#SOTEU 2021: Message from ELF President Hilde Vautmans MEP

ELF President and Renew Europe Group MEP Hilde Vautmans’s message ahead of the European Commission President von der Leyen’s 2021 State of the Union address on 15 September.

“Currently, we are missing political leadership. Covid, Afghanistan, natural disasters: every time the lives of our citizens were at stake. What did Europe do? We doubted and waited, until chaos came upon us, only then we took action. There are so many lessons to be drawn from all these crises, we can write books on it. However, now we cannot put it on the bookshelf and turn a blind eye.

We must read it, let it inspire us and take action. We should seize this moment and create a strong European plan that can defend us against new pandemics and other threats. It is our duty to protect our citizens and it can no longer wait. Not another year or another crisis. It should happen now. We must be ambitious and create structural solutions, instead of waiting out the storm.”The European Liberal Forum is working on the conference on the Future of Europe. Don’t miss our flagship publication Liberal White Book: Europe 2030 and follow our events for upcoming discussions in different parts of Europe.

The first stop is Rome! Learn more and register here.