Welcome back to the European Democratic Party’s newsletter, which from today will be a regular monthly feature.
We have called it ‘The Democratic Pulse’: from now on we want to try to tell you how strongly our common democratic heart beats in Brussels, Strasbourg and all over Europe.
This month you will find our activities in October: from Guidel in France to Gaeta in Italy, from Strasbourg for the plenary sessions to New York. And then the elections in Eastern Europe and in USA.
See you again in December! …
CONGRATULATIOS TO TWO OF OUR MEPs!
After returning from Guidel, in French Brittany, for the Democratic Movement’s annual event in late September (here a report), we faced an October full of activities.
In the first few weeks, Delegation chairs were appointed: two of our MEPs, German Engin Eroglu and French Sandro Gozi, were elected chairs of the EU-China delegation and the EU- UK delegation, respectively.
THE FIRST OCTOBER PLENARY
In the first October plenary in Strasbourg we discussed many issues, including the very serious situation in the Middle East. Our MEPs discussed disinformation (listen to the intervention of French MEP Laurence Farreng), voted in favor of further aid to Ukraine in this war against the Russian invader, addressed the issue of Chinese political dissidents (here the intervention of German Engin Eroglu) and mental health (here the intervention of our Irish MEP Ciaran Mullooly). Finally, we denounced the lies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who spoke in plenary as the rotating president of the European Union.
IN ITALY!
From October 11-13, a small delegation from the EDP went to Gaeta, Italy for the fifth edition of the “Deserving Europe” training school, organized by the political party Italia Viva with EDP and aimed at young people under 35. During these three days, the participants addressed many topical issues, including the upcoming U.S. presidential election and the crisis of democracy. Also present was our Secretary General Sandro Gozi, who gave a participatory lecture on the challenges of Europe.
THE PRE-SUMMIT OF RENEW EUROPE
Back home in Brussels, we prepared for the Renew Europe pre-summit that preceded the October 17 European Council. Our secretary Sandro Gozi met with the other political leaders of the Renew Europe family and emphasized how crucial it is for us to reconcile our European values with the security of citizens and the just aspirations of the Green Deal with the revival of European competitiveness, arguing that this is what above all distinguishes our political position from that of the EPP and S&D.
CHALLENGES IN EASTERN EUROPE
In the middle of the month, Moldova went to the polls for a referendum on a future in the EU or in the Russian orbit. We cheered and after a hard-fought referendum, pro-European Moldovans won and chose the EU. It is yesterday’s wonderful news of the victory of pro-European candidate Maia Sandu against her pro-Russian opponent: best wishes, President Sandu!
With this optimism, we returned to Strasbourg for the second plenary in October. Among the issues discussed was the Georgian elections, where a positive outcome for the EU would have also brought that country closer to European life and politics. However, due to much election fraud, meddling, and intimidation by Russia, the vote was won by the “Georgian Dream” coalition, which is avowedly pro-Russian and far from European values and goals. Outraged by Viktor Orban’s visit to the newly elected Georgian prime minister, with the aim of legitimizing that sham election, we strongly denounced the electoral fraud and Orban’s desire to bring a regime that has a very different idea of democracy from the European treaties closer to Europe.
MORE EUROPE IS NEEDED WITH TRUMP
With our general secretary Sandro Gozi, we flew to the States, where we met with many political figures from the American Democratic world, including John LoCicero and Gale Brewer. We spoke with activists and volunteers who would be leaving for the last door-to-door before the November 5 elections.
Unfortunately, the elections did not go the way we wanted and this is a reason for us to say, even more strongly, that we need a stronger, more sovereign, more autonomous Europe.
WITH OUR HEART IN SPAIN
Finally, terrible news has come in this past week from Spain, where in the Valencia region a very violent weather phenomenon has claimed hundreds of lives with upwards of a thousand missing or injured. As European Democrats we stand by the Spanish families affected and thank the emergency teams.
We conclude this first EDP newsletter by thanking you for your support and interest in what we do. If you read this newsletter, it means that you are so special to us. So we decided to give you an exclusive pulse-news: on December 6 we will hold our 20th Congress in Brussels. You are invited to the Conference immediately afterwards: there will be many guests, experts and journalists with whom we will discuss, in no uncertain terms, what we hold most dear: Democracy. In Europe and in the world.
Thank you all for your support and see you soon!
Related news
“The appointment of François Bayrou as Prime Minister is a wise and forward-thinking decision by President Emmanuel Macron”
“The appointment of François Bayrou as Prime Minister is a wise and forward-thinking decision by President Emmanuel Macron,” stated Sandro Gozi, MEP, Secretary-General of the European Democratic Party. “Throughout his extensive political career, François Bayrou has proven to be a man of dialogue, balance, and vision—qualities that are essential to navigating the complex challenges France faces today.”
EDP at the Freie Wähler Congress in Geiselwind
On November 16, 2024, the European Democratic Party (EDP) had the honor of attending the Party Congress of the Freie Wähler (FW) in the charming town of Geiselwind, Bavaria.
20th EDP Congress and Conference in Brussels
“The center is the answer” : the conference of the European Democratic Party
At the Brussels Autoworld Museum, where the history of the European automotive industry is celebrated, the Congress of the European Democratic Party, one of the two European parties that make up the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, will be held.
Related theme
