The 38th ALDE Party Congress will take place from 1 to 3 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Preliminary information about the programme, political deadlines, venues and logistics will soon be available on the ALDE Party website, here.
The UK Liberal Democrats are currently one of the largest voting blocs in the ALDE Party, with strong representation on the Bureau, in the Council and at the Congress. The Congress is the largest event of the year for ALDE and it is a policy-making event, with policy motions submitted by member parties for debate and voted on during the Congress.
The ALDE Party Congress is the biggest annual event gathering Liberals across Europe with over 650 members of Liberal parties from around the continent, including Prime Ministers, European Commissioners, Ministers, Members of the European and national Parliaments, Members of the Committee of the Regions, and many other delegates.
This is an event with European visibility, and includes topical debates, high level speeches and policy discussions.
So, what is expected of our delegates?
You should be prepared for active participation at the entire Congress, from 1-3 December 2017, including attendance at policy debates, voting in internal ALDE Party elections and on policy motions and participation in the whole programme. Please note that it is not possible to attend part of the Congress as a delegate, as voting rights cannot be reassigned during the event.
Delegates are also expected to attend a minimum of two delegation meetings (in person or via phone) before and during the event, chaired by the Delegation Leader, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, and to prepare for policy debates and events ahead of the Congress, including reading all policy motions and briefings provided.
Unfortunately, there is no financial support available, and delegates will be expected to arrange transport and accommodation at their own expense.
For more information, including an application form, please contact Harriet Shone ([email protected]), the Party’s International Officer.
But hurry, applications close on 1 September!
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7 Comments
Would love to go. However work and family commitments prevent otherwise.
Id love to – but I cant. If there is no financial support available that is truly pathetic. Especially given the (amusingly precise and specific) obligations laid out. Now you will only get a small amount of people, entirely unrepresentative. Slow handclap.
The comment and response about lack of support reveals politics is a hobbiests dream, or a professional area of concern, but it is otherwise or anyway a middle class , elitist pursuit if those who cannot afford to cannot participate.
Equally foolish is the dates, Italy in Winter, maybe, though it is awful being on planes then, but the Netherlands ?!
Matt Severn and Lorenzo Cherin both appear to believe that the party has some enormous pile of surplus cash from which it can spend money to send people to international meetings, but has unreasonably chosen to withhold this.
It hasn’t and isn’t
Regrettably, and unlike some overseas liberal parties, we are not a state-funded party and lack any spare resources for these kinds of events, which inevitably means those attending ALDE (and Liberal International) have to pay their own way.
Perhaps those who think the party should pay the costs involved would care to say from where they think the money for this should come.
As for Lorenzo’s comment about Amsterdam in December, I think the original post made it clear these events are not a holiday.
A weekend travel and accommodation package to Amsterdam in December will probably run to around £300 on Eurostar or a budget airline. Comparable with attending weekend conferences in the UK. Book early to get ahead of the stag do’s and hen parties.
Following up from Mark’s comment above, it needs to be borne in mind that the Party spends surprisingly little on its international links – and that there is little left over to fund any other activity. And yes, it would be nice to be more inclusive, but there are not the funds to do anything about it in terms of finance.
Amsterdam in early December, Lorenzo… Well, given that we had snow in Warsaw last year, and we were in Budapest the year before, we may have gone for a milder option this time!
But seriously, it does depend on who bids, and we’ve been to every corner of Europe in the eight years that I’ve been active again, from Yerevan to Lisbon, and from Dublin to Palermo…
I get the point , I know it’s cheaper then ,but though not a holiday, it is worse , individuals are paying for it and it isn’t one !
Alde, in the same way this party does , should have donations and fundraising, we are Liberals , social Liberals , remember ?!