Whilst the observant amongst our readers will be slightly puzzled by the headline, the postponed 2020 ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe) Party eCongress opens this afternoon in offices and homes across Europe with the first of two working groups to consider eleven of the twenty-two resolutions submitted for debate, as follows;

• Responsible and smart spending for sustainable growth and jobs
• Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Borders – The Core of the European Idea
• Spending reviews as a path towards prioritizing durability
• Religions and LGBTI Rights: A Liberal Perspective
• Towards a more inclusive society: the role of Liberal Mayors in the eradication of LGBTIQ+ phobia
• Strengthening the AI regulation proposal “A European Approach to Artificial Intelligence” by the European Commission to prevent surveillance and discrimination
• Levelling the Playing Field: Women’s Rights in Modern Liberal Europe
• Expanding the EU Magnitsky Act
• Restoring fundamental rights and freedoms in light of the pandemic
• Co-relation Between Enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans and Strengthening Europe’s Geopolitical Position
• Creation of a Common European Army

Unlike a Liberal Democrat Conference, where Federal Conference Committee determines which submitted amendments get called for debate, ALDE Party Congresses allow debate on all amendments. That means a three hour or so scramble to get through them all in working groups, before Congress considers the working group recommendations in a whirlwind hour long session on the final day – yes, that does mean voting on twenty-two resolutions in sixty minutes.

* Mark Valladares is a member of the Party’s Federal International Relations Committee and a delegate to this year’s ALDE Party eCongress.