liberal SECOND ISSUE 2020 Contents Word from the President Hans van Baalen 03 Lead interview with Cecilia Malmström 04 Thematic dossier: Interview with Didier Reynders 06 Liberals take local action against COVID-19 08 ALDE Party Individual Members ‘AIM for Europe’ 10 Liberal leaders open up about their unique stories 12 Our member parties have the floor: Party of Freedom and Progress 14 Our member parties have the floor: Vidreisn 15 Social media highlights 16 Movers and Shakers 18 The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party is the party representing liberal democrat values across Europe. With our member parties throughout Europe, we are translating the principle of freedom into politics, economics and across all other areas of our societies. The ALDE Party provides an increasingly vital link between citizens and the EU institutions. The ALDE Party is made up of more than sixty member parties and many individual members from across Europe. Liberal Bulletin is a publication of the ALDE Party. It is published twice a year. Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, EUPP Rue d’Idalie 11 – box 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Editors: Iiris André, Clara Puig de Torres-Solanot , Anna Wangen, Andrew Burgess, ALDE Party Publisher: Didrik de Schaetzen, ALDE Party Layout: Nadège Van Hoorde - Printing: Printdeal.be With the financial support of the European Parliament. The sole liability rests with the author. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. WORD FROM THE PRESiDENT Dear liberal friends, We are experiencing extraordinary times. Under normal circumstances, we planned to meet at the ALDE Congress and Council, and at other international events. These restrictions on our social in- teractions go against our deepest feelings as human beings, but we need to stay hopeful, we need to stay positive. That is what unites us, that is what liberals do. No politician or virologist knows for certain what the coming months will bring. It hurts me as a liberal to see our borders being closed, curfews being implemented and freedoms being restricted. However, we never will and never should tolerate that these restrictions are permanent. We need to stay vigilant where excessive power is being used like in Poland or Hungary. LGBTI-free zones, restrictive measures on abortion and limiting freedom of expression have nothing to do with the current crisis. It is key to work together and to keep fighting for our freedoms on every level. Therefore, I praise the courage and determination of the Belarusian people and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who are standing up to 26 years of dictatorship by Alexander Lukashenko. In Russia, Putin tried to silence Alexei Navalny with poison. But these medieval practices do not stand for the society we want, and I encourage Navalny and Tsikhanouskaya in their fight for democratic rights and the hope they em- body. Their struggle is our struggle. Putin needs to be stopped by opposing Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the EU implementing a European Magnitsky law and by supporting states who are being crippled by his regime: Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and others. In addition, we need to strongly oppose the Belt and Road Initiative which is the vehicle of China to blackmail free societies, and support Taiwan which fights COVID-19 while upholding the rule of law and personal freedoms. I want to express my feelings of gratitude to all essential workers in all sectors who dedicate their lives to save others. In respect to those people, we must follow the democratically legitimised mea- sures that are put in place to keep the virus infection rates as low as possible. We must buy time to develop effective and safe vaccines, which will make it possible to re-open our societies. We cannot live in a state of indefinite lockdown; this will derail social interaction and cause a fatal economic depression, which costs innumerable lives. Let us carry on fighting COVID-19! I truly hope to see you in person soon. Yours sincerely, Hans van Baalen ALDE Party President /hansvanbaalenALDE @hansvanbaalen SECOND issue 2020 03 liberal bulletin Lead interviewLead To bounce back from the crisis, we need to work together With a career spanning over two decades at the European Parliament, the European Council and at the European Commission, former Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström was recently nominated by her country Sweden for the position of OECD Secretary General. We met virtually with Cecilia Malmström as a second wave threatens Europe to discuss the road out of the COVID-19 crisis, the future of European cooperation and her view on what is happening with multilateralism. liberal bulletin 04 SECOND issue 2020 Ninna Andersson. Regeringskansliet,Photograph: Sweden The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic of hope, saying that Europe finally Now is not the time for protectionism has pushed Europe’s economies “got it right”. It is this hope we need but time to strengthen what works to their limits. In your view, how to build on, while ensuring we con- and repair what does not. can the European Union and its tinue to help each other and show member states ensure as swift and solidarity. Now is not the time resilient an economic recovery as The effect of this pandemic on “ possible? democracy is also something that for protectionism but The economic bounce-back will we need to deal with. At the heart time to strengthen hardly be swift, it will take time. of the EU we now have countries Especially with the second wave of that are no longer fully democratic. what works and repair COVID-19 becoming a reality and We need to address this issue and I what does not not just a likelihood, many cities hope that the European Parliament and countries in Europe have started and the Council will find a way to ” to close down again and introduce find an answer to the key question You are running for the position new lockdowns. This is done to related to respecting the EU’s core of OECD Secretary General. What protect the health of the people, values and financing. And we need would be your key priorities in which is the utmost priority of to act quickly or otherwise we will this role? course, but it will also have economic lose our global credibility. Between consequences which cannot be two other powerful global actors – The first thing to do is to listen and underestimated. The slow recovery China and the US – the EU needs find out what each country thinks that we witnessed this summer is to be able to step up to the chal- the priorities are and how they not likely to continue. lenge and make strategic decisions see the future. related to foreign policy, including The next thing is to outline what Having said that, while we cannot taking decisions by majority vote make it swift, we should do our best the OECD can do in the short when it comes to topics related to and long term. Short-term needs to ensure as resilient an economic human rights violations and sanc- recovery as possible. My hope is that include making evidence-based tions. This is not easy and it will take policy proposals and assisting the European Council and the Eu- time, but it must be done. ropean Parliament are soon able to member states in economic re- covery that is green, innovative, agree on a budget to make this pos- With the changing geopolitical sible. and inclusive. In the long-term, landscape, protectionism seems we should focus on building re- to be on the rise. How can Eu- silient economies that cover key rope fight back and maintain a areas such as digitalisation. The “Perhaps this excep- multilateral approach? OECD has a huge competence in tional time is an oppor- this area and perhaps should put This is so important, as multilateral- it more in the centre of some oth- tunity to push for new ism overall was on a weak standing er key topics. There is also room to heights when it comes already before the pandemic, and it develop organisational transpar- seems like many international organ- ency and inclusiveness. to working together isations have only weakened further It is very hard to say what will happen ” during this challenging time: WTO is from now until early next year, but it in a crisis, WHO has been struggling, has been a very interesting and re- we have not really heard from G7 or warding journey, no matter what the And how do you see the future G20, or from the UN for that matter. of European cooperation at this outcome will be. challenging and exceptional But perhaps this exceptional time time? is an opportunity to push for new heights when it comes to working The effect of this There are many things on the to- together. With the crisis impacting “ do list. First, we need to make sure every country around the world, pandemic on that we find a way to handle this only by cooperating and sharing democracy is also ongoing pandemic: we need to knowledge and best practices ... save lives, reduce the number of can we ensure that we are better something that we infections, and focus on discover- prepared for the next time some- need to deal with ing a vaccine. But the long-term thing like this happens. Interna- need for economic recovery cannot tional organisations play a key ” be ignored and on this, I think the role in this, and so do international world is watching what the EU will corporations – we have seen this @MalmstromEU do.