Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
Abbreviation	ALDE Party
President	Svenja Hahn (DE)[1]
Secretary-General	Didrik de Schaetzen (BE)
Founded	26 March 1976; 50 years ago (1976-03-26)
Headquarters	Rue d'Idalie 11 - box 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Think tank	European Liberal Forum
Youth wing	European Liberal Youth
Membership (22 December 2025)	3
Ideology	Liberalism[2] Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre[6] to centre-right[11]
European Parliament group	Renew (2019–present) ALDE Group (2004–2019) ELDR Group (1976–2004)
International affiliation	Liberal International
Colours	Blue   Magenta   Yellow (customary)
European Parliament	55 / 720
European Commission	5 / 27
European Council	3 / 27
European Lower Houses	455 / 6,217
European Upper Houses	114 / 1,458
Website
aldeparty.eu
Politics of the European Union Political parties Elections

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE Party) is a liberal European political party composed of national parties from across Europe, mainly active in the European Union. The ALDE Party is affiliated with Liberal International and a recognised European political party, incorporated as a non-profit association under Belgian law.^[12]

It was founded on 26 March 1976 in Stuttgart as a confederation of national political parties under the name "Federation of Liberal and Democrat Parties in Europe" and renamed "European Liberals and Democrats" (ELD) in 1977 and "European Liberal Democrats and Reformists" (ELDR) in 1986. On 30 April 2004, the ELDR was reformed as an official European party, the "European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party" (ELDR Party).^[13]

On 10 November 2012, under the leadership of Sir Graham Watson MEP, the party chose its current name ALDE Party, taken from its then-European Parliament group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which had been formed on 20 July 2004 in conjunction with the European Democratic Party (EDP). Prior to the 2004 European election, the European party had been represented through its own group, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group (ELDR) Group. In June 2019, the ALDE group was succeeded by Renew Europe.

As of 2024^[update], ALDE Party is represented in European Union institutions, with 51 MEPs and five members of the European Commission. Of the 27 EU member states, there are two with ALDE-affiliated Prime Ministers: Kristen Michal (Estonian Reform Party) in Estonia and Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) in Belgium. ALDE Party members are also in governments in ten other EU member states: Cyprus, France, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Germany and the Netherlands. Charles Michel, former Belgian prime minister, was the president of the European Council until December 2024.

ALDE's think tank is the European Liberal Forum, led by Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP, and gathers 46 member organisations. The youth wing of ALDE is the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC), which is predominantly based upon youth and student liberal organisations but contains also a small number of individual members. LYMEC is led by Ines Holzegger.

In 2011, ALDE Party became the first pan-European party to create the status of individual membership. Since then, between 1000 and close to 3000 members (the numbers fluctuate annually) maintained direct membership in the ALDE Party from several EU countries. Over 40 coordinators mobilised liberal ideas, initiatives and expertise across the continent under the leadership of the steering committee, which was first chaired by Julie Cantalou. The ALDE Party took a step further in the direction of becoming a truly pan-European party when granting voting rights to individual members' delegates at the Party Congress. Individual membership was eventually discontinued in 2023.

In 2025, the Alliance was declared an undesirable organization in Russia.^[14]

• 1978–1981: Gaston Thorn
• 1981–1985: Willy De Clercq
• 1985–1990: Colette Flesch
• 1990–1995: Willy De Clercq
• 1995–2000: Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
• 2000–2005: Werner Hoyer
• 2005–2011: Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
• 2011–2015: Graham Watson
• 2015–2021: Hans van Baalen
• 2021–2024: Timmy Dooley Ilhan Kyuchyuk co-presidents
• 2024–present: Svenja Hahn

Pan-European liberalism has a long history dating back to the foundation of Liberal International in April 1947. On 26 March 1976, the Federation of Liberal and Democrat Parties in Europe was established in Stuttgart. The founding parties of the federation were the Free Democratic Party of Germany, Radical Party of France, Venstre of Denmark, Italian Liberal Party, Dutch People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Democratic Party of Luxembourg.^[16] Observer members joining later in 1976 were the Danish Social Liberal Party, French Radical Party of the Left and Independent Republicans, British Liberal Party, and Italian Republican Party.^[16] In 1977, the federation was renamed European Liberals and Democrats, in 1986, European Liberal Democrats and Reformists.

It evolved into the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR Party) in 2004, when it was founded as an official European party under that name and incorporated under Belgian law at an extraordinary Congress in Brussels, held on 30 April 2004 the day before the enlargement of the European Union. At the same time the matching group in the European Parliament, the European Liberal Democrats and Reformists Group allied with the members of the newly elected European Democratic Party, forming the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) with a matching ALDE Group in the European Parliament.

On 10 November 2012, the ELDR Party adopted the name of the alliance between the two parties, to match the parliamentary group and the alliance.

On 12 June 2019, the ALDE group was succeeded by a new enlarged group, Renew Europe, which primarily consists of ALDE and EDP member parties and France's La République En Marche! (LREM).^[17]

As a registered European political party, ALDE is entitled to European public funding, which it has received continuously since 2004.^[18]

Below is the evolution of European public funding received by ALDE.

In line with the Regulation on European political parties and European political foundations, ALDE also raises private funds to co-finance its activities. As of 2025, European parties must raise at least 10% of their reimbursable expenditure from private sources, while the rest can be covered using European public funding.^[a]

Below is the evolution of contributions and donations received by the ALDE.^[19][20]

Members from ALDE Party political family contribute five out of the 27 members of the European Commission:

State	Commissioner	Portfolio	Political party	Portrait
Estonia	Kaja Kallas	High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President	ER
Ireland	Michael McGrath	Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Commissioner	FF
Slovenia	Marta Kos	Enlargement, Commissioner	Ind.[b]
Belgium	Hadja Lahbib	Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner	MR

As of January 2026 ALDE party had 55 full member and ten affiliated parties from EU and non-EU countries. Only delegates from full members of the ALDE Party and its youth wing LYMEC, together with the delegates of the ALDE Party Supporters and ALDE Party Bureau members, are permitted to vote at the ALDE Congress and Council. Affiliated member parties have non-voting delegates.^[26]

Full members

[edit]

Country or Region	Party	MEPs[c]
Andorra	Action for Andorra Acció per Andorra	Not in EU
	Liberals of Andorra Liberals d'Andorra
Austria	NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum	2 / 20
Belgium	Reformist Movement Mouvement Réformateur	3 / 8
	Different Anders	1 / 13
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Our Party Naša stranka	Not in EU
Bulgaria	We Continue the Change Продължаваме промяната Produlzhavame promyanata	2 / 17
Croatia	Centre Centar	0 / 12
	Focus Fokus	0 / 12
	Istrian Democratic Assembly Istarski demokratski sabor Dieta democratica istriana	0 / 12
Cyprus	Democratic Alignment Δημοκρατική Παράταξη Dimokratiki Parataxi	0 / 6
Denmark	Social Liberal Party Radikale Venstre	1 / 15
	Venstre Venstre	2 / 15
	Moderates Moderaterne	1 / 15
Estonia	Estonian Reform Party Eesti Reformierakond	1 / 7
Finland	Centre Party Suomen Keskusta	2 / 15
	Swedish People's Party of Finland Svenska folkpartiet i Finland Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue	1 / 15
France	Radical Party Parti radical	0 / 81
	Union of Democrats and Independents Union des démocrates et indépendants	1 / 81
Georgia	Lelo for Georgia ლელო საქართველოსთვის lelo sakartvelostvis	Not in EU
	Strategy Aghmashenebeli სტრატეგია აღმაშენებელი st'rat'egia aghmashenebeli
	Girchi — More Freedom გირჩი — მეტი თავისუფლება girchi — met'i tavisupleba
Germany	Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei	5 / 96
Hungary	Momentum Movement Momentum Mozgalom	0 / 21
Iceland	Viðreisn	Not in EU
Ireland	Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach	4 / 14
Italy	Action Azione	1 / 76
	European Liberal Democrats Liberali Democratici Europei	0 / 76
	Italian Radicals Radicali Italiani	0 / 76
	More Europe Più Europa	0 / 76
Kosovo	Democratic Party of Kosovo Partia Demokratike e Kosovës	Not in EU
Latvia	For Latvia's Development Latvijas attīstībai	1 / 9
	Movement For! Kustība Par!	0 / 9
Lithuania	Freedom Party Laisvės partija	1 / 11
	Liberals' Movement Liberalų sąjūdis	1 / 11
Luxembourg	Democratic Party Demokratesch Partei Parti Démocratique Demokratische Partei	1 / 6
Montenegro	Liberal Party of Montenegro Либерална партија Црне Горе Liberalna partija Crne Gore	Not in EU
North Macedonia	Liberal Democratic Party Либерално-демократска партија Liberalno-demokratska partija	Not in EU
Netherlands	Democrats 66 Democraten 66	3 / 31
	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie	4 / 31
Norway	Liberal Party Venstre	Not in EU
Portugal	Liberal Initiative Iniciativa Liberal	2 / 21
Romania	Save Romania Union Uniunea Salvați România	2 / 33
Serbia	Movement of Free Citizens Покрет слободних грађана Pokret slobodnih građana	Not in EU
Slovakia	Progressive Slovakia Progresívne Slovensko	6 / 15
Slovenia	Freedom Movement Gibanje Svoboda	2 / 9
Spain	Citizens Ciudadanos	0 / 61
Sweden	Centre Party Centerpartiet	2 / 21
	Liberals Liberalerna	1 / 21
Switzerland	FDP.The Liberals FDP. Die Liberalen PLR. Les Libéraux-Radicaux PLR. I Liberali Radicali PLD. Ils Liberals	Not in EU
	Green Liberal Party of Switzerland Grünliberale Partei der Schweiz Parti vert'libéral Partito verde liberale Partida verda-liberala
Ukraine	Servant of the People Слуга народу Sluha narodu	Not in EU
	Voice Голос Holos
	European Party of Ukraine Європейська партія України Yevropeis'ka partiya Ukrayiny
United Kingdom	Liberal Democrats	Not in EU

European Parliament

• European Liberal Forum
• European Liberal Youth
• European political party
• Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations
• European political foundation
• Liberal International
• Political parties of the world

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party.

• Official website