European Liberal Democrats from all over Europe gathered for the bi-annual ELDR Leaders and Ministers meeting, on Thursday 11th December 2008, which saw the participants reach a common position on the EU's ambitious climate change and energy 'package' of legislation on the eve of a two-day EU summit. ELDR Leaders also discussed about the Lisbon Treaty, upcoming EP elections and a liberal response to the financial crisis .

The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) held its 31st Extraordinary General Assembly in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, on the 5th and the 6th of December 2008, four years after the Orange Revolution and in the context of a deep political turmoil in Ukraine, with all political parties already preparing for new parliamentary elections.

The GA notably debated about Ukraine's political future between Europe and Russia and on the liberal dilemma of the choice between self-determination and state sovereignty. Keynote speakers at the GA included Matyas Eorsi, president of the liberal group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Kristiina Ojuland, ELDR Vice President and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, who led an ELDR fact-finding mission in conjunction with the GA.

Last week the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) together with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) organised a two-day Winter Academy in the European Parliament. About 90 young liberals and democrats from 27 European countries met to discuss issues related to migration, integration and the situation of refugees. The Winter Academy was co-organised with the Young Democrats for Europe (YDE).

Dr. Marlou Schrover of Leiden University provided an overview of the history of migration, while Prof. Gerald Willmann from the University of Leuven and Prof. Dr. Marc de Vos from the Itinera Institute gave an insight into the economics of migration.

The meeting created a significant contact opportunity for young liberals & democrats with Members of the European Parliament, as they had a meeting with the ALDE group where they discussed with Graham Watson MEP, group leader, and many other distinguished MEPs.

The Youth Organization of the Alliance Moldova Noastra Party (OT AMN), full member of LYMEC, held its National Conference in Chisinau, on 30th of November 2008. The event, which gathered about 400 delegates, came to consolidate and fortify the Youth of the party before the parliamentary election of 2009,in the presence of Mr. Serafim Urechean, leader of AMN.

The national conference adopted a resolution criticising the inefficiency of the so called "Youth Year" declared by the Communists Party of Moldova and putting forward an abitious vision for the future of Youth Policies in the country. Following the event, a 5 minutes flashmob protest in front of the Government was organised.

European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) held its Executive Committee as well as an Extraordinary Congress in Brussels from November 21st to November 23rd. Over 100 delegates from all over Europe discussed and adopted a comprehensive Action Plan aimed at highlighting the political priorities and key issues that will drive LYMEC’s political action in the upcoming year. Its main aim is to contribute to the creation of a political Europe and winning seats in the European Parliament elections in June 2009.

Preceding its 2008 EC and extraordinary congress in Brussels, LYMEC together with its member organisation Jeunes MR organised a seminar in Liege entitled “Mobility in the Europe of Regions: A key to integration” from November 18th – 21st. The event was co-organised and sponsored by the ALDE Group in the Committee of the Regions.

What are the added values and future role of the Committee of the Regions in Europe? What is the liberal vision for the Europe of regions and for the Committee of the Regions? What are the obstacles to interregional mobility in Europe? Is local politics only practical politics? Those were among the questions discussed by about 40 young liberals from across Europe present at the seminar.

European Liberal Youth - LYMEC warmly welcomes Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election. His election heralds a new era after eight years of Bush's narrow-minded and failed policies both internally and towards the rest of the world, and is the symbol of a new political generation.

Aloys Rigaut, President of LYMEC, commented: "For our generation this election means hope. Bush policies have trailed the rest of the world into crisis: Iraq war, global terrorism, financial crisis, continuing climate change, stalemate in WTO talks... With Barack Obama's election, we hope that the US will find a new path and stand firm together with the EU on the world stage to find solutions to these urgent and worrying global challenges".

The party of European liberal democrats (ELDR) met last weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. During the two-day congress the delegates unanimously agreed on its Electoral Manifesto for the upcoming EP elections, structured around four main topics: 1) civil liberties, 2) EU single market, growth and employment, 3) environment and energy policy and 4) enlargement, foreign, security and defence policy.

LYMEC was represented by a 10-member strong delegation, which among other things, managed to insert in the ELDR Electoral Manifesto its demand to reduce the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013 and replace it instead with new common food, rural and sustainable land use strategies. The LYMEC Delegation also succeeded in making approved by the ELDR Congress a more detailed resolution on CAP & food prices as well as a resolution on student mobility in Europe. LYMEC delegates furthermore took an active part in political discussions, taking stand notably on the current financial crisis, sustainable energy, EU-Russia relations and environmental challenges.