ALDE delegation – it’s international work

In my article on the ALDE delegation elections I explained about the delegates to ALDE Council up for election this autumn. The post covers the work of the ALDE delegations.

Internationalism is one of the absolute core values of our party and since leaving the EU we have waged a battle to ensure that the LibDems, retain our voice and influence in European politics. I am proud that wehave been successful in maintaining ALDE as a European party – not one just focused on the EU. However there have been many voices in the EU that want to see non EU-parties in ALDE reduced to observers. The Lib Dems have lead the fight to ensure that ALDE remains a true European party, including parties from outside the EU alongside parties from the 27 EU member states. It brings a unique quality to our debates – especially in recent times on matter of defence and security – where parties join in debate from NATO countries, representatives from Ukrainian President Zelensky’s Party Servant of the People and the governing parties of countries on the front line with Russia like Estonia.

The European Authority ( responsible for rule keeping inside the EU) insisted on changes that the total number of delegates from non-EU parties should not exceed a third of the total of delegate votes in the ALDE Council and ALDE Congress and on the ALDE Bureau. In addition to the restrictions on the delegate numbers from non-EU parties, the number of ALDE Vice Presidents from non- EU parties are limited to 3 in total and the President and Treasurer of ALDE has to come from a party in the EU. Despite the restrictions on our votes, we have fought to maintain our voice at the core of ALDE. I was so concerned that I set up a group of non-EU parties, which I chair alongside a colleague from our Norwegian sister party, which meets regularly on the day before ALDE Council or ALDE Congress and helps us to strengthen our collective voice within the ALDE Party. Baroness Sal Brinton, who was successfully re- elected at ALDE Congress last year as ALDE Vice President for a third term, represents the non-EU parties on the ALDE Bureau. The Lib Dem’s motions on Israel/ Gaza, Sudan and European Defence were also passed unanimously at the Congress. The delegation works hard in the run up to meetings of ALDE, throughout the year and especially at the meetings of ALDE Council and ALDE Congress themselves. Our delegations are critical to our international work.

As Chair of the Federal International Relations Committee FIRC, another of my key roles is to maintain relations with our sister parties, through regular calls and meetings whenever representatives of those parties are in the UK. Over the past three years I have visited our sister parties in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal – often participating in their party conferences. ALDE also has a UK Parliamentary delegation on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, currently James MacCleary MP, Manuela Perteghella MP, Baroness Sal Brinton and Lord Mike German. ALDE MEPs are also a member of the Renew Group in the European Parliament. Renew is a coalition between ALDE, Macron’s Party in France and several smaller non-affiliated politicians and political parties. The Lib Dems are not directly a part of Renew – being outside the EU – but its important we have good relations with its members and our former MEPs still maintain contact.

I have mentioned several times the ALDE Congress which is a different body to the ALDE Council – although they do meet alongside one another- and it meets once a year – to which the LibDems will be sending 42 unelected delegates to the its next meeting in Brussels on 24 and 25 October, but the elected council delegates are automatically include. At ALDE Congress there are debates on motions, panel discussions and presentations from sister parties on key issues. The Lib Dems are giving a presentation on our recent campaigns and electoral successes at the next Congress.

In Brussels Congress will be electing a batch of new Vice Presidents to the ALDE Bureau. We meet with the candidates and decide as a delegation who we will vote for. It is a great experience (& fun too!) for those of interested in international politics – ask anyone who has participated in the recent Congresses in Estoril, Brussels and Stockholm.

If you want to find out more please get in touch with me at [email protected]

* David Chalmers is Chair of Federal International Relations Committee and leads the Lib Dems ALDE Delegation

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