Many of us are sad that we are not participating in the elections to the European Parliament for the first time since 1979.

However, one longstanding liberal Europhile is heading up ALDE party United States of Europe’s list in North East Italy.

Our Graham Watson, formerly Lib Dem MEP for the South West between 1994 and 2014 is seeking election to the European Parliament. He has joint Italian and British nationality and his wife is Italian.

From ALDE:

On 20 April, ALDE Party members Più Europa, libdem europei and Radicali Italiani in Italy presented their joint list “Stati Uniti d’Europa” (United States of Europe) for the European elections.

At an event in Rome with other parties on the list, partners unveiled the list’s official logo and selection of lead candidates for each of the five Italian constituencies.

Più Europa leader Emma Bonino will lead the list in the North West constituency, while former ALDE Party President and ALDE group leader Graham Watson will be the lead candidate in the North East.

Other lead candidates include Giandomenico Caiazza (Central Italy), Enzo Maraio (Southern Italy) and Rita Bernardini (Islands).

“Today, the United States of Europe are a necessity for all Europeans. To guarantee Italian and European citizens a fresh perspective on freedom and democracy, we need a European Union that has a united voice on foreign and defence policy and can compete on research and industry,” said Bonino.

Watson added: “Our most recent progress comes from European construction. I campaign to defend this progress, to defend the democracy that has enabled it and to extend the freedoms of our fellow citizens.

If you have a Twitter account, you can watch Graham’s speech here

https://x.com/libdemeuropei/status/1781693948777353676

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