At the invitation of LI member Reform party, one of the most successful liberal parties worldwide, I joined my fellow LI bureau members in Tallinn, Estonia 6-8 March for a strategic planning and political breakaway.
Having been welcomed to the Parliament of Estonia by Kristo Enn Vaga MP, secretary general of the Reform Party the LI delegation, led by LI President Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Paque met with the Reform leadership. Discussing the opportunities in the fields of defence and AI, the bureau had a working lunch with Prime Minister Kristen Michal, an exchange of views with former foreign affairs minister, Urmas Paet MEP, and ALDE Vice President Yoko Alender MP.
Beyond setting the direction for LI in 2026, the LI bureau attended the NATO Cyber Security Headquarters where they learnt about the work of the CCDCOE from Director, Tōnis Saar, further informing the work of LI in this area. Colleagues from FNF Baltic countries officer hosted a working dinner with Estonia’s International Centre for Defence and Security Head of Studies, Tomas Jermalavičius, who gave the liberals a detailed insight into the resilience measures in place and actions the Baltic countries and Europe must take next in order to better support Ukraine’s defeat of Russia as the full scale invasion enters its fifth year.
Among many other operational decisions, and with further announcements to follow, the bureau also confirmed the date and location for the 65th congress taking place in Asia later this year.