Belgium’s Flemish liberals, Open VLD, elected Alexander De Croo (picture) as their new chairman on 15 December 2009 by a party census prevailing over Marino Keulen and Gwendolyn Rutten. De Croo succeeds the interim chairman Guy Verhofstadt.
The 34 year old, son of the former speaker of the Belgian Parliament, Herman De Croo, represents a younger generation of politicians paving the way for change. “With Alexander De Croo, the Open VLD party enters in a new era of renewal”, the Open VLD secretariat commented.
"I congratulate Alexander De Croo with his election and I trust him to lead Open VLD to new electoral victories and a strong presence in the Belgian executives. European Liberals also look forward to welcoming him at the ELDR Party leaders’ meetings", said President Annemie Neyts.
For more information please contact Philippe Cuylaerts, international coordinator Open Vld on philippe.cuylaerts@openvld.be or by phone on +32 (0)2 549 00 20.

“The Lisbon Treaty entered into force one month ago. With the new legal framework in place, it is now time to give a decisive impetus to the construction of Europe”, commented Marc Guerrero i Tarragó, ELDR Vice President and board member of ELDR’s member party CDC(picture).
”The Spanish Presidency will be the first test for the new layer of governance in the European Union. In this key moment, the Union’s top priority must remain to turn the economic crisis into renewed growth. Other challenges remain on the political agenda: The consequences of the vague international agreement on climate change, tackling the Union's energy security, and enabling Europe to speak with one voice at the international level as well as consolidating a safer Union for its citizens.
Special attention will be given to gender equality and the fight against domestic violence. During the next six months important international events such as the EU-US and Latin America summit will take place in Spain as well as special meetings on the Mediterranean Union. For all those topics we have put forward liberal answers”, Guerrero concluded.

From 11 to 19 January European liberal Commissioners-designate: Karel De Gucht, Siim Kallas, Janez Potocnik, Androula Vassiliou, Olli Rehn, Neelie Kroes, Máire Geoghegan Quinn are invited to the hearings by the respective parliamentary committees in the European Parliament in Brussels along with the other candidates. Commissioner-designate Cecilia Malmström will be interviewed during the plenary session in Strasbourg on 19 January.
The liberal group in the European Parliament (ALDE) prepared a comprehensive political strategy for the new European Commission. During the hearings the ALDE will thoroughly scrutinize the support of the candidates for this liberal programme.
The final parliamentary vote on the Commission as a whole is expected to take place on 26 January during an extraordinary parliamentary session in Brussels.

Ever since the foundation of the regional branch of what is today the German liberal party, FDP, in 1864, the German Liberals meet on this day in Stuttgart to welcome the new political year and to address the German public.
Party chairman and German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guido Westerwelle (picture), took the opportunity to review the first months of liberals in the new German Government.
FDP’s new Secretary General, Christian Lindner, announced that there will be further development of the basic policy platform of the party to take into account the realities and challenges of a new decade. Lindner pleaded for a compassionate liberalism; it is the FDP that stands for social justice and must create the work opportunities to help people to fulfill their personal endeavors.