With Gusty Graas (DP – Luxembourg), Renew Europe CoR reaches 50 full members and is bigger than ever.
The Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions has reached 50 full members for the second time in its history. But following the departure of the UK, the liberals are proportionally larger than they have ever been reaching 16% of CoR membership. Together with 43 alternate members, our group now has representatives of 20 different member states, with Latvia and France being the largest delegations, but also having local and regional representatives from all Nordic countries, the Benelux, all Baltic states, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Romania, Italy as well as for the first time Greek members. Bulgaria has yet to appoint its delegation to the CoR, and Renew Europe is expecting at least two additional full members in that delegation from the MRF party of ALDE Party Vice-President Ilhan Kyuchyuk.
Our newest member bringing us to this high is Gusty Graas, a former journalist and now Deputy Mayor of Bettembourg municipality, and previously alternate member to the CoR. He is also a representative in the Luxembourgish Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Benelux Parliament of which he is President. He focuses on sustainable development, mobility – Graas oversaw the Benelux Parliament recommendation to make public transport between Belgium and Luxembourg free -, foreign affairs, agriculture and the civil service.
Renew Europe CoR has been gradually extending its network of activities beyond its CoR membership to help other liberal subnational politicians participate in the EU’s policy work. Thus, it also runs the Liberal Mayors Network, which brings together several hundred mayors from around Europe, including the five capital cities or seats of government: Bratislava, Luxembourg, The Hague, Tallinn, and Vilnius. In addition, liberals hold senior Deputy Mayor positions in Madrid, Budapest and Stockholm. Renew Europe CoR also runs together with LYMEC the summits of Young Elected Local and Regional Leaders, the next edition of which is scheduled to take place after the summer.
