Asian and European Liberals Meet in Brussels

 The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group convened in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium for the 7th ALDE-CALD Summit. The biennial meeting, which took place on 1-2 June 2016, carried the theme, “Bailout, Refugee Crisis and Terrorism: Implications for Regional Integration.”

Prior to the start of the summit, the CALD delegation composed of representatives from Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar and Hong Kong met with other Brussels-based institutions on 31 May such as the ALDE Party, the European Liberal Forum (ELF) and the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS).

In the ALDE Party headquarters, the delegation was welcomed by no less than the ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen, MEP. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the need for liberals to assist other liberals, through both formal and informal channels. He said: “We should use the party-to-party connection more than how we used it in the past.” A roundtable discussion then took place, where ALDE Party and CALD representatives shared innovative ideas on how to make regional party networks more viable and effective.

A luncheon address, “Myanmar under the New NLD Government”, was delivered afterwards by NLD MP, Dr. San Shway Winn, where he tackled the goals, opportunities and challenges of the recently installed NLD-led Myanmar government. This was followed by an ELF-hosted forum on European political foundations and European integration led by ELF Executive Director Susanne Hartig and former LYMEC Secretary General Igor Caldeira. At EIAS, the CALD delegation was received by the Institute’s CEO Axel Goethals and a number of senior associates, and there was a lively exchange of views with regard to regional integration, China’s rise, and Myanmar’s democratization. In the evening, van Baalen hosted the welcome dinner on behalf o the ALDE Group in Restaurant Cospaia, where CALD Individual Member Martin Lee delivered the keynote address. Expressing optimism on how liberals could address current challenges, Lee remarked: “When the sky is at its darkest, we know that the dawn is fast approaching. So, let us stand firm together in our principles, and share these when the sun rises tomorrow.”

The first day of the summit on 1 June commenced with the attendance of the CALD delegation in the ALDE Group meeting in the European Parliament, and a short tour of the Parliamentarium. During lunch, European Parliament Vice President Anneli Jäätteenmäki and Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy spoke on behalf of ALDE Group and CALD respectively. In the summit’s opening session which followed afterwards, Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva emphasized the need “to remind ourselves of the liberal values that bind us” in addressing the issues of economic downturn, refugee crisis and terrorism.

Sessions on the Greek bailout and refugee crisis then followed, where the speakers looked into the European responses and comparable Asian experiences. On the Greek bailout, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Karl-Heinz-Paqué, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), expressed optimism on the impact of bailout to Greece and to the broader Eurozone, although this view does not appear to be widely shared. As regards the refugee crisis, Chito Gascon of the Philippines and Ivan Grewal of Malaysia both agreed that the approach to refugees should be in accordance with human rights and humanitarian law. The first day ended with a dialogue programme on EU-US-Asia trade agreements spearheaded by FNF European and Transatlantic Dialogue, Brussels.

On the second day, 2 June, the session on terrorism was opened by ALDE MEP Javier Nart, who noted that, “terrorism destroys the twin pillars of human dignity and personal security.” It was in this light that the succeeding presentations of A. Krauss of the European Parliament and Jayanthi Balaguru of Malaysia tackled the crucial role of intelligence agencies and other counterterrorism measures. These, however, should not be at the expense of liberal and democratic values, they emphasized. The summit was brought to a close by concluding session where the chairs of the previous sessions provided a summary of lessons learnt that might be of relevance to both Asia and Europe.

A historical tour of the medieval city of Ghent and a consultative meeting with Liberal International (LI) capped another successful summit between Asian and European liberals. “CALD and ALDE meeting in Europe is an opportunity for us to share lessons and experiences”, said Sam Rainsy. “And each time, especially this time, we have benefitted tremendously from our meeting with our ALDE colleagues in Brussels. For Europe remains a source for inspiration for the liberals and democrats all over the world especially in Asia.”