| Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group | |
|---|---|
| European Parliament group | |
 | |
| Name | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group |
| English abbr. | ALDE Group |
| French abbr. | ADLE Groupe |
| Formal name | Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Ideology | Liberalism[1] Social liberalism[2] Conservative liberalism[2] |
| Political position | Centre |
| European parties | ALDE Party EDP |
| Associated organisations | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Liberal International |
| From | 20 July 2004[3] |
| To | June 2019 |
| Preceded by | European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group |
| Succeeded by | Renew Europe |
| Website | aldeparty |
TheGroup of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Group) was theliberal–centrist[4][5]political group of the European Parliament from 2004 until 2019 when it merged intoRenew Europe.
ALDE was made up ofMEPs from twoEuropean political parties, theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and theEuropean Democratic Party, which collectively form theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
The ALDE Group traced its unofficial origin back to September 1952 and the first meeting of the Parliament's predecessor, the Common Assembly of theEuropean Coal and Steel Community. Founded as an explicitly liberal group, it expanded its remit to cover the different traditions of each new Member State as they acceded to theUnion, progressively changing its name in the process. Its immediate predecessor was theEuropean Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group (ELDR).
The ALDE Group was the fourth-largest group in theEighth European Parliament term, and previously participated in an informal coalition with theEPP during theSixth Parliament (2004–2009). Thepro-European platform of ALDE was in support offree market economics and pushed forEuropean integration and theEuropean single market.[6]
On 12 June 2019, it was announced that the successor group in alliance withLa République En Marche! would be namedRenew Europe.[7][8]
The ALDE Group traced its unofficial ancestry back to the Liberal members present at the first meeting of the Common Assembly of theEuropean Coal and Steel Community (the Parliament's predecessor) on 10 September 1952,[9] but the Group was officially founded as theGroup of Liberals and Allies[3] on 23 June 1953.[3]
As the Assembly grew into the Parliament, the FrenchGaullists split from the Group on 21 January 1965[10] and the Group started the process of changing its name to match the liberal/centrist traditions of the new member states, firstly to the Liberal and Democratic Group[3][11] in 1976,[3] then to the Liberal and Democratic Reformist Group[12] on 13 December 1985,[3] then to theGroup of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party[3][11][13] on 19 July 1994[3] to match theEuropean political party of the same name.
In 1999, the Group partnered withEuropean People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED) group to form an informal coalition for the Fifth Parliament. This included supporting the EPP's candidate for President of the Parliament in 1999 and the ALDE candidate in 2002. This meant that the Group secured its firstPresident of the European Parliament since Simone Veil, whenPat Cox was elected to the post to serve the latter half of the Parliament's five-year term. This arrangement was discontinued after the 2009 election, when the EPP and the socialistS&D Group formed an informalGrand Coalition.
On 13 July 2004, the Group approved a recommendation to unite withMEPs from the centristpolitical party at the European level called theEuropean Democratic Party (EDP) founded byFrançois Bayrou'sUnion for French Democracy, theLabour Party of Lithuania andDemocracy is Freedom – The Daisy of Italy.
The Group accordingly became the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe[3] (ALDE) on 20 July 2004,[3] to match theeponymous transnational political alliance, although the two European-level parties remained separate outside the European Parliament. The MEPGraham Watson of the BritishLiberal Democrats became the first chair of ALDE.
In May 2019, speaking at a debate leading up to the2019 European Parliament election, ALDE President Guy Verhofstadt announced that following the election, the group would form a new, centrist alliance with Emmanuel Macron's "Renaissance" list and be renamed asRenew Europe.[14]
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The national parties that are members of ALDE are as follows:
| Country | National party | National party in national language | European party | MEPs 2004–2009 | MEPs 2009–2014 | MEPs 2014–2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum | Neos – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum | ALDE | 1 / 18 | – | 1 / 18 |
 Belgium | Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats | Dutch:Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten | ALDE | 3 / 24 3 / 14 | 3 / 22 3 / 13 | 3 / 21 3 / 12 |
| Reformist Movement | French:Mouvement Réformateur | ALDE | 2 / 24 2 / 9 | 2 / 22 2 / 8 | 2 / 21 2 / 8 | |
| EDP[a] | 1 / 24 1 / 9 | – | 1 / 21 1 / 8 | |||
 Bulgaria | National Movement for Stability and Progress | Национално движение за стабилност и възход (Nacionalno Dviženie za Stabilnost i Văzhod) | ALDE | 2 / 18 | 2 / 18 | – |
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms | Движение за права и свободи (Dvizhenie za Prava i Svobodi) | ALDE | 3 / 18 | 3 / 18 | 4 / 17 | |
 Croatia | Civic Liberal Alliance | Građansko-liberalni savez | ALDE | – | – | 1 / 11 |
| Istrian Democratic Assembly | Istarski demokratski sabor - Dieta democratica istriana | ALDE | – | – | 1 / 11 | |
 Cyprus | Democratic Party | Greek:Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (Dimokratikó Kómma) Turkish:Demokrat Parti | ALDE[b] | 1 / 6 | – | – |
 Czech Republic | ANO 2011 | ANO 2011 | ALDE | – | – | 2 / 21 |
| Petr Ježek andPavel Telička (Independent)[c] | – | – | – | – | 2 / 21 | |
 Denmark | Venstre - Denmark's Liberal Party | Venstre - Danmarks Liberale Parti | ALDE | 3 / 14 | 3 / 13 | 1 / 13 [d] |
| Danish Social Liberal Party | Det Radikale Venstre | ALDE | 1 / 14 | – | 2 / 13 | |
 Estonia | Estonian Centre Party | Eesti Keskerakond | ALDE | 1 / 6 | 2 / 6 | 1 / 6 |
| Estonian Reform Party | Eesti Reformierakond | ALDE | 1 / 6 | 1 / 6 | 2 / 6 | |
 Finland | Centre Party | Finnish:Suomen Keskusta Swedish:Centern i Finland | ALDE | 4 / 14 | 3 / 13 | 3 / 13 |
| Swedish People's Party | Finnish:Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue Swedish:Svenska Folkpartiet i Finland | ALDE | 1 / 14 | 1 / 13 | 1 / 13 | |
 France | Democratic Movement | Mouvement Démocrate | EDP | 7 / 78 | 5 / 74 | 2 / 74 [e] |
| Cap21 | Citoyenneté Action Participation Pour le XXIe Siècle | None | – | 1 / 74 | – | |
| Civic Alliance for Democracy in Europe | Alliance Citoyenne pour la Démocratie en Europe | ALDE | 3 / 78 | – | – | |
| Génération citoyens | – | none | – | – | 1 / 74 | |
| Radical Movement | Mouvement radical | ALDE | – | – | 2 / 74 | |
| Union of Democrats and Independents | Union des démocrates et indépendants | EDP(2014–2016) ALDE(2016–2019) | – | – | 1 / 74 | |
 Germany | Free Democratic Party | Freie Demokratische Partei | ALDE | 7 / 99 | 12 / 99 | 3 / 96 |
| Free Voters | Freie Wähler | EDP | – | – | 1 / 96 | |
 Greece | Drassi | Δράση Drassi | none | – | 1 / 22 | – |
 Hungary | Alliance of Free Democrats | Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége - A Magyar Liberális Párt | ALDE | 2 / 24 | – | – |
| Hungarian Liberal Party | Magyar Liberális Párt - Liberálisok | – | – | – | ||
| Momentum Movement | Momentum Mozgalom | – | – | – | ||
 Ireland | Fianna Fáil | – | ALDE | [f] | 3 / 12 | -[g] |
| Marian Harkin (Independent) | – | EDP | 1 / 13 | 1 / 12 | 1 / 11 | |
 Italy | Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (note: merged intoPD in 2007) | Democrazia è Libertà - La Margherita | EDP | 9 / 78 | – | – |
| Italy of Values | Italia dei Valori | ALDE | 1 / 78 | 5 / 73 | – | |
| Alliance for Italy | Alleanza per l'Italia | EDP | 1 / 78 | 1 / 73 | – | |
| Italian Radicals | Radicali Italiani | ALDE | 2 / 78 | – | – | |
 Latvia | Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way | Latvijas Pirmā Partija / Latvijas Ceļš | ALDE | 1 / 9 | 1 / 9 | – |
| Union of Greens and Farmers | Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība | EGP (LZP) | – | – | 1 / 8 | |
 Lithuania | Labour Party | Darbo Partija | ALDE | 5 / 13 [h] | 1 / 12 | 2 / 11 |
| Liberal and Centre Union | Liberalų ir Centro Sąjunga | ALDE | 2 / 13 | – | – | |
| Liberal Movement | Liberalų Saįūdis | ALDE | – | 1 / 12 | 1 / 11 | |
 Luxembourg | Democratic Party | Luxembourgish:Demokratesch Partei French:Parti Démocratique German:Demokratische Partei | ALDE | 1 / 6 | 1 / 6 | 1 / 6 |
 Netherlands | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | Volkspartij Voor Vrijheid en Democratie | ALDE | 4 / 27 | 3 / 26 | 3 / 26 |
| Democrats 66 | Democraten 66 | ALDE | 1 / 27 | 3 / 26 | 4 / 26 | |
 Poland | Democratic Party – demokraci.pl | Partia Demokratyczna - Demokraci.pl | ALDE | 4 / 54 | – | – |
| Paweł Piskorski (Independent) | – | none | 1 / 54 | – | – | |
| Marek Czarnecki (Independent) | – | none | 1 / 54 | – | – | |
 Portugal | Liberal Initiative | Iniciativa Liberal | ALDE | – | – | – |
| Democratic Republican Party | Partido Democrático Republicano | EDP | – | – | 1 / 21 | |
 Romania | National Liberal Party | Partidul Național Liberal | ALDE[i] | 6 / 35 | 5 / 33 | – |
| Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (formerlyPNL andIndependent) | Alianța Liberalilor și Democraților | ALDE | – | – | 1 / 32 | |
| Renate Weber (formerlyPNL) | – | ALDE[i] | – | – | 1 / 32 | |
| Mircea Diaconu (Independent) | – | ALDE | – | – | 1 / 32 | |
 Slovakia | People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia | Ľudová Strana - Hnutie Za Demokratické Slovensko | EDP | – | 1 / 13 | – |
 Slovenia | Liberal Democracy of Slovenia | Liberalna Demokracija Slovenije | ALDE | 2 / 7 | 1 / 8 | – |
| Zares – Social Liberals | Zares - Socialno-Liberalni | ALDE | – | 1 / 8 | – | |
| Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia | Demokratična stranka upokojencev Slovenije | EDP | – | – | 1 / 8 | |
| List of Marjan Sarec | Lista Marjana Šarca, LMŠ | ALDE | – | – | – | |
 Spain | Basque Nationalist Party | Basque:Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea | EDP | 1 / 54 | 1 / 54 | 1 / 54 |
| Catalan European Democratic Party | Catalan:Partit Demòcrata Europeu Català | ALDE | 1 / 54 | 1 / 54 | 1 / 54 | |
| Union, Progress and Democracy | Spanish:Unión, Progreso y Democracia | None | – | 1 / 54 | 4 / 54 | |
| Citizens | Spanish:Ciudadanos – Partido de la Ciudadanía | ALDE | – | – | 2 / 54 | |
 Sweden | Liberals | Liberalerna | ALDE | 1 / 19 | 3 / 20 | 2 / 20 |
| Centre Party | Centerpartiet | ALDE | 1 / 19 | 1 / 20 | 1 / 20 | |
 United Kingdom | Liberal Democrats | Welsh:Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol | ALDE | 11 / 78 | 12 / 73 | 1 / 73 |
| Total ALDE Party | 70 | 74 | 56 | |||
| Total EDP | 26 | 10 | 8 | |||
| Total Other | 4 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Total | 100 | 85 | 68 | |||
In September 1952, the third-largest grouping in the Common Assembly was the Liberal grouping with 11 members.[15] The Group of Liberals and Allies was officially founded on 23 June 1953.[3] By mid-September 1953, it was again the third-largest Group with 10 members.[16]
ALDE was a coalition of liberal and centrist MEPs. It did not have formal subgroups, although the MEPs fell naturally into two informal subgroups, depending on whether they associated with theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party or theEuropean Democratic Party.
The Bureau was the main decision making body of the ALDE Group and is composed of the leaders of the delegations from each member state that elects ALDE MEPs.[17] The Bureau oversaw the ALDE Group's main strategy and policies and was headed by a chair (referred to as theLeader). The day-to-day running of the Group was performed by its secretariat, led by its Secretary-General.
The senior staff of ALDE as of July 2012 were as follows:[17]
The chairs of ALDE and its predecessors from 1953 to 2019 are as follows:
| Chair | Took office | Left office | Country (Constituency) | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yvon Delbos |  | 1953 | 1956 | France | Radical Party |
| René Pleven |  | 1957 | 1968 | France | Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance |
| Cornelis Berkhouwer |  | 1970 | 1973 | Netherlands | .svg){kind=logo} People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| Jean-François Pintat | 1978 | 1979 | France | Union for French Democracy | |
| Martin Bangemann |  | 1979 | 1984 | West Germany |  Free Democratic Party |
| Simone Veil |  | 1984 | 1989 | France | Union for French Democracy |
| Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | .jpg) | 1989 | 1991 | France | Union for French Democracy |
| Yves Galland | 1992 | 1994 | France | Union for French Democracy | |
| Gijs de Vries | 1994 | 1998 | Netherlands | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
| Pat Cox |  | 1998 | 2002 | Ireland (Munster) | Independent |
| Graham Watson |  | 2002 | 2009 | United Kingdom (South West England) | Liberal Democrats |
| Guy Verhofstadt | .jpg) | 2009 | 2019 | Belgium (Dutch) |  Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats |
Along with the other political groups, ALDE has beenanalysed by academics on its positions regarding various issues. In short, it's a group of cohesive, gender-balanced centrist Euroneutrals that cooperate most closely with theEPP, are ambiguous on hypothetical EU taxes and supportive of eventual fullTurkish accession to the European Union.
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