Hans van Baalen was elected president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) on a two-year mandate on 21 November 2015 at the party congress in Budapest, Hungary.
At the invitation of the ALDE Party president, Hans van Baalen, liberal prime ministers and European commissioners met at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on Thursday 18 February ahead of the European Council summit later that day.
Crucial topics were discussed such as the forthcoming referendum on EU membership in the United Kingdom, the latest developments on tackling the migration crisis and the current political situation in Poland.
Commenting on the meeting, Van Baalen said: "We had a very good exchange of views on Brexit and we also received very good advice from Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. We all think a positive deal is possible."
Hans van Baalen is currently a member of the European Parliament for VVD since 2009. Before, he was a member of the House of Representatives in the Netherlands from 1999 to 2002 and from 2003 to 2009.
He was also the president of Liberal International between 2009 and 2014.
Lisbeth founded EUobserver in 2000 and is responsible to the Board for effective strategic leadership, planning and performance. After graduating from the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she worked as a journalist, analyst, and editor for Danish media.
Lisbeth founded EUobserver in 2000 and is responsible to the Board for effective strategic leadership, planning and performance. After graduating from the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she worked as a journalist, analyst, and editor for Danish media.