March 20th, 2024, marked a significant event on the European political landscape. The Renew Europe Now campaign kick-off event, heralding a new electoral platform, brought together the -European Democrats and the other centrist forces. Held at the Musées royaux d’Art et d’Histoire in Brussels, Belgium, this event was more than just a meeting of minds; it was a clarion call to liberal, centrist, and democratic forces across Europe. Over 800 people were in attendance, underscoring the widespread interest in and support for the Renew Europe Now campaign.
The opening speeches were delivered by the respective ALDE presidents Timmy Dooley and Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Renew Europe president and Team Europe member Valérie Hayer and Basque candidate Oihane Agirregoitia. All their speeches called for the unity of Europe’s democratic and centrist forces to face the upcoming European elections. In particular, Oihane Agirregoitia stressed the importance of the regions and the vision that local realities have of Europe, stating that it is necessary for everyone to be involved in every corner of the European Union.
Next, the video of the key priorities came on, and everyone watched with interest. Renew Europe has a clear vision of what they want to do and protect in the next term: Defence, European values and Rights. These are also the main goals for us who believe in Europe, as Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed in his video message.
One of the highlight moments was the introduction of Team Europe. This talented and diverse team expresses the ambition of Renew Europe Now to engage with the citizens of Europe and to participate actively in shaping the European discourse. Sandro Gozi, from the European Democratic Party, Valérie Hayer, from Renaissance and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, from ALDE Party were nominated to be lead candidates.
To close, Secretary General of EDP Sandro Gozi MEP took the floor and in his speech, he focused on the need to give more power to our citizens and reform the framework under which the Union operates. “The challenge of European democracy is efficacy and that’s why we need treaty change. We must get rid of the vetoes that paralyse the Union so that we can make decisions faster. We must strengthen the European Parliament to move forward in a more democratic way. We must give the voters the power to elect the President of the EU to decide who does what. And citizens must vote directly for European political parties to strengthen the legitimacy and accountability of European politics.
The Renew Europe Now campaign kick-off event was a watershed moment for European liberalism, centrism, and democracy. It signified a collective effort to address the challenges facing Europe with a unified voice and a shared vision. The campaign, though just beginning, has set the tone for what promises to be an engaging and transformative political discourse leading up to and beyond the June elections.
Related member(s)
Sandro
Gozi
Secretary General
France
Marie-Pierre
Vedrenne
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France
MoDem
Christophe
Grudler
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France
MoDem
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