ELDR Bulletin 03 - December 2012 by ALDE Party

Published three times a year by the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party

Second issue

2012

BULLETIN Human Rights in wider Europe: a role for liberals

Contents ■ Europe, pick up the green gauntlet! . . . . . . . . . . . page 2 ■ Human Rights in wider Europe: a role for liberals . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

Regardless of countless political declarations, scholarly books and legal acts, we still fail to agree in wider Europe on how far human rights should go and what their “degree of universality is”. Today’s economic and financial instability, a s wel l a s so cio -pol it ic al challenges, should not divert

Green energ y and green innovation is just about the best answer we have right now. The high cost of fossil fuels has been disastrous for the recovery over the last two-three years. We need to be junking them in favour of

■ Interview with Chris Huhne . . . . . . . . . . . page 5

■ Sights from the ELDR Council in Yerevan . . . . . . . . . . . page 6 ■ Check out the new ELDR website! . . . . . . . . . . . page 7 ■ Reunification, the only way forward for Cyprus: A matter of collective European leadership . . . . . . . . . . . page 8

‘’ T he shelter of European membership should give all Cypriots- Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots- the selfconfidence and renewed energy to tackle the existential question of how to overcome the division of the island’’, said Herman Van

■ A liberal drink with Britta Reimers . . . . . . . . . page 11 ■ President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . page 12

More on page 10

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 2

Europe, pick up the green gauntlet! With the United Nations’ Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development brought to an end, it is time for Europe to take the lead in accelerating the transition to a green economy. Our world economy simply cannot continue to grow without becoming sustainable. Resource scarcity, biodiversity loss, empty oceans, soil erosion and water scarcity will set the limits for future wealth. Even though the Rio+20 outcome text was less ambitious than we had hoped for, and the process of drafting the final text far from easy, the conference was definitely not a complete failure. In the weeks leading up to the biggest United Nations conference ever held, the EU focussed on five key areas for greening the economy. Europe tried to find support for concrete goals and targets for sustainable energy, water, oceans, sustainable management of land ecosystems and resource efficiency, including waste management. However, for more than three quarters of the world, poverty eradication is by far the most important political objective. With the EU focus on sustainability on the one hand, and developing countries emphasising social inclusiveness on the other, Rio+20 turned into a battle between the two. However, both objectives can only be achieved hand in hand. This battle, and the way in which the Brazilian government had pushed its own agenda, resulted in the weak Rio+20 outcome. It reflected the lowest common denominator and lacked most of the EU’s concrete goals and targets. The EU found itself isolated and had to conclude that for now this was the highest attainable outcome. Nevertheless, the Rio+20 outcome is more than a repetition of what was agreed 20 years ago at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The conference did lead to some tangible results, with the agreement on Sustainable Development Goals as the most striking outcome. These goals will become applicable to both developed and developing countries after 2015 and will accompany the Millennium Development Goals, which should be achieved by that date. In Rio it was also decided that the United Nations Environment Programme will get universal membership and

receive more stable funding. The current exploitation of the high seas will also be addressed. More important than the outcome document is the growing awareness that future economic growth and poverty eradication can only be achieved by greening the economy. While countries were blocking a more ambitious text, they already work hand in hand with organisations such as UNEP, UNDP, civil society and the frontrunners of the business community to green their economies. So what is next? Europe should now take concrete steps to make the green economy a reality. There are many ways to do so, for instance via trade agreements, sustainability requirements for development aid, and pragmatic bilateral cooperation. Many countries are not keen on international rules being imposed on them via multilateral conferences, but they are open for a pragmatic, bilateral approach. Together with those countries, Europe should form

a ‘coalition of the willing’. By leading in practice and taking an inclusive approach to sustainability, Europe would be able to gather more support for the green development agenda. Such an inclusive approach would require the EU to not only focus on the environmental agenda, but also on the social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Besides the work that the EU should undertake internationally, it can do a lot within its own borders. The EU will have to become much more resource efficient and make European consumption and production much more sustainable. We should not waste time, because a green economy is the only way forward. Gerben Jan Gerbrandy MEP (D66, the Netherlands) is in charge of the resource efficiency roadmap in the European Parliament and was a participant at the Rio Earth Summit 2012

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 3

Human Rights in wider Europe: a role for liberals Regardless of countless political declarations, scholarly books and legal acts, we still fail to agree in wider Europe on how far human rights should go and what their “degree of universality is”. Today’s economic and financial instability, as well as socio-political challenges, should not divert liberals’ traditional attention from the issues of individual freedom, civil liberties, and political rights. The challenges to human rights are grave and numerous, and we have to face them together.

The liberal mission in the Council of Europe The core liberal values – democracy, rule of law and human rights – served more than sixty years ago to re-invent the idea of Europe. The Council of Europe today is the major forum for 47 European states, making it a human rights organisation protecting the freedoms of some 800 million people from Iceland to Kamchatka on the Pacific coast of Russia. But even in this standard-setting institution, the values of human rights and political freedoms have to be reaffirmed and protected daily. Attacks coming from different boards try to question the universality of these values, often under the cover of “cultural” and “local” exceptions. Some want to make us believe that there can be a democracy without pluralism and freedom of assembly, a so-called “managed democracy”. Others use the arguments of security and stability to justify why they fail or are reluctant to guarantee the respect of human rights: impunity in the North Caucasus or secret detention facilities in EU member states are two of many tragic examples. On a different scale, certain political forces misuse religious beliefs to challenge the idea of living together in a multicultural society or to question the right of the woman to control her own body. That is why the ALDE-PACE Group that I have the honour to chair in the Parliamentary A ssembly of the Council of Europe continuously raises the most serious and

delicate issues, which we consider to be of prime importance to each liberal, such as the fight against impunity and grave violations of human rights, be it in Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary or Ukraine; prevention of so-called “honour crimes” and violence against women; respect of media freedom and the rights of minorities. In the Parliamentary Assembly, since January 2012, the Liberal Group has chaired the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

Eastern Europe and North Africa: human rights agenda for liberals Against the background of economic crisis and the rise of populism, we should not forget that the situation of democracy and human rights is even more problematic in Eastern Europe and North Africa, and it is there that the liberal ideas are clearly lacking. The hard road to democracy in Tunisia, the extreme violence in Syria, as well as the authoritarian drift in Eastern Europe, make it hard for strong liberal forces to emerge in these regions. The two biggest Eastern European countries, Russia and Ukraine, do not have liberal groups in their Parliaments. New political parties often turn to ideas

of conservatism and populism because the society is said to be “disillusioned” by the “democratic transition” of the early 1990s. But as Lord Russell-Johnston, liberal President of the PACE, rightly pointed out 14 years ago, “The strength of liberalism derives from the willingness of individuals even in a repressive climate to speak up and persist in their beliefs.” To conclude, I would like to reiterate that as liberals we should make sure that human rights do not have political colour, nationality or cultural specificity. They are universal and should equally be guaranteed in Chechnya and Bavaria, Albania and Luxembourg. The task of promoting the project of society based on the respect of individual freedom and human rights is very hard indeed. But if we fail today, if we are not able to prevent the slide to extreme and extremist political agendas, we have no raison d’être as a political force. Anne Brasseur MP (Demokratesch Partei, Luxembourg), is leader of the ALDE Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 4

Focus Year 2012: workshop

A workshop of liberal experts in the field of energy issues was convened in Brussels on 12 July to discuss the direction and content of the draft Congress theme resolution on energy transition. The ELDR Bureau will prepare the draft theme resolution that will be sent to all member parties by 27 September. Member parties and Associate members will have the possibility to submit amendments until 11 October. Discussion and adoption will take place at the ELDR Congress in Dublin, Ireland. On this page are a few quotes from the workshop discussion.

“The targets agreed to are not enough. Liberals should call for more ambitious targets. We should also establish a road map beyond 2020, where we need to show ambition and where we want to go.” “There’s a broad consensus on a European Supergrid which involves smart technology. We need to remove obstacles to further enhance trade.”

“Is it really the right time to be even more ambitious than earlier years during this very deep crisis?” “How can we make the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) more ambitious? We need to cut carbon leakage. We also need to be sensitive to the energy intensive industries in need in view of global competition.” “Electricity is a very basic commodity. There’s no luxury electricity and poor electricity. There’s simply electricity. Still there’s fairly little trade between countries on electricity.” “The only thing that is important in the European energy mix is the stability of the grid. We’ll need different sources to contribute to the mix.”

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 5

Interview with Chris Huhne: ‘full decarbonisation of our economy is both feasible and affordable’ power companies and local communities, and even local participation in wind turbine cooperatives, are key to ensuring public support. In terms of the bottlenecks, it goes without saying that energy transition is an unprecedented challenge, however cutting carbon and securing supplies is a necessity that I am sure the EU is committed to achieving.

Do you see green energy and innovation to counter climate change as an answer to the economic and financial problems? Absolutely, green energ y and green innovation is just about the best answer we have right now. The high cost of fossil fuels has been disastrous for the recovery over the last two-three years. We need to be junking them in favour of greener energy as fast as we can. The trajectory of green energy is that it’s getting cheaper. High-carbon is getting costlier. Which would you rather invest in? What’s more, green investments are exactly the sort of capital spending that creates a good multiplier effect and provides an immediate boost to growth – demand for businesses, jobs created right across the economy, and increased consumer spending as a result. It’s precisely what’s needed to reverse the slump. The “Not In My Back Yard”-thinking seems to be a problem in building t he necessa r y renewable energ y infrastructure, along with legislative i mplement at ion a nd bu i ld i ng a n attractive financial framework. How would you go about getting public acceptance for the infrastructure and do you think the bottlenecks in the transmission system will be overcome? One of the greatest misconceptions about renewable energy is that it is unwanted. Of course there will always be NIMBYs who will object to development in their areas, be it wind turbines or otherwise, however we should not take this as a signal that the public are anti-renewables. As shown across Europe, increasing engagement between

Should there be harmonised targets for 2030 and beyond and how would you describe your ideal long term policy in energy transition? Working together to adopt a binding EU-wide renewable energy target for 2030 is crucial – not only to signal our long term commitment to decarbonisation, but to show the world that Europe is ready and willing to compete with emerging economies in the fast-growing market for green goods and services. In the long term, the key point to make is that full decarbonisation of our economy is both feasible and affordable. It can be achieved by securing our supply through renewable energy production, and reducing our demand through robust energy efficiency measures. Shale gas looks promising, but we know far too little to bet our future on it. Looking even further ahead, the creation of a European supergrid will allow us to share clean energy with the rest of Europe. European energy security will be one of the priorities of the Lithuanian EU presidency in 2013. What do you think of the energy security situation and will the EU learn to speak in one voice in energy-related matters? Energy insecurity is arguably worse now than during the oil shocks of the 70s. Only at the worst point then did the oil price per barrel go over $100. In 2008 they hit $147 and have reached $137 and $125 in 2011 and 2012. Germany is going non-nuclear. Iran is threatening to shut the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply is transported, and Russia has already shown it will cut gas supplies to Europe in the middle of winter. So, yes, energy security must be signalled out as a priority in the interest of all EU member states. In terms of speaking

with ‘one voice’, Europe already has a robust legislative framework to ensure emissions reductions by 2020, and this is a solid place from which to build consensus for future energy policy. Would you implement renewable energy targets, emission goals or fiscal measures to make fossil fuels more expensive in order to combat climate change? I’d go for all three. It’s become a bit of a cliché in the climate change debate, but there’s no silver bullet for this. We need a portfolio of green measures, diverse enough and radical enough to decarbonise our economies and deliver cheap, clean energy for the long-run. Renewables targets are a useful way to mobilise the private sector. Emissions goals, at the same time, give you a bit more flexibility. Fiscal policy, too, can be used by governments to redress market failures. The market reacts fairly slowly to price signals on energy, and we really need to fast-track low-carbon production both to combat climate change and to get energy costs down for businesses and families. Do you think it will be possible one day for the common European to produce energy at home and feed the excess energy into a grid? Micro generation will make a crucial contribution to achieving renewable energy targets and for many it’s already possible. The last few years has seen a raft of Feed in Tariffs launched in Europe which have increased the popularity of small-scale renewables. Producing your own energy, through solar panels or small turbines, is increasingly popular because it offers homeowners a win-win: the chance to cut both their carbon emissions and their energy bills. The EU has a raft of knowledge about these technologies and must capitalise on this in order to move micro generation further into the energy mainstream. Chris Huhne (Liberal Democrats, UK) is the Member of Parliament for Eastleigh and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 6

ELDR Council in Yerevan The ELDR Council meeting was held on 11-12 May 2012 in Yerevan, Armenia, at the invitation of the Armenian National Movement, one week after the Armenian parliamentary elections (held on 6 May). The outcome of these elections was one of the issues debated by the Council. ELDR President Sir Graham Watson MEP expressed concern that important shortcomings in the elections have been reported - the vanishable ink used disappeared after only 25 minutes allowing for some voters to vote several times. Additionally, the fact that there were 2.5 million registered voters for a total population of 2.8 is a strong indication that the results have been inflated.

Topical issues Three topical issues were discussed in the political section of the Council meeting. In brief: on Cyprus, ELDR maintains the need for finding a solution which addresses both sides of the conflict, in line with the Annan Plan, preferably by the end of the Cypriot Presidency; on Arms Trade, ELDR believes that the upcoming Treaty should incorporate a broad spectrum of activities in the trade, while respecting human rights and humanitarian law; finally, European Liberals adopted a resolution citing fiscal discipline as a precondition for growth. Underlining numerous resolutions from previous years, ELDR expressed in this

resolution its concern over excessive state spending that contributed to the current crisis.

New member: Darbo Partija The European Liberal Family is getting st ronger! T he lead i ng L it hua n i a n opposition party Darbo Partija had their application for membership accepted. European Liberal Democrats are thus happy to again re-confirm Lithuania as one of our strongholds, as Darbo Partija joins two fellow ELDR member parties in Lithuania; Lietuvos Respublikos Liberalµ Sajùdis and Liberalµ ir Centro Sajunga, both in government.

Sights from the ELDR Council in Yerevan

Former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, ELDR Vice-President Lousewies van der Laan, Sir Graham Watson MEP

ELDR Council voting on urgencies

FNF’s Rene Klaff and Yasemin Pamuk

Former ELDR political adviser Robert Plummer and Lib Dem MEP Phil Bennion

Aram Manukyan and German Human Rights Commissioner Markus Löning

Armenian National Movement Leader Aram Manukyan MP

Swedish MP Fredrik Malm and Estonian Reform party International Officer Airis Meier

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 7

British Liberal Democrat Jo Hayes in discussion

Armenian volunteers at the ELDR Council

Lithuanian delegates Raimondas Imbrasas and Vincas Jurgutis

Rudolf Rentschler

Speakers in FNF conference: “Making Liberal Climate and Resource Policies Work!”

Speakers in LGBT seminar led by ELDR Vice President Lousewies van der Laan

From left to right: Susanne Hartig (ELF Executive Director), Vahagn Khachaturyan, Iskra Mihaylova MP (MRF, Bulgaria), Sir Graham Watson MEP and Andras Szalay

Check out the new ELDR website! Before summer, ELDR proudly launched its new website: it’s now up-to-date with all the social media tools and is optimised for the use of mobile devices. Content wise, there’s more space to share what we stand for on various policy issues. And there is yet more to come in the near future, as

we’re planning to launch the site in several languages. I f you wou ld you l i ke to k now more about the website or have any suggestions, please contact Enrico Portelli at eportelli@eldr.eu

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A matter of collective European leadership: Reunification is the only way forward for Cyprus Furthermore, we consider the discovery of natural gas in Cyprus as a make or break opportunity. The emergence of the Eastern Mediterranean area as a new source of energy for Europe obliges all countries in the area to think outside their narrow national borders and problems and consider how this new variable in the area’s equation can be jointly addressed in a way that will yield growth and prosperity for all, including our European Union partners. In their “The Day After’’ trilogy2, three authors explained how the reunification of Cyprus would yield huge economic benefits to all Cypriots as well as to Greece and Turkey. Not to mention the huge savings on military expenditure that will be made by all three countries once the Cyprus problem is solved. ‘’The shelter of European membership should give all Cypriots- Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots- the self-confidence and renewed energy to tackle the existential question of how to overcome the division of the island’’, said Herman Van Rompuy addressing the Parliament of Cyprus on 28 May. Overcoming the division in Cyprus is, in our view, simply a matter of leadership: leadership with a forward-looking vision. But history has unfortunately proven that current mainstream political leadership in Cyprus has collectively failed.

Cypriot political parties in opposition still have the stamina to pursue what the majority considers a lost cause.

While European Union leaders directly call upon the Cypriots to use the EU Presidency in order to reunite their country, the Government of Cyprus and President Demetris Christofias himself respond by stating that they will not burden the Presidency with our national problems! Is it sheer lack of courage to grasp the opportunity of the moment? Or is it, worse, cold calculation of numbers of votes being lost by mass media attacks on any move towards a solution? The current Turkish Cypriot Leader, Dervis Eroglou, has unfortunately never shared the vision of reunification, though a number of Turkish

It is in this sense, that we put forward a proposal1 with Sir Graham Watson MEP that can break the stalemate and create dynamic movement towards the attainment of a solution. Our proposal concerns the opening of both the port of Famagusta and the airport of Ercan, in exchange for the return of the ghost city of Famagusta to its original owners. At the same time, Turkey opens one major airport and major port to Cypriot vessels and a number of chapters are opened for negotiation in the framework of Turkey’s EU accession process.

The United Democrats have persistently pursued the cause of reunification over the years and, though their loyalty to this vision has caused them severe electoral loss. We consider that recent developments especially in the energy sector, offer a renewed opportunity for a peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem and the eventual reunification of the island.

What can now save the Cypriots is their own European family by lucidly bringing home the message that there can be no other way to the future than through compromise and that the much needed prosperity can only be regained through the reunification of the country on the basis of the agreed framework of a bizonal Bicommunal federation with political equality. The same message needs of course to be delivered to candidate country Turkey which should be helped to understand that its long term economic benefits lie in peaceful cooperation with its neighbours and its European partners. Collective European leadership may by now be the only way to lead problems to their solution in Europe. Economic and political integration may be the only way forward with relation to addressing challenges in both the economic and political spheres and Cyprus is but an opportunity and a test case. Praxoula Kyriacou is leader of the United Democrats, Cyprus

1. http://www.cyprus-mail.com/opinions/united-cyprus-end-its-presidency/20120630 published on 30th June 2012 co-authored by: Sir Graham Watson MEP, Leader European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and Praxoula Antoniadou Kyriacou, Leader United Democrats, Liberal Party of Cyprus. 2. The reports were published by PRIO, the Norwegian Peace and Research Institute. The authors, Özlem Oguz Çilsal, Fiona Mullen and Praxoula Antoniadou Kyriacou received a Stelios Award for Business Co-operation in Cyprus. www.prio.no/upload/Report-The%20day%20after.pdf - www.prio.no/upload/ The%20day%20after-2%20ENG-web.pdf - www.prio.no/upload/The%20day%20after%20III.pdf

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 9

Priorities of the Cypriot EU Presidency: ‘Towards a Better Europe’

During its Presidency, Cyprus will work ‘‘Towards a Better Europe”, more relevant to its citizens and to the world; meaning a more effective Europe and contributing to growth and job creation. A European Union working on the basis of the underlying principle of solidarity, committing itself to a better future, promoting social cohesion and providing hope to its citizens; a European Union, with an enhanced role in the international scene. All efforts will be directed to bequeath a better Europe to the younger generations.

Europe more efficient and sustainable The aim will be to promote effective policies that will result in more efficient governance, addressing the uncertainty and instability caused by the crisis. The negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020 will be the main priority of the Cyprus Presidency. The Presidency will work towards the finalisation of the negotiations and the completion of a fair and effective EU budget, support growth and enhance employment opportunities. Emphasis will be given to the quality of spending so that the policies and programmes that will be financed under the new Multiannual Financial Framework are policies with real European added value.

A growth-based economy The economic crisis has highlighted the need for further effectiveness of policies and measures of the Union. The approach for the recovery of the European economies should comprise both fiscal consolidation and sustainable economic growth measures. The Presidency will seek to work on the new enhanced framework of economic governance and reinforce budgetary surveillance, so as to ensure fiscal stability. In parallel, the EU needs to recover from the crisis and stimulate growth. In this respect, the monitoring of the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy is equally important for the Cyprus Presidency.

Solidarity and cohesion The Cyprus Presidency will aim to work towards bringing Europe closer to its citizens, giving emphasis to youth employment in view of the rising unemployment rates in the Union. Furthermore, one of the most important objectives of the Presidency is the establishment of the Common European Asylum System by the end of 2012, focusing on building up practical cooperation between Member States in protecting the rights of those in need of international protection.

The Presidency will also deal with issues related to the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations and issues related to health and well-being, such as the prevention of diseases, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, as well as the prevention and combating of child poverty. Issues related to education and culture will also be highlighted, such as the promotion of literacy and the provision of more qualitative education and training, in order to meet the needs of the job market.

Europe in the world Special emphasis will be placed on the southern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy, in order to enhance the relations with Mediterranean partners, while ensuring pluralism and a multi-faceted relationship and thus promoting the multiplication of channels of communication with all fields of society. The Presidency will also promote all processes related to enlargement and work towards strengthening food security, aiming to give emphasis on EU development goals, thus ensuring progress on the Union’s development commitments.

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 10

New ELDR Secretary General: Interview that I can offer both the professional business view on how to develop and optimise the organisation even further, including developing and implementing the necessary strategies and goals, as well as bringing my solid background of political skills and networking into the position. My aim is to make our party even more relevant for our members in terms of our service and work. I have the ambition that we will be the main source of information and assistance for all liberals in Europe, who are working with or are interested in international issues. The next European elections will be held in 2014. How will ELDR make the difference? Who is Jacob Moroza-Rasmussen?

I’m a Danish citizen by birth, but an international person by life. For the last five years I have been living in Lithuania together with my Lithuanian wife, Neringa, and our little daughter, Ellen. I have been active in liberal parties and youth organisations since 1991, when I joined the Danish liberal youth. Since then, I have been active at all levels of youth politics, as well as national and international liberal parties, where, amongst other positions, I have been both Secretary General and President of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY). What will you bring to the ELDR Party?

I have a very varied background, with both a history in politics with leading IFLRY, as well as many years of management of bigger private companies around Europe in my professional life. I believe

There have already been some good thoughts regarding what ELDR should focus on for the 2014 campaign, and I’m convinced my ideas complement these quite well. But as I see it, the main objective for this election is to ensure that we actually deliver a campaign that links us together as European liberals, with credible answers to the challenges facing Europe today, and which benefits and supports the national parties’ campaigns. It’s a crucial campaign for liberals and we must do whatever it takes to win this election, as it could be a defining moment for the liberal movement. If we do not have clear, credible liberal answers to the current challenges and where we want EU to go, then people will not vote for us.

believe that EU is good, despite its faults. This is the fundamental basis on which we must build a common platform hopefully integrating this with the national parties additional messages locally. So, it is vital that ELDR ensures that we go into the campaign with clear liberal visions for Europe’s current challenges. ELDR should also ensure that relevant networks are built up to provide training, knowledge sharing and support between the national parties, ensuring amongst other things, that the relevant persons will know who to talk to in other parties if necessary for support. Here I would also like us to use more knowledge-sharing options regarding, for instance, file sharing in dropbox or the like, so that we are always up to date with which arguments we have encountered and what worked well and less well in each country – this could then be beneficial in other places. This idea is already used some places on a national level, but I see great value for ELDR’s members if we can facilitate this before, during and after the election campaign. Additionally, I believe we should pursue the path of trying to ensure fundraising at a European level to support our members, as many organisations and companies today are not just nationally linked. I think we need to seek inspiration from outside our normal focus to develop this. If we are successful, this could ensure the extra boost needed for a successful election.

Our members have some differences in their policies, but fundamentally we all

Join the ELDR Party !

Support the European liberal values and become an associate member of the ELDR. For 25€ annually, associate membership cardholders have privileged access to ELDR events, home delivery of publications and much more. Many citizens from around Europe have already joined ELDR. Would you like to sign up too ? Go to www.eldr.eu/en/associatemembership or scan the QR code with your smart phone !

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 11

A liberal drink with Britta Reimers

What or who motivated you to enter politics? I was angry about the agricultural policy being far away from practice. Do you remember the first ever international liberal event in which you participated?

No, I am sorry, but the world is changing so fast...

What should be the highest law in Europe? The indefeasibility of human dignity.

Where do you stand on the political spectrum? What a question - on the Liberal side!

What are the greatest books of all time? Books that allow you to escape from the daily routine.

What is your favourite quote? Audiatur et altera pars! (Seneca, Medea 199)

Three best things in life… ... are family, health and friends.

A cup filled half-way is… ? ... not enough!

What do you fear? War.

The best example of government waste is… ? ... spending no time to review the necessity of existing laws.

Do you remember the last time you danced? Yes, with my husband at a party with friends.

How do you feel about freedom of speech in Europe? It is often so natural that we do not realise its value. The most convincing evidence that brainwashing exists in Europe is the fact that some truly believe… ? ... that not even 100 years of collecting data is enough to justify a million years of climate change.

What is your favourite restaurant in Schleswig-Holstein? My own kitchen! Finally, have you ever read the Communist Manifesto? No! Is it necessary? Britta Reimers (FDP) is a Member of the European Parliament from the German region Schleswig-Holstein

Liberal Movers and Shakers

SFP’s new Chairman Carl Haglund became Minister of Defence of Finland. He succeeded outgoing Minister Stefan Wallin. 33-year-old Haglund, an economist, was a Member of the European Parliament.

In July, Austrian MEP Angelika Werthmann joined the ALDE Group in the European Parliament. She was elected in 2009 and was part of the “Non-attached” group of MEPs and is member of the Budgets and Women’s rights and Gender equality committee.

ELDR Vice-President Marc Guerrero has been appointed new Director of the Hospital de Sant Pau UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona. “The magnitude of the building and the architectural value of the site go far beyond its location, reaching a European and international scope”, Guerrero said.

After five years as Secretary General, Federica Sabbati has said goodbye to ELDR. The Bureau appointed Jacob Moroza-Rasmussen as her successor. You can read more about the new Secretary General earlier in this Bulletin.

BULLETIN – Second issue | 2012 | Page 12

President’s Column six-month EU Presidency of Cyprus. I again pressed their Foreign Minister on progress towards reunification. Communities kept apart by barbed wire have no place in the European Union. All politicians on this island know by now what is needed to unify its people. All that is absent is the political will.

A return to tribal nationalisms The deepening gloom among Europe’s political class and the growing glee of those who seek a return to tribal nationalisms were on evident display as the European Parliament met in Strasbourg before the summer. Parliament voted to approve two regulations amending the EU’s stability and growth pact, one providing for a redemption fund in which temporarily to pool Eurozone sovereign debt and creating a fund of €100 bn for targeted investment to kick start economic growth, the other to ensure better surveillance of Member States’ financial health.

On climate change Gover n ment m inisters charged with combating climate change met in Berlin at the end of July to prepare the EU’s position for the next UN climate change conference (in Qatar in late November). They hope to set ambitious targets for the new UN treaty to be negotiated by 2015. The EU has significantly stepped up its pursuit of policies to combat the threat, for example through a further quest for energy efficiency and through facilitating a switch from fossil fuels to energy generation from renewable sources.

A call for Cyprus reunification Cypriot ministers appeared before the European Parliament’s major committees in view of the

I also hosted, as President of the ELDR party, a breakfast meeting at which the Leaders of pro-reunification parties from south and north (Praxoula Antoniadou of the United Democrats and Mehmet Cakici of the Social Democrats) presented plans for breaking the logjam in the UN-sponsored talks.

Liberal Commissioners The European Commission published its scoreboard on the digital agenda, showing that 95% of EU citizens have access to fixed line broadband connections and that 217 million now subscribe. 15 million citizens went online for the first time last year. Commissioner Neelie Kroes (VVD, Netherlands) seeks funds to roll out superfast broadband to more citizens to boost business opportunity. In a different sphere, another Liberal Commissioner has been taking action: Cecilia Malmström (LD, Sweden) published proposals to tackle better the trafficking in human beings for the purposes of forced labour or prostitution, including the setting up of cross-border investigation teams.

Our Liberal Family

Thank you to the hundreds across Europe and beyond who added their names to our petition ‘Douze points for freedom’. Now that the Eurovision Song Contest and the international spotlight has moved on, we Liberals must work to ensure countries like Azerbaijan are not simply allowed to suppress their citizens by denying them basic fundamental rights. In addition to my parliamentary business in Strasbourg, I made another visit to the Alsatian city in late June to address a liberal group meeting of the Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe. We had a good and frank discussion about the challenges ahead for Europe and also about the dangers posed by populism from the right and left. Actions by our Liberal members in the Council of Europe - particularly since the assembly does not sit full time - is of immeasurable value: from the support they give to Russia’s most famous political prisoner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in defence of his human rights, to their perseverance which managed to unmask Europe’s secret CIA prisons. I was pleased to welcome my Austrian colleague in the European Parliament Angelika Werthmann to our liberal ranks, and also pleased to welcome Jacob MorozaRasmussen who joins ELDR as the new Secretary General. With his help, I aim to make the party stronger, smarter and more supranational. Finally, I would like to say thank you to former Secretary General Federica Sabbati for her tireless dedication to our party for the past five years.

I took three days out of my summer holiday to visit our Liberal sister party in Moldova. They are struggling to get the coalition government to tackle corruption seriously. I was impressed by their organisation and their commitment to equal rights for those still under the shadow of Russian authoritarian influence in Transnistria.

Calendar - upcoming events Liberal Academy 2012, Brussels, Belgium, 19-21 September 2012

Sir Graham Watson MEP President of the ELDR Party

European

Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, aisbl

Rue Montoyerstraat 31, 1000 Brussels

Italia dei Valori congress, Vasto, Italy, 21-23 September 2012

Tel. 02 237 01 40 - Fax 02 231 19 07

Liberal Democrats conference, Brighton, United Kingdom, 22-26 September 2012

Editor : Daniel Tanahatoe, ELDR

ELF: Universal basic income, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 11-12 October 2012

Publisher : Didrik de Schaetzen, ELDR

Prime Ministers lunch, Brussels, Belgium, 18 October 2012

Layout and printing : Trinome.be

ELDR Congress, Dublin, Ireland, 8-10 November 2012

With support of the European Parliament