EU needs an honest debate on the post 2013 budget

During the debate in the Strasbourg June plenary on the future multiannual budgetary framework for the European Union from 2014-2020, ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt, crticised the position of those Member States like the UK who oppose the conclusions of Parliament's temporary committee on future budgetary needs and in particular the need for increasing expenditure to meet the new policy challenges.

Hungary's Constitution remains a thorn in side of EU Presidency

ALDE reiterated its serious concerns over the new fundamental law in Hungary, during the June 8 debate in the European Parliament. ALDE also expressed worries in relation to the Council and Commission statements. The Council declared that it is not empowered to deal with national constitutions; while the Commission claimed it would only have competence to analyse the compliance of the new Hungarian constitution with EU law when it is implemented in January 2012.

EU must insist that Russia respect the rule of law

On the eve of the next EU-Russia summit to be held on 9-10 June in Nizhny Novgorod, ALDE has reiterated its call for more pressure to be put on Russia to uphold her international commitments and obligations but considers that there is insufficient progress on common issues to justify continuing with two summits a year.

EU must tackle youth unemployment through vocational education and training

Member States must adopt purposeful strategies to combat youth unemployment, taking into account specific national circumstances and needs - this was the core message of a report by ALDE MEP Nadja Hirsch adopted during the June plenary session by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on vocational training and education. Action needs to be taken quickly: youth unemployment is one of Europe’s most pressing challenges. It is not just that the unemployment rate is higher among young workers than among their adult counterparts: young people are also to be found more frequently in insecure temporary jobs with lower pay and weaker social security cover.

Bulgaria and Romania should be admitted to Schengen

"Through the June 8 vote we have been true to our principles and our promises to both Bulgaria and Romania that if they have fulfilled the criteria to be part of the Schengen zone we should not invent new obstacles to their accession." said ALDE coordinator in the Civil Liberties Committee, Renate Weber (PNL, Romania) after the European Parliament voted in favour of the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis to Bulgaria and Romania.

Credit rating agencies must end their conflict of interests

In response to the Commission's consultation on a future regulation of Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs), expected this autumn, the European Parliament adopted a set of recommendations prepared by Wolf Klinz (FDP, Germany) in its June Strasbourg plenary session.

Heavy Goods Vehicles to bear share of pollution costs

"We would have liked more commitment from Member States but the principle of earmarking has been agreed." said Dirk Sterckx (OpenVld, Belgium), ALDE spokesperson after the European Parliament voted to approve the revised Eurovignette Directive confirming the second reading agreement reached by the EP and Council negotiating teams on May 23rd to internalise some of the external costs of road haulage such as noise and air pollution and encourage investment in cleaner vehicles.

European Contract law: real chance to boost the EU's internal market

Introducing an optional instrument in European contract law is a real chance to boost the EU's Internal Market, according to ALDE MEP Diana Wallis (Liberal Democrat, UK) whose report was approved by MEPs this week (Wednesday 8) in the Strasbourg plenary session.

Solar power: Meeting Europe's energy needs

As European countries consider the energy challenges for the future in meeting increased demand whilst reviewing the safety and sustainability of nuclear power, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats highlighted in a May conference in the European Parliament, the merits of solar power as a clean and reliable means of plugging the energy gap.

ALDE budgetary strategy for 2012: combining ambition and austerity

press/press-and-release-news/press-release/article/alde-budgetary-strategy-for-2012-combining-ambition-and-austerity-37438/The 2012 draft budget just presented by the European Commission marked by a 4.9% increase in payment appropriations, is already contested by the largest contributing member states. ALDE refuses to accept that the EU budget be held captive to this logic which already heavily affected last year's budgetary procedure, and believes that there is leeway which could reconcile austerity and ambition.

This is why ALDE recommends freezing expenditures in real terms, limiting any increase only to inflation. As the EU must meet numerous obligations already budgeted for, and in 2012 will have to finance its EU 2020 economic strategy as well as support the new Arab democracies, liberals and democrats recommend that the EU break with the previous practice of giving back unused funds from the previous budget to member states. In this case up to 4.5 billion euros from 2011 could be returned to the EU's general budget for 2012.

ALDE Group welcomes long overdue arrest of Ratko Mladic

"The arrest of Ratko Mladic and his delivery to justice well serves Serbia 's interests and is warmly welcomed by the European Union. We hope that this clears the way for more expedient and determined integration of Serbia into the European Union. It should definitely act as a catalyst for reconciliation and the promotion of greater regional co-operation" said Guy Verhofstadt, President of the ALDE Group

Legislators from around the world meet in the European Parliament to push for renewable energy revolution

A major two-day conference on financing a revolution in renewable energy was convened on May 26th in the European Parliament by the Climate Parliament, which aims to connect legislators from around the world in order to coordinate efforts to tackle climate change.

EU nuclear stress tests must be more than a PR exercise

Nuclear plants failing to pass the EU's stress test criteria should face closure if the issues raised cannot be remedied, according to ALDE MEP Lena Ek (Centre Party, Sweden), spokesperson for the European Liberals and Democrats on the Industry Committee in the European Parliament.

Europe's new Neighbourhood Policy :an important step in building democracy on our doorstep

Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE leader called the European Commission's Southern Mediterranean Neighbourhood policy "an important step" but says the challenge now must be to get the Member States to fully support the measures outlined as indicated in the communication -"The ENP should be a policy of the Union with the Member States aligning their own bilateral efforts in support of its overall policy objectives".

The role of social and environmental standards in international trade agreements

Clauses concerning environmental, human rights, social or Corporate Social Responsibility standards increasingly play a role in the negotiations of trade agreements the EU is conducting on a bilateral and multilateral level. The liberal and democrat conviction of liberalizing global markets often seems to contradict the respect for these standards. The increased role of the European Parliament in approving EU Trade Deals confers upon it new powers and gives a particular importance to the May ALDE seminar organised on "the role of social and environmental norms for international trade agreements". With the participation of high level experts, members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Commission, the seminar took stock of the diverse arguments of either side of this debate and tried to find possible solutions to the diverging goals within trade negotiations.

Cross border traffic offences: No discrimination on grounds of residency

Commenting on the May 24th vote on cross-border traffic offences in the Transport Committee of the European Parliament, ALDE spokesperson Vilja SAVISAAR-TOOMAST (Centre Party, Estonia) said:

Use of body scanners at airports must not intrude on passenger's privacy or dignity

On May 24th the European Parliament's Transport Committee voted on the controversial issue of using "body scanners" for aviation security. Ever since they were first tested in certain Member States, ALDE expressed doubts over their real effectiveness in the fight against terrorism and their respect to fundamental rights and freedom.

Delivering on growth and jobs: Commission presents 2011 country-specific recommendations

On June 7, 2011 in Brusssels the Commission adopted 27 sets of country-specific recommendations, plus one for the euro area as a whole to help Member States gear up their economic and social policies to deliver on growth, jobs and public finances.

Earlier this year, Member States and the Commission agreed on 10 key priorities to face the current crisis while paving the way for a more sustainable economy. As situations vary from one country to another, the Commission is today recommending targeted measures for each Member State. This should help each country to focus on strategic levers in the next 12 to 18 months, and thus boost EU economy as a whole.

The EU economy is at a critical juncture. The recovery is gaining ground, but it is very uneven across the continent – and many uncertainties remain,” said President José Manuel Barroso. “Member States agreed in March an important set of commitments for the next 12 to 18 months. They must now make sure that they all implement these in a tailored way at national level. With today's country-specific recommendations, which are targeted and measurable, the Commission gives Member States its assessment of their national plans. We know that achieving the goals we have collectively set for ourselves sometimes means hard choices. However, these efforts, if made seriously and by all, will allow Europe to leave the crisis behind and safeguard our future prosperity."

These sets of recommendations are part of the European Semester, whereby for the first time this year, Member States and the Commission have been coordinating their economic and budgetary policies. Once priorities agreed at EU level, Member States presented their nationals programmes which the Commission has now fully assessed through these tailored, targeted and measurable recommendations. 

Overall, Member States have sought to reflect the agreed EU priorities in their programmes and their macroeconomic assumptions are broadly realistic. However, national programmes often lack ambition and specificity. Many Member States need to be more ambitious on fiscal consolidation, while maintaining growth-enhancing measures (research and innovation, business environment, competition in the services sector). On labour markets, more efforts are needed to increase labour-force participation, combat structural unemployment, reduce youth unemployment and early school-leaving and ensure wages reflect productivity.

European and Latin American liberals gathers in Brussels

On 31st May, ALDE MEPs held an important exchange of views in the European Parliament in Brussels in the framework of "ALDELAT" network.  ALDELAT was created to deepen and strengthen relations between the European Union and Latin America and to form a common agenda for Liberals including ALDE MEPs, Relial (Red Liberal de America Latina) and Liberal International (LI). ALDELAT discussed a paper setting out their joint position on key areas such as economic integration, migration, democracy and environmental protection.

THE LIBERAL NETWORK OF AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ALDEPAC, GATHERED FOR THE 21ST ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY IN BUDAPEST on 17 MAY 2011

The Members of ALDEPAC met on the 17 May within the framework of the Budapest ACP-EU JPA.  80 participants from various African countries and ALDE MEPs; including Louis Michel, ACP-EU JPA Co-President; O. Schmidt, ACP-EU JPA Co-ordinator, C. Bearder, F. Hall, L. Aylward and ALDEPAC Political Co-ordinator, Johan Van Hecke were present.

Louis Michel, co-President of the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly, opened the plenary session by reminding that no one could invoke the pretext of a "cultural difference" to support homophobic speeches or legislation. He said: "Today I have raised with MEPs and MPs from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries the issue of LGBT rights, calling for a stop to State persecutions that include in some countries the criminalization of homosexuality, and even death penalty. What unites two men or two women together is of the same nature as what unites a man to a woman. This link belongs to human nature and should therefore be unconditionally respected, in ACP countries as well as on European soil".

Olle Schmidt, ALDE coordinator for the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly added:
"A frank and open dialogue is the basis of the EU-ACP partnership. We are politicians, not diplomats.  As ALDE we believe that it is time for the EU to make its cooperation with third countries, including ACP countries, conditional on concrete progress in terms of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy. This includes ending persecution of LGBT persons and abolishing the death penalty. "

Rt. Hon. James Wani Igga, Speaker of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly (ISSLA), presenting South Sudan as what will be the youngest nation on earth when it becomes an independent state on the 9th of July, underlined that although old Sudan (North and South) used to be the largest country in Africa, South Sudan is still larger than Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi put together. "We, the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM), are the leading party in the South, but we are for multipartyism and fundamental democratic transformation".

ALDEPAC will next meet this October in Brussels.

Renate Weber MEP (PNL, Romania)

Since being elected to the European Parliament in 2007, Romanian lawyer Renate Weber has dedicated her efforts to creating a common space of justice and human rights in the European Union.

As a tribute to her skills and dedication, when beginning with her second term in 2009, Renate was appointed ALDE Spokesperson in matters related to civil liberties and fundamental rights and ALDE LIBE Coordinator at the beginning.

Renate Weber brought to the European Parliament her valuable expertise in human rights and civil liberties issues gathered throughout many years of work in civil society organisations. She is a strong voice in the LIBE Committee on topics relating to asylum and migration, fighting terrorism and trans-border crime, data protection, human rights and civil liberties protection across the EU and the world.

Being involved in strengthening the EU ´s relations with third countries and mostly Latin America, Renate is a  member of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and of the Delegation for relations with the Andean Community. In 2011, Renate was appointed ALDE spokesperson for relations with Latin America. She has been actively involved in several reports aiming to enhance the cooperation between the two regions.

Renate is also substitute member of the AFET Committee .

Renate was the first member of the European Parliament coming from a new member state, appointed by the European Commission as Head of an EU Mission (Bolivia in 2008 and the EU Observation Mission for the Constitutional Referendum). Then, in 2010, she was again appointed by the EC as Chair of an EU Elections Observation Mission to Burundi.

Renate has a daughter and enjoys spending her free time in Romania, close to her family.
 

For more information, please contact:
ALDE Press Service and Inter-institutional relations unit

neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu
willem.vandenbroucke@europarl.europa.eu