At the Bibliothèque Solvay, the dignified stronghold of knowledge on the hill of the royal Leopold Park in the European capital of Brussels, the New Year's reception of the European Dialogue Program of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom took place on January 31, 2023, with approximately 200 guests. The range of topics at the gathering of European liberals was broad from questions about the expansion and deepening of European integration to a discussion of the role and responsibility of the EU in the world.

The event started with a panel discussion led by board member Anne Brasseur on the further development of the European Union's enlargement policy. The enlargement process has stagnated in the past ten years, according to the unanimous opinion of the panel, which consisted of the interim director of the European Liberal Forum, Dr. Antonios Nestoras, the head of the southeast European liberal network LIBSEEN, Roman Jakič, and Ukrainian activist Dr. Marta Barandiy, founder of the NGO Promote Ukraine. Although the EU's enlargement policy could be seen as a failure in the last decade, the previous enlargement rounds are considered the EU's biggest foreign policy success, according to Dr. Antonios Nestoras.

At the New Year's reception following the panel, Nicola Beer, Vice President of the European Parliament and leader of the German delegation in the liberal Renew-Europe faction, highlighted the importance of Europe's role in the world. Understanding oneself as a geopolitical union is the top priority of the hour. The Chairman of the Board of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Paqué, struck a similar chord. Putin's invasion of Ukraine should serve as a wake-up call for the liberal world, according to Paqué. Freedom, the rule of law, and open societies are valuable goods that must be fought for.

Shaping an open social market economy, fighting disinformation, redefining Europe's role in the world, and designing a future model of Europe by 2050 are the thematic priorities of the European Dialogue program of the Foundation, as highlighted by its new regional director Jules Maaten. The Foundation is excited to start the new year 2023 with its partners and friends to strengthen the networks of liberal actors throughout Europe via projects and dialogue formats and to become the innovation platform for a liberal Europe.

Jeanette Süß, European Affairs Manager

Notes for Editors

Media Contact

Veronica Burgstaller, Communications Manager, veronica.burgstaller@freiheit.org

About Friedrich Naumann Foundation European Dialogue

The European Dialogue of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has offices in Brussels, Madrid, and Prague. Through our work, we seek to actively encourage the political debate and develop innovative liberal policies in Europe. We seek to make innovation at the heart of liberal politics. This requires a combination of both hard and soft innovations, including social justice, rule of law, freedom of speech, strong democratic institutions and shared visions and goals.  Our activities aim at promoting these basic values through intercultural exchange and dialogue that is based on tolerance and mutual understanding.

++The Innovation Platform for a Liberal Europe++