Joar for ALDE VP

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is a war against all of us and against the liberal world order as such. A Ukrainian victory and a Russian defeat is key to stopping not only Russian expansionism but to the global threat from authoritarian regimes. As nationalism, populism and extremism is on the rise worldwide, the need for a strong liberal movement in Europe is greater than ever. Because freedom must never be compromised.

It’s time for ALDE to step up as a strong, united and relevant force in the Renew group. This is how we can continue to support Ukraine on its way to joining the EU and NATO. United, we can rally support for Taiwan and make Europe de-risk from China. We can make sure that the EU stands firm on fundamental rights and rule of law. As a true liberal force, we can stand up for free trade and an open economy – against subsidies and protectionism. And we can defend a strong EU plan for fossil-free energy to stop climate change.

We need to grow! Our goal should be to expand our ‘big tent’ and make ALDE attractive to all liberal forces across Europe sharing our core values. To make sure our fundamental liberal values are always upheld, we need a new, transparent mechanism for monitoring and scrutiny, applied equally to all member parties.

We need to work together to win elections at home. My vision is modernised and more professional ALDE, where national politicians from across Europe meet, share best practice and develop policies that we put into practice back home. And where we bring back the best campaign strategies from successful member parties and turn them into action.