On 26 March 1976 representatives of the nine liberal parties from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the UK, gathered in Stuttgart, Germany, and founded the first European political party and programme: the European Liberal Democrats.

They were determined to promote and strengthen the rights and freedoms of individuals. They wanted to give everyone the chance to live a decent life in a free society, in the strong belief that peace and prosperity in Europe could be best assured by European integration.

Today, 40 years later, we continue united in the ALDE Party standing up for freedom, democracy and an open society across Europe.

For the occasion, ALDE Party Individual Members interview the first Secretary-General of the European Liberal Democrats party, Florus Wijsenbeek. In the interview, Wijsenbeek said: “When I first heard about ALDE Party individual membership, I subscribed myself, although I am more of a party man and one of the long-serving members in my party. How can we better represent a European cross-border view of liberalism in the future other than by being members of one big family at a European level?”

You can watch the short interview to Wijsenbeek online here.

Happy 40th anniversary to European Liberal Democrats! 40 years standing up for freedom, democracy & open society. pic.twitter.com/xq69LT8Ajz

— ALDE Party (@ALDEParty) March 26, 2016