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On 20 March, European liberals convened their Congress and launched their electoral platform in the heart of the EU, embracing the ‘Renew Europe Now’ motto. MEPs Sandro Gozi, Valérie Hayer and German MP Marie-Agnes Strack Zimmermann from TEAM Europe marked the occasion with a symbolic stroll through Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park, engaging with a sizeable press crowd. The 900-person event was ambitious and crowded, not lacking notable attendees, including five Commissioners, European Council President Charles Michel, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and many more. Here are the main takeaways from the evening and what’s ahead for Europe’s liberal agenda.
Unity: the evening’s mantra
On the steps of the Royal Art & History Museum, the top question asked by the press was, “Who from TEAM Europe is running for the Commission president job?”. Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer didn’t leave much space for awkwardness and smoothly threw some shade onto the competition by replying that they are campaigning for European people, not for the top jobs, unlike EPP Spitzenkandidat Ursula von der Leyen or S&D top pick Nicolas Schmit.
It is no surprise that unity was the buzzword of the evening, tying together all the speeches like a red thread. “Today, we are standing here as a unified family”, said Belgian PM Alexander de Croo in his video message. Unlike other parties, European liberals don’t have a one-party-one-candidate approach. Renew Europe Group, which is the third largest in the European Parliament, consists of the ALDE Party (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe), Emmanuel Macron’s liberal and centrist Renaissance party (the successor of En Marche!) and the European Democratic Party (EDP). Whilst there has been speculation about merging these three parties over the past years, the idea eventually fell through as it didn’t garner enough support. Whether or not it will impact the polls remains to be seen, but according to the predictions, Renew Europe Group is dangerously close to being overtaken by both the right-wing Identity and Democracy Group (ID) and the centre-right European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
Unveiling Europe’s liberal agenda
Besides the campaign launch event, the ALDE party also held an extraordinary congress in Brussels on March 20th and 21st. During the congress, the party approved its manifesto and lead candidate, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the German Free Democratic Party (FDP), and held panel debates on key topical issues, including security, defence, institutional reform, enlargement and economic policy. Besides the lead candidates and member parties, the congress also hosted Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled opposition leader of Belarus.
Back in September 2023, Renew Europe published a manifesto-like document called ‘Vienna Declaration’. The two-page statement declared that the group ruled out “a cosy relationship with the far-right or far-left, now or after the European elections.” It set eight priorities, including maintaining the political centre against growing polarisation, protecting liberal democratic values, utilising the European economy’s untapped potential in the cost of living crisis, as well as achieving climate neutrality and adopting new migration and asylum policy. The Vienna declaration also reaffirmed the group’s support for Ukraine, the need for EU institutional reform and more ‘hard power’ to defend the Union and its partners.
The ALDE manifesto, approved last week, channels the same themes, but contains more detailed proposals on the economy, climate, institutional reform, digital transformation, sustainable agriculture, fighting corruption and other topics in a longer format. The overarching message of the manifesto is ‘moving away from crisis resolution to delivering positive change’.
According to the manifesto, the party wants to find opportunity in every change, switching from the crisis mode towards growth and reform. Whether or not that will be possible in the uncertain geopolitical environment of contemporary Europe is a big question mark for everyone.
A nostalgic look back
The campaign launch event celebrated the successes of the past mandate and the key milestones of liberal commissioners. “What are you most proud of?”, the master of ceremony asked Commissioners Margrethe Vestager, Thierry Breton, Kadri Simson, Věra Jourová and Didier Reynders. From standing up to ‘big tech’ and significant increase in renewable energy production in the EU to supporting Ukraine and having a dialogue on rule of law with member states, the list of accomplishments was long. “The method”, said Commissioner Breton, “was working on the ground instead of sitting in the Berlaymont”.
TEAM Europe’s vision
It is clear that each member of the Franco-German-Italian TEAM Europe has their own theme to push. For EDP Secretary General and MEP Sandro Gozi, the key topics are migration and institutional and treaty reform. “The challenge of European democracy is efficacy and that’s why we need treaty change. We must get rid of the vetoes that paralyse the Union so that we can make decisions faster”, said Gozi. Faster decision-making is an urgent priority for the EU if it wants a say in global power politics. “Either you sit at the table, or you’re on the menu and being on the menu of Beijing or Washington is not my ambition,” Gozi said to PartyParty.
Zimmermann, a Bundestag MP and Chair of the Defence Committee, will focus on her passion for European defence. According to Zimmermann, the liberals’ campaign aims to push for prosperity, security and freedom for European citizens.
Renew Europe Group President, MEP Valerie Hayer particularly emphasised the alliance’s duty “to fight against those who attack liberal values” and pledged to confront “those who have cold feet about helping Ukraine”.
Challenges and opportunities ahead for Europe’s liberals
European liberals will probably have a hard time during these elections. Their complex structural differences compared to other parties, relatively unknown candidates on the European level, as well as the continent-wide rise of populism and sympathies for right-wing parties run counter to the core values of liberals, who advocate for citizen empowerment, innovation and openness.
On the other hand, the European liberals are a good representation of the politics of our continent – at times fragmented, not always in agreement, but somehow finding ways of working together and even morphing into a unified voice. If they can keep their unity and citizen trust during the 2024 European Parliament elections, maybe they will also succeed at “shaping the European Union from the political centre, with the pro-European forces”, as stated by Hayer.
For more pictures from the Campaign kick-off event and the ALDE Party Extraordinary Congress, check out their official Flickr albums.
All photos in this article are taken from the official Flickr album of the ALDE Party.
