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Welcome to the Brussels and Europe Liberal Democrats' web site!

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.

The Brussels and Europe local party is the local party for all members of the UK Liberal Democrats who live outside the UK but within Europe. It organises regular social events in Brussels and sends a delegation to the party's Federal Conference each year.

Recent updates

  • Nick Clegg hosts meeting of European liberal leaders in London
    Article: Jan 9, 2012

    Leading Government Ministers, Party Leaders and European Commissioners from Liberal Democratic parties across the EU are meeting in London today at the invitation of Sir Graham Watson MEP, president of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR) and UK Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP. The main topics addressed are European economic growth; the eurozone and treaty change; and the Multi-Annual Financial Framework.

  • International liberal drinks
    Event: February 7, 2012 7:00 PM
    Kitty O'Shea's Irish Pub on 42, Boulevard Charlemagne, 1040 Brussels

    You are kindly invited to the informal European liberal networking drink on Tuesday 7 February from 19.00 in the Kitty O'Shea's Irish Pub on 42, Boulevard Charlemagne / Karel de Grotelaan, 1040 Brussels (next to the Berlaymont building of the European Commission and close to metro station Schuman). The drink will take place in the separate room of the Kitty O'Shea's. All European Liberals based in Brussels are welcome to join!

  • 'The Tory Party has mutated. It is for us to say Europe is our hope for the future' - Antony Hook
    Article: Dec 29, 2011
    By Antony Hook in Lib Dem Voice

    David Cameron's renunciation of a Treaty not even yet fully negotiated was the culmination of a process that began around 1992.

    In 1992 a small group of Tory ultras, "the Maastricht Rebels", began fighting their party's traditional pro-Europeanism. It has taken 19 years to make their fringe views a normal Conservative Party and conservative press position. 1992 has led to 2011 like a river flows to the sea.

    Anti-Europeanism's hold on a major political movement has caused a poorly informed anti-Europeanism to take hold among many of our fellow citizens in the UK, as it has among some of our fellow citizens in other European states.

    Nationalism germinates during economic distress. The early 1980s are an example in my own lifetime: would Labour have had its anti-European phase, or the response to the Falklands have been the same, if the economic life of the country was not so hard at the time?

    By pro-European, I mean:

    a) In favour of Britain's membership of the EU, and

    b) Generally positive and ambitious for the good that could be done by action at a European level.

    Consider House of Commons debates on the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The 1987 Act implements a European Directive. One Tory MP attacked this. The response of all his fellow Conservatives was almost vitriolic. They saw the benefits of the Act and in the basic policy it implemented being universal across Europe - benefits for the consumer and for business who would not have to deal with totally different requirements in every state.

    Now, a Tory MP speaking out for the benefits of shared solutions to common problems in Europe is rare and would be heckled by his own side. The euro-scepticism of Tory activists, who accept what they read in the Daily Mail, means pro-Europeans who were Tory Ministers and MPs in 1987 are unlikely to be selected even as candidates now.

    Liberal Democrats and Labour must take some blame for changes in public sentiment. When the Conservatives talked about "Saving the Pound" it was expedient for us to concentrate on schools and hospitals, which delivered record numbers of Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs in 1997, 2001 and 2005. While Britain reaped the benefits of putting Tories out of power, it now suffers the effect of anti-Europeanism going unchallenged for too long.

    Now is the time to start winning the argument. As we face the challenges of the 21st century we need the states of Europe to bind themselves closely together to ensure the survival and success of European values: like the values set out in the Oxford Manifesto of 1947.

    Europe is not just a place or a political entity. Europe is a set of values.

    The threats to these values are economic, social, environmental and military. They come from more than one point of the compass. Our best chance in answering each challenge lies in co-operation rather than isolation.

    European co-operation remains the brave new frontier. The place where exciting things can happen. Where our fate does not rest solely on decisions of the G2 (America and China). Together we have the largest economy in the world and unrivalled combined diplomatic potential. We have huge combined military spending that should be able to see off any threat to our peace and security. By working together we can do more to conquer cancer, HIV and use science for the common good. We can reform our legal systems to protect the cross-border lives and businesses we enjoy today. We share a cultural heritage of Shakespeare and Mozart.

    30% to 40% of British citizens still define themselves as pro-Europeans. We should aim to win every one of their votes. We are told that only 19% yet disapprove of the Prime Minister's recent action. If all 19% vote Liberal Democrat in 2014 we will gain several more MEPs.

    I am British and European. I am really proud of it. If you feel the same then let's start telling everyone. To borrow the closing sentence of Barak Obama's book The Audacity of Hope, "my heart is full of love for this country".

    Antony Hook is Vice-Chair of the Liberal Democrat European Group and was a running mate of Sharon Bowles and Catherine Bearder in 2009. This article first appeared in Liberal Democrat Voice 20/12/2011.

  • Nick Clegg: I wish you all a very happy New Year
    Article: Dec 28, 2011

    We have had to make some very difficult decisions, but they've been the right ones for the long term good of our country.

    But that economic rescue mission is not over yet. That's why, thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the Coalition has been helping people get through these difficult times with measures to make life fairer and easier.

    2011 was the year we lifted nearly a million low paid workers out of paying income tax altogether and cut taxes for 23m people - because I believe putting money back into peoples pockets makes all the difference.

    It was the year more than a million children got a fairer start in life, with extra support at school through our Pupil Premium and free early years education for toddlers - because I believe that helping the youngest take their first steps in life makes all the difference.

    It was the year we guaranteed pensioners a decent increase in their pension - because I believe dignity in retirement makes all the difference.

    Throughout, we have taken big long-term decisions that will change the way our economy works for the better - rebalancing it away from the City of London towards stronger, more sustainable growth.

    And next year we will do more. The world's first Green Investment Bank putting millions into green jobs and growth; our youth contract to get every young person out of work earning or learning; more apprenticeships than this country has ever had before; and we will take further steps to make our tax system fairer too.

    What we're doing as a party, and as a Coalition, it's not easy, but it's right. We are putting the interests of the country first, and we have taken the first steps towards building a fairer, greener and more liberal country.

    The next year will be one that poses many great challenges for everyone in Britain, but I know we must continue to do what's right for our country.

    And with that, I wish you all a very happy New Year.

    Nick Clegg MP
    Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister

  • cable
    Cable: Put aside the City's whingeing
    Article: Dec 27, 2011

    • [Dec 20] Vince Cable writes: THE recent row over David Cameron's eurozone veto has exposed two radically different views of financial services and the City of London. One is that it is a vital national interest . . The other is that it is a source of systemic instability, unfettered greed and industrial-scale tax dodging . . The uncomfortable truth is that both of these caricatures are true . .

  • logo
    Nick Clegg's speech to Demos and the Open Society Foundation
    Article: Dec 23, 2011

    • [Dec 19] Nick Clegg: FIRST, let me thank Demos and the Open Society Foundation for inviting to me to speak. I can think of no better moment to talk about the open society, and the urgent need to rally to its defence. The values of the open society - social mobility; political pluralism; civil liberties; democracy; internationalism - are the source of my liberalism. And reflecting on the events of the last year, it is clear to me that they have rarely been more important than they are today.

  • "Cameron's demands were a wolf in sheep´s clothing which fooled no one and jeopardised UK interests" - Sharon Bowles MEP
    Article: Dec 13, 2011
    Sharon Bowles, Liberal Democrat Euro MP, who chairs the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, today deplored the use of the veto by David Cameron during last Thursday´s late night negotiations.
    Speaking during a plenary debate this morning in the European Parliament Sharon Bowles said:
  • ‪BBC News - Vince Cable: Britain's future lies with Europe‬
    Article: Dec 13, 2011
  • Nick Clegg: Support for Europe has always been our cornerstone
    Article: Dec 12, 2011

    As I have made clear since Friday, I am bitterly disappointed by the outcome of last weeks summit, which ended with the UK in a minority of one. There is now a real danger that over time the UK will be isolated and marginalised within the EU and as a consequence, our influence in the world will shrink. That is not good for jobs and growth; and will do nothing for struggling families across the country.

    There is no doubt that we were in a difficult position because of the refusal to compromise from some member states and the eurosceptics in the Conservative Party. It was clear that some combination of guarantees on the operation of the single market, including in financial services, was necessary if we were going to ensure the safe passage of the package through Parliament. I regret the negotiations failed to arrive at a compromise, as I had hoped.

    It is important that we now look to the future. That's why I, as a Liberal Democrat in this Coalition Government will do everything I can to make sure that this setback does not become a permanent divide. I am determined that we redouble our leadership on things like the single market, the environment, foreign policy, and defence - all the things that we need to do at a European level.

    All my political life I have believed that Britain is stronger, better, greater when we lead and when we stand tall in Europe. Now, more than ever, we need a strong Liberal Democrat voice inside government making this case.

  • The European Movement, November EU Round Up
    Article: Dec 11, 2011
    1. Greece's two mainstream political parties agreed on a pact for a unity government after intense pressure from the EU, which warned the country would be left to go bankrupt if a cross-part consensus was not achieved.
    2. Germany has rejected demands by France, Britain and the US to allow national gold reserves to be put as collateral for the eurozone bailout fund.
    3. A two-day meeting in the south of France of the world's most powerful leaders drew to a close with few concrete agreements, leaving EU leaders no wiser on how to control their single currency crisis.
    4. Italy agreed to be put under surveillance by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a plan to restore market trust in the eurozone's third-largest economy.
    5. Greek PM George Papandreou stepped down, and was replaced by a former vice-president of the ECB. A referendum on the new bail-out deal for Greece has been shelved.
    6. A former EU commissioner Mario Monti (a senator for life) was installed as prime minister of Italy after right-wing leader Silvio Berlusconi under pressure by the markets and Italy's EU partners worried that the ongoing political crisis in the country could sink the eurozone.
    7. The EU's joint policy body, Europol, is angling to host a new European cyber centre, with the European Commission due next year to decide where to put its key defence against cyber crime.
    8. The freshly re-negotiated agreement on the transfer of personal data of air passengers flying from Europe to the US still raises privacy concerns, MEPs familiar with the text have said. But a veto by the Parliament is unlikely, however.
    9. France reacted with anger after a major ratings agency accidently suggested it had downgraded its credit rating status, but a prominent French economist believes the country is fighting the inevitable.
    10. Two years after the European Charter of Fundamental Rights became part of the EU treaty, its confusing application has created problems for press freedom, minority and asylum seekers' rights, human rights czar Thomas Hammarberg has said.
    11. With France's borrowing costs on the up and with its prized triple-A rating under threat, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy publicly advocated a fast-lane Europe for 'core' euro-countries.
    12. Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states agreed to just over a two-percent rise in the Union's budget for 2012.
    13. Turkey's former ambassador to the EU described it as a spent force in world affairs, amid general acceptance EU-Turkey accession talks are going nowhere.
    14. Members of the European Parliament in the key committee dealing with parliamentary rules approved a new ethics code obliging them to more transparency and disclosure after a cash-for-amendments scandal uncovered earlier this year.
    15.Incoming Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti named a government entirely composed of unelected figures. All ministerial posts will be held by technocrats, bankers and diplomats.
    16. EU and US leaders met for a bilateral meeting with little of substance agreed and against a backdrop of exasperation in Washington over the handling of the eurozone crisis.
    17. One of the main weapons in the record industry's arsenal against illegal file-sharing has been struck down by the EU's top court as a breach of fundamental rights.
    18. The EU has said it will sign up to extending the international treaty on climate change but has little hope the world's major polluters will follow suit. It also called on developing countries to commit to legally binding targets.
    19. The jailing of human rights campaigner Ales Bilalitski in Belarus has prompted EU diplomats to get more creative in how they handle President Lukashenko.

    20. EU deputies in the justice committee have approved a proposal to grant those deprived of liberty the right to be informed of their legal rights in the form of a written letter.
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