Liberal South East European Network

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Liberal South East European Network

The Liberal South East European Network (LIBSEEN) is an initiative to gather liberal political parties in the SEE region. Archive: http://libseen.tumblr.com/

The Liberal South East European Network (LIBSEEN) was founded in 2008 in Ljubljana as an initiative to gather liberal political parties in the region and contribute to the development of the region by implementing liberal policies in the political systems of these countries. Vesna Pusić was elected the first chairwoman of the organisation on a conference in Skopje in 2008. The network plans to work on solving the social, political and ecological problems of the region. An important goal is to develop a multinational dialogue, an inter-religious dialogue and respect for human rights. All this has been a great burden for the region for centuries and cause of many conflicts. One of the main goals of the network is the EU membership of all countries in this region which would mean a final integration of Europe. LIBSEEN gathers political parties, think thanks and nongovernmental organisations which share the liberal ideology. LIBSEEN gathers organisations from Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania with prospects of expanding to countries such as Albania, Greece and Turkey. Liberal parties in the Balkans have an especially important role in championing individual freedoms in a region. Liberal parties have served in government, particularly in such countries as Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania that have seen quicker European integration, a more robust economic growth and faster development as compared to their neighbors. As the countries of the region move slowly toward joining the EU as full-fledged democracies, these nations wrestle with the demons of past ethnic wars along with present-day challenges of corruption, unemployment and other ills. Among the many efforts dedicated to readying Balkan governments, civil society and the private sector for the rigors of EU membership and other Euro-Atlantic alliances, few have focused on democratic reforms needed to make the grade. And fewer still have addressed the role that political parties play in providing the vision, leadership and ideas that will deliver the region from its troubled past and move it on toward Europe. The lead political aim of the network is the full integration of its member countries into the European Union including Turkey.

31/07/2026

📸 July's Highlight: LIBSEEN President Monika Zajkova MP met with Dutch PM Rob Jetten and had frank and very useful exchange on the importance of full integration of the entire South East Europe in the EU. The Prime Minister and his Dutch government led by the liberal forces D66 and VVD will continue to be fair and supportive partner of the region.
The meeting took place at the margins of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague, at which Zajkova was elected Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly.

15/07/2026

🇪🇺🌍 Huge congratulations to our very own LIBSEEN Chairwoman and Leader, Monika Zajkova, on her outstanding election as Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe! Elected by the decisive votes of 56 parliaments spanning Europe, North America, and Central Asia, Monika’s victory is a powerful testament to her tireless commitment to progressive reform and international cooperation. Liberals from South East Europe are ready and equipped to lead on the global stage. Together, we stand united in our mission to champion lasting peace, robust democracy, fundamental human rights, and shared economic prosperity across the entire OSCE region.

13/07/2026

Mission successfully accomplished and relations with the colleagues across the continent strengthened - delegates from liberal parties from Southeast Europe, members of LIBSEEN, at the party Congress in Vienna 🤝🇪🇺

10/07/2026

🇪🇺📜 ALDE Party Congress Adopted the Resolution: "Visionary EU Enlargement and Border Dignity" on the proposal of LIBSEEN members, together with the Слуга Народу party of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 🇺🇦! This resolution marks a decisive stand for the future of Europe by demanding that EU integration remains a fair, merit-based process free from unfair single-state vetoes. Crucially, it pushes for an urgent reform of border protocols caused by EES system in and to stop the humiliating bottlenecks currently facing candidate nation citizens, safeguarding both human dignity and true European solidarity.

𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑬𝑼 𝑬𝒏𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚

The Congress of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party convening in Vienna, Austria, on 3-4 of July 2026:

𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨:
the French-German non-paper "A new momentum for EU enlargement" (4 June 2026).

𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨:
- the LIBSEEN 2021 Position Paper pioneering a progressive, merit-based staged integration roadmap with intermediate institutional participation and increased funding;
- the ALDE Dublin Congress Resolution (2022) on the future of EU enlargement;
- the ALDE Helsinki Council Resolutions (2025) on accelerating Western Balkans and Ukraine integration;
- the ALDE Brussels Congress Resolution (2025) demanding structural reforms to prevent single-member-state vetoes from blocking legitimate accession steps.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨:
the decisive efforts of the European Commissioner for Enlargement to successfully elevate the enlargement agenda into a top geopolitical and EU priority.

𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩:
- phased or staged integration, with access to the Single Market as a priority, must be citizen- and business-friendly, visionary, bold, and efficient, with the clear aim to accelerate progress towards full membership rather than creating second-class tiers.

𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩:
- the Entry/Exit System (EES) treats EU candidates as generic "third countries"—which, while well-intentioned on paper, steers degradation, humiliation, and unacceptable scenes at EU borders, heavily fueling anti-EU sentiment.

𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙐 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤:
- shift rapidly from oral reassurances to structured and clear criteria-based timelines, applying Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) to all intermediate integration steps to ensure a predictable process;
- ensure that the new momentum and phased process won't allow for any attempt to bilateralise the EU accession process by exploiting single-member-state vetoes over bilateral and history-based disputes to stall legitimate, merit-based progress, as has been the case over the past years;
- urgently reform EES protocols for candidate nations to eliminate humiliating administrative bottlenecks, safeguarding cross-border economies, human dignity, and European solidarity.

Photo credit: ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe

09/07/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐔 𝐄𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 "𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬" 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐄 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 🇪🇺💡

At the ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe Congress in Vienna, LIBSEEN successfully hosted a high-level breakout session confronting the institutional gridlock that has stalled Western Balkan integration and threatened EU strategic autonomy. Moderated by LIBSEEN SG Bernard Nikaj, the roundtable brought together LIBSEEN Chairwoman Моника Зајкова - Monika Zajkova MP (LDP leader) and European Liberal Forum President Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP to champion a pioneering resolution designed to replace unilateral, single-country vetoes with a "pooled veto" system. This visionary framework—requiring a blocking coalition of at least 15% of member states representing 5% of the EU population (at least 5 countries and 22.5 million citizens)—strikes a vital middle ground that safeguards national sovereignty while preventing isolated national interests from hijacking EU decision-making.

Backed by a powerful coalition of regional liberal parties including LDP 🇲🇰, Centar 🇭🇷, HSLS 🇭🇷, HNS 🇭🇷, GS 🇸🇮, NS 🇧🇦, PSG 🇷🇸, PDK 🇽🇰, LPCG 🇲🇪, and USR 🇷🇴, LIBSEEN is actively shifting the narrative from paralysis to progress, using the upcoming Accession Treaty of as a blueprint to reform EU governance, eliminate external leverage, and decisively accelerate the merit-based integration of the Western Balkans.

04/07/2026

LIBSEEN awarded the annual Hans van Baalen Award to Ilhan Kyuchyuk for his exceptional achievement in:
✅ promotion of individual freedom and human rights in the society
✅ successful implementation of political project that enhances liberal democracy
✅ work on unity of liberal and democratic forces in the county or the region
✅ enhancing the integration of the region in the European Union and NATO
Congratulations, Ilhan! 🏆

28/06/2026

🇽🇰🗳️ Heartiest congratulations to our Steering Committee member, Eliza Hoxha MP, on her election as Member of the Kosovo Assembly with an extraordinary number of 20,047 PREFERENTIAL VOTES!
A powerful result. A strong mandate.
Well deserved! 👏

16/06/2026

🇪🇺🇳🇱 Representatives of LIBSEEN member parties from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro were active ar the Liberal Partnership Days this past weekend
📈 Liberal perspectives regarding Economic Competitiveness and AI, with particular attention on the Draghi Report and its implementation at both the national and EU levels, dominated the discussions and exchanges. Priority is given to skills and talent, innovation and digitalization, investment and capital, the regulatory environment, and energy and industrial competitiveness.
👉🏻 Shared conclusion: Europe must regulate less and focus more on results and the development of innovative solutions that improve the everyday lives of its citizens.

The event was at invitation of the Dutch governing party VVD and the European Liberal Forum in conjuction with the VVD Congress.

12/06/2026

🇽🇰🇪🇺 LIBSEEN extends its warmest congratulations to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovës - PDK), and its chairman Bedri Hamza on their increased electoral support and projected parliamentary gains in Sunday's snap elections!
While we welcome PDK’s strengthened position, we are deeply concerned by the low voter turnout, which signals severe citizen fatigue with the ongoing political stalemate. It is evident that Albin Kurti’s polarizing style of governance over the past years, coupled with his confrontational campaign, is leading Kosovo further into institutional crisis rather than providing stability. Kosovo cannot afford to remain trapped in an endless cycle of deadlock; the country urgently needs a shift toward true liberal democracy, collaborative leadership, and a secure European future.

08/06/2026

🇪🇺🇲🇪🇲🇰 LIBSEEN Chairwoman Моника Зајкова - Monika Zajkova and Либерално Демократска Партија ЛДП leadership members welcomed to Skopje a high-level delegation from Montenegro's Evropski Savez (European Alliance) — including Liberalna partija Crne Gore - LPCG leader Vatroslav Belan —to fortify regional cooperation and accelerate a merit-based path to the EU. Emphasizing that EU membership must translate into higher living standards, robust investments, and guaranteed justice rather than formal procedural box-ticking, the liberal leaders made it clear that progressive forces will not stand by and allow authoritarian, anti-European structures to dictate the region's future.
Together, LIBSEEN and its regional partners are turning shared liberal values into a concrete, powerful engine for building modern, economically successful, and resilient democratic societies! 💪✨

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http://libseen.tumblr.com/

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