness of EU decision making.

Furthermore, LYMEC is absolutely delighted to announce that our Campaigns Officer, Sissel Kvist, was elected as Vice President to the ALDE Gender Equality Network. We wish her the best of luck, and are sure she will bring to the Network the same passion and energy she is putting into LYMEC. Sissel will serve as our voice in this subgroup of the ALDE Party.

On Saturday evening our delegation attended the launch of the Liberal Youth Foundations. The event took place in the historic surroundings of the National Liberal Club where statues of liberal greats such as Gladstone and Lloyd George looked over twenty-first century activists planning for the future.

LYMEC is pleased and proud with all the achievements of the Congress and congratulates the great work and skill of our delegation. We are ready to fight for liberalism in the coming months, side by side with our mother party, ALDE. We will strongly campaign with all liberal candidates for the European Parliament as a strong liberal group is of utmost importance to all citizens in Europe.