Liberals unveil manifesto for historic 2004 election

Date: 20/11/03

Martin Banks reports from the annual congress of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party in Amsterdam

THE starting pistol has been fired in the run up to next year's European Parliamentary elections with the Liberals unveiling the platform on which they will contest the historic poll - the first in which voters from accession countries will take part.

The Parliament's third largest group unveiled a raft of policies at its annual three-day congress, with party president Werner Hoyer warning its centre-right and Socialist rivals: "Look out - we punch above our weight."

The ELDR has set a target of increasing its number of MEPs from the current 53 to 75 after next June's election,.

The group wheeled out several party big-hitters for the launch of its manifesto, including Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, European Parliament President Pat Cox and Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Gerrit Zalm.

Its centrepiece is a pledge to replace the "indefensible" system of MEPs' pay and expenses and to campaign for Parliament to ditch its Strasbourg seat.

Other key priorities include:

• Gaining better access to documents and information in EU institutions
• making a single market in transport services a reality
• forging a new strategic partnership between the EU and US
• strengthening EU climate change initiatives, and
• deregulation of agricultural policy and a revised regional policy.

Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said the ELDR would "fight for every seat, in every member state".

His rousing rallying call to the 600 delegates was taken up by Graham Watson, the party's leader in the Parliament, who said the ELDRapproached the 2004 elections "feeling stronger" than ever.

"Next year's European elections have to be about Europe's added value," he said. "For far too long, these elections have been simply another chance to deliver punches in domestic politics.

"Next year, we all have a responsibility to raise the level of debate about Europe."

With five current Liberal prime ministers in the EU, he said the ELDR was a "growing family".

Taking up the conference theme, "Freeing Europe's Potential", Watson called for a "revolution" in accountability at every level of European government, adding: "We can free the potential of Europe's political institutions by making them more open and democratic . . . so that people trust and respect the EU."

His comments were echoed by Boris Dittrich, leader of the D66 party which, along with fellow Dutch Liberal group, VVD, hosted this year's annual congress.

He said: "There are three main challenges: we should get our own house in order by fighting for more transparency in Europe, ensuring enlargement works and making Europe a more serious player in international politics."