Afgelopen weekend, 6 - 8 november 2009, is L² observer member geworden van LYMEC, de Europese koepel van liberale en radicale politieke jongerenorganisaties.

Voorzitter Eline Joukes en internationaal secretaris Jefrey Van der Straeten verdedigden in Zagreb, waar het Executive Committee doorging, de aanvraag tot observer membership. Ze gaven een presentatie waarbij L² als organisatie werd voorgesteld en waarbij ze de nadruk legden op het feit dat L² een bloeiende, sociaal-liberale jongerenpartij is.

Uiteindelijk werd L² met unanimiteit toegelaten tot LYMEC, nadat onder andere de vice-president over "one of the best applications ever" had gesproken.

Hieronder wat meer info over LYMEC:

*What is LYMEC?*

LYMEC is short for European Liberal Youth. It is the one and only liberal youth organisation on the European level. We represent more than 210.000 young liberals from across Europe. LYMEC has about 58 member organisations in most of the European countries.

*Does LYMEC favour a European Federation?*

Yes indeed. LYMEC believes in a federal Europe, that focuses on core-tasks. Europe has an important role to play when it comes to cross-border issues like trade, environment, migration, free movement and security policies. However at the same time we also favour decentralisation. Some other issues are simply better dealt with on regional or national level.

*Is LYMEC just liberal or left liberal?*

LYMEC is a Liberal (liberal, liberal democrat, radical, reform, centre...) youth movement in the European Union. Politically we are truely centre in European perspective with a distinctive liberal element. If you look at our Member Organisations we are indeed from left/progressive liberal to centre and conservative-liberal and even some libertarians. It covers the whole liberal perspective to sum up.

*What is Radicalism and how is it related to Liberalism?*

"There are "radicals" in many European countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria, UK...), radicals being historically Republican Social-Liberals and traditionally situating themselves on the center-left of national politics. As for the duality "Liberal and Radical" in the vast European liberal-democrat family, this is an heritage from the 19th century, when Radicals and Liberals were both fighting for Democracy, and a Constitution protecting Human Rights, but when "Radicals" were in favour of a Revolution and a Republican Constitution, while "Liberals" were fine with a Constitutional Monarchy. In the 20th century, the discrepancy became to appear between Liberals and Social-liberals, because of the progressive birth of the Welfare State and, on the contrary, the emergence of neo-liberalism (Economic liberalism). From then, Radicals where not only those Democrats in favour of a Republic (French & Italian Radicals, e.g.), but also those Social-liberals that understood Liberalism as a Reformist Philosophy, with a social dimension (cf. Dutch "Radicals" of D66 e.g.)."

Meer info over LYMEC vind je op www.lymec.org.