On a pleasant evening such as this, with the church bells of Pula ringing out, and the sun slowly setting, a glass of white wine by my side, it is easy to forget that I came to the frontier of the European Union to do a job. So, given that some of you actually voted to send me here, what have I done to justify your faith in me?
Having arrived safely on Thursday evening, I attended the welcome reception and continued the lengthy process of building a relationship with delegates from our sister parties across Europe. That sounds obvious, but when you're part of a delegation as large as ours (we're the largest party delegation), there is a strong temptation to cluster together. I also remember what it was like not to really know anyone at these events, so it is nice to take the time to talk to newcomers like the delegate from the New Kosovo Alliance.
Yesterday started with a session on drafting the ALDE manifesto for 2014. It is important to establish a robust, inclusive process to ensure that we end up with a document we can all stand behind. I spoke against a proposal to elect the drafting committee here in Pula, as delegations had not been warned in advance, and they would need to consult in order to find the best people for the task.
During the Council meeting that followed, I voted with the rest of the delegation to admit applicant parties from the Ukraine and the Aland Islands as new members and to approve the draft audit report for 2012.
I supported the resolution laying out how the manifesto will be prepared, as I am keen to share the workload required more widely amongst experienced members, and was pleased to see this passed.
Finally, I spoke in the debate on how an ALDE candidate for the Presidency of the EU Commission might be chosen. It was clear that there was a split in the room as to when the process of selection might start, and I wanted to ensure that, regardless of the decision, that a 'job description' be developed as a vital first step. After all, what else could we expect from a candidate? I also noted an inconsistency in the proposal, in that only member parties from EU member states could nominate a candidate, yet a group of delegates from any member party could do likewise. Given that ALDE has member parties from a number of non-EU states, this strikes me as potentially difficult, and is a point I will be following up on.
This morning, I attended seminars on the impact of populism in the western Balkans and on policy towards illegal migration and the EU response. I am tempted to try to draft a policy resolution for the next ALDE Congress on migration policy, although we will have to wait and see.
Last, but not least, I wrote a review of the event for Liberal Democrat Voice, which I hope that you might enjoy...
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