2009 Annual Report European Liberal Forum 2009 Annual Report © Copyright 2010 European Liberal Forum asbl. AAllll rrightsights rreserved.eserved. ContentContent iiss ssubjectubject toto copyright.copyright. AnyAny useuse andand re-usere-use requiresrequires approval.approval. TThishis ppublicationublication wwasas fundedfunded byby tthehe EEuropeanuropean PParliament.arliament. TheThe EuropeanEuropean ParliamentParliament isis notnot responsibleresponsible fforor tthehe ccontent.ontent. TheThe vviewsiews eexpressedxpressed iinn tthishis ppublicationublication areare thosethose ofof thethe authorsauthors alone.alone. TheyThey dodo notnot nnecessarilyecessarily rreflefl eectct thethe vviewsiews ooff tthehe EuropeanEuropean LiberalLiberal Forum.Forum. 22009009 AAnnualnnual RReporteport Welcome 05 Contents Welcome 0077 LLetteretter fromfrom tthehe PresidentPresident 0088 FForewordoreword bbyy tthehe EExecutivexecutive DDirectorirector About us 1111 IIntrontro 1133 MMemberember organisationsorganisations 1144 BBoardoard ooff DDirectorsirectors 1155 TThehe EEuropeanuropean LLiberaliberal ForumForum (ELF)(ELF) secretariatsecretariat Selection of events 1177 IIntrontro 1199 GGlobalisationlobalisation afterafter thethe CreditCredit CrunchCrunch 2222 SSpringpring AAcademiescademies 2009:2009: EEuropeurope inin PracticePractice 2244 TThehe IInflnfl uuenceence ooff EEuropeanuropean PPolicyolicy oonn tthehe LLocalocal LevelLevel 2266 MMigrationigration – EEurope’surope’s ChallengeChallenge 2288 TThehe EEurouro aass aann IInstrumentnstrument ofof StabilityStability andand ProsperityProsperity inin a UnitedUnited EuropeEurope 3300 TThehe FFutureuture ooff IndividualIndividual ParticipationParticipation inin EuropeanEuropean PoliticsPolitics 3322 LLibertyiberty andand CivilCivil SocietySociety 3344 BBuildinguilding a PartnershipPartnership wwithith tthehe EEastast 3366 PPropertyroperty RightsRights inin CentralCentral andand EastEast EuropeanEuropean CountriesCountries 3399 EEnergynergy PPolicyolicy aandnd SStrategictrategic InterestsInterests 4400 MMeasuringeasuring SecularisationSecularisation iinn EEuropeurope 4422 CCompleteomplete listlist ooff eeventsvents Selection of publications and studies 4455 IIntrontro 4477 CCrossingrossing BBordersorders iinn EEuropeurope 4488 HHealthealth CareCare PolicyPolicy aandnd FFundamentalundamental RightsRights iinn EuropeEurope 4499 TThehe FFutureuture ooff MMultilateralismultilateralism 5500 SStrengtheningtrengthening tthehe SStabilitytability aandnd GGrowthrowth PPactact wwithith a CCommonommon EEurozoneurozone BBondond 5511 MMeasuringeasuring LLiberaliberal ValuesValues andand AttitudesAttitudes 5522 CCompleteomplete listlist ofof publicationspublications andand studiesstudies Website 5544 PPresentationresentation ofof thethe ELFELF websitewebsite Member organisations 5577 IIntrontro 5599 – 8 800 PPresentationresentation ooff tthehe EELFLF membersmembers 06 22009009 AAnnualnnual RReporteport Welcome 07 Letter from the President DDearear rreader,eader, I aamm ddelightedelighted ttoo bbee aableble toto presentpresent toto youyou thethe 20092009 AAnnualnnual ReportReport ooff tthehe EuropeanEuropean LLiberaliberal FForumorum aasblsbl ((ELF),ELF), tthehe EEuropeanuropean ppoliticalolitical ffoundationoundation ooff tthehe LLiberaliberal ffamily.amily. TThehe ELFELF iiss aaffiffi lliatediated ttoo thethe EuropeanEuropean LiberalLiberal DemocratDemocrat PartyParty (ELDR(ELDR PParty)arty) andand bbringsrings togethertogether LLiberaliberal thinkthink tanks,tanks, politicalpolitical foundationsfoundations andand institutesinstitutes fromfrom allall overover EuropeEurope toto observe,observe, analyseanalyse aandnd ccontributeontribute toto thethe debatedebate onon EuropeanEuropean publicpublic policypolicy issuesissues andand thethe processprocess ofof EuropeanEuropean iintegration.ntegration. TThehe EuropeanEuropean UUnionnion isis facingfacing a numbernumber ofof majormajor challenges,challenges, includingincluding thethe fi nancialnancial andand eeconomicconomic ccrisis,risis, mmigrationigration aandnd climateclimate change.change. WithinWithin thethe ELFELF network,network, LiberalLiberal expertsexperts fromfrom aallll ooverver EEuropeurope aaddressddress tthesehese aandnd ootherther cchallengeshallenges byby exchangingexchanging theirtheir ideasideas andand expertiseexpertise aass wellwell asas developingdeveloping LiberalLiberal policypolicy recommendations.recommendations. TheThe ELFELF therebythereby offersoffers LiberalLiberal policypolicy aapproachespproaches toto EUEU decision-makers.decision-makers. TThehe ELFELF eengagesngages wwithith ccitizensitizens throughoutthroughout EuropeEurope bbyy oorganisingrganising cconferences,onferences, seminars,seminars, wworkshopsorkshops andand summersummer academiesacademies toto conveyconvey LiberalLiberal viewsviews onon a widewide rangerange ofof EuropeanEuropean policypolicy iissues.ssues. TThroughhrough iitsts ttrainingraining activitiesactivities thethe ELFELF isis alsoalso committedcommitted toto strengtheningstrengthening institutionalinstitutional ccapacityapacity aand,nd, lastlast butbut notnot least,least, toto strengtheningstrengthening LiberalismLiberalism inin Europe.Europe. BByy 22009,009, 2288 mmemberember oorganisationsrganisations ffromrom 1188 ddifferentifferent EUEU countriescountries hadhad becomebecome membersmembers ofof thethe EELF.LF. TThroughhrough ttheirheir expertexpert kknowledge,nowledge, ttheirheir organisationalorganisational capacitiescapacities andand theirtheir dedication,dedication, theythey hhaveave mmadeade a cconsiderableonsiderable ccontributionontribution toto thethe successsuccess ofof thethe ELFELF andand mademade a uniqueunique LiberalLiberal ccontributionontribution toto EuropeanEuropean integration.integration. I aamm cconfionfi ddentent thatthat thethe ELFELF willwill furtherfurther evolveevolve andand growgrow inin importanceimportance inin thethe yearsyears toto come.come. AAlexanderlexander GrafGraf LambsdorffLambsdorff MEPMEP PPresidentresident 08 22009009 AAnnualnnual RReporteport Welcome 09 Foreword by the Executive Director TThehe ELFELF AAnnualnnual ReportReport 20092009 isis designeddesigned toto provideprovide youyou withwith a comprehensivecomprehensive overviewoverview ofof thethe vvariousarious aactivitiesctivities uundertakenndertaken bbyy thethe associationassociation duringduring itsits fi rstrst fullfull yearyear ofof business.business. InIn 2009,2009, EELFLF eestablishedstablished itselfitself asas a thrivingthriving organisation.organisation. ItIt organisedorganised 2525 eventsevents andand issuedissued 1212 publicationspublications pprovidingroviding lliberaliberal aanalysis,nalysis, opinionsopinions andand commentscomments onon a varietyvariety ofof EuropeanEuropean ppolicyolicy iissues.ssues. TThishis aannualnnual reportreport featuresfeatures shortshort summariessummaries ofof a selectionselection ofof ELFELF conferences,conferences, sseminarseminars aandnd wworkshopsorkshops aass wwellell aass publications.publications. ItIt alsoalso listslists allall thethe eventsevents organisedorganised andand publicationspublications released.released. TThroughouthroughout 2009,2009, EELFLF ffacilitatedacilitated regularregular exchangesexchanges betweenbetween membermember organisations,organisations, thusthus wwideningidening andand consolidatingconsolidating thethe liberalliberal networknetwork acrossacross Europe.Europe. UnderUnder thethe auspicesauspices ofof ELF,ELF, mmemberember oorganisationsrganisations werewere aableble ttoo expandexpand thethe scopescope ofof theirtheir activitiesactivities atat EuropeanEuropean levellevel andand eexecutexecute jjointoint pan-Europeanpan-European pprojectsrojects iinn cooperationcooperation withwith fellowfellow ELFELF members.members. WWorkingorking rrelationshipselationships withwith liberalliberal policypolicy makers,makers, parliamentaryparliamentary groupsgroups andand institutionsinstitutions werewere sstrengthened,trengthened, resultingresulting inin thethe activeactive participationparticipation andand supportsupport ofof numerousnumerous liberalliberal decisiondecision mmakersakers iinn EELFLF eevents,vents, iincludingncluding MMembersembers ooff tthehe AllianceAlliance ofof LLiberalsiberals andand DemocratsDemocrats (ALDE)(ALDE) inin tthehe EuropeanEuropean PParliament,arliament, MembersMembers ooff nnationalational ParliamentsParliaments andand EuropeanEuropean Commissioners.Commissioners. DDuringuring tthehe coursecourse ooff tthehe year,year, EELFLF ccontinuedontinued ttoo eestablishstablish furtherfurther guidelinesguidelines inin termsterms ofof bothboth ccontentontent andand structurestructure toto ensureensure target-orientedtarget-oriented activitiesactivities andand commoncommon qualityquality standards.standards. InIn 22009,009, tthehe sstagetage wwasas tthushus ssetet forfor tthehe effectiveeffective functioningfunctioning ofof ELF,ELF, allowingallowing thethe associationassociation toto ccontinueontinue toto workwork successfullysuccessfully aandnd toto continuecontinue toto makemake a liberalliberal contributioncontribution toto thethe debatedebate onon EEuropeanuropean ppublicublic ppolicyolicy iissuesssues aandnd EEuropeanuropean iintegration.ntegration. I hhopeope youyou fi nndd tthishis reportreport bothboth informativeinformative andand inspiring.inspiring. SSusanneusanne HartigHartig EExecutivexecutive DirectorDirector 11 About us FFoundedounded iinn tthehe ffallall ofof 2007,2007, tthehe EEuropeanuropean LLiberaliberal Forum,Forum,