Spain, Italy, Portugal and Mediterranean Dialogue
The Madrid office seeks to strengthen cooperation and political dialogue between representatives from political parties, scientific institutions and civil society organisations from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany and the European sphere. We are committed to help contribute to solutions to specific regional challenges in Southern Europe and highlight best practices from this ever more important region for the European integration process. It also seeks to develop a new approach to interregional cooperation in the Mediterranean. With partner organisations, we are developing a liberal approach to geostrategic demands and opportunities in the Mare Nostrum.
News
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Young people in the Mediterranean and their leisure time
Beyond the cultural uniformity brought about by globalisation in the field of youth leisure, the cultivation of sociability in outdoor activities constitutes a characteristic element of Mediterranean societies.
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Lebanon on the EU Migration Roadmap
The journalistic report “Migration Policy Group: Lebanon on the EU Migration Roadmap” was produced by the journalist Mónica Uriel, in the framework of the Migration visiting program to Lebanon organized by the FNF Madrid office with the support of the FNF Lebanon and Syria office. The FNF Madrid Policy Group composed by liberal policy makers and experts from across Europe, North and West Africa, and the Middle East had the opportunity to get to know the reality of migration management in Lebanon first-hand.
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"Let Ukraine Go"
Six months after war was unleashed on Ukraine by Russia, a video went viral of a little girl named Amelia singing the theme song from the movie Frozen “Let It Go” to about 30 people in an underground bunker. Above ground, Russian shelling caused utter devastation.
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Perspectives on the "fiestas" in the 21st century
Nowadays, with the accelerated changes of all kinds that our society is undergoing, the party, in addition to its intrinsic values, can acquire other dimensions that make it an instrument for promoting social and democratic values.
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Youth in the Mediterranean: echoes of the past and the promises of the future
Between 30 and 40% of young people own a house depending on the country. In most of the cases the financial support from parents was crucial (60/70%). This is one of the main findings of the Youth Trans Mediterranean Survey, a joint endeavor of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Madrid office and its srategic partner Esade Centre for Economic Policy (EsadeEcpol) which will be launched in the last quarter of the year.
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The Mediterranean on a boat
The Mediterranean is a sea of languages, religions, books and libraries. Perhaps there is no place in the world with such a concentration of libraries, with so many libraries with history. This is a journey through some of those that have marked the life of the Mediterranean and of the author of this text from Beirut to Tangiers.
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The Syrian-Lebanese Migration Puzzle: A new EU approach?
The debate about Syrian refugees, particularly in Lebanon, has shifted these past months. Bashar al-Ásad is back on the international scene, and the re-incorporation of Syria in the Arab League has shown that echoes of peace are now part of the future roadmap for the country. In this vein, some voices argued that it’s time for Syrian refugees to go back home, since stability seems to be a new direction for the country. Moreover, Lebanon, the main host country for Syrian refugees, has been facing one of the worst financial crises of its history.
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From North to South - Spain taking over the EU Presidency from Sweden
Sweden has handed over the Presidency of the European Council to Spain. With European elections coming up in 2024, this will be the last opportunity to finalise important legislative files during this mandate. How has the Swedish Presidency performed and what can we expect from the Spanish?
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This is how liberal Europe comments on the EU asylum compromise
Hardly any observers had evaluated this agreement possible after years of tug-of-war over asylum reform: At the beginning of June, the interior ministers of the EU member states, including Nancy Faeser (SPD), voted in favor of a significant tightening of European asylum policy. The traffic light parties also justified their approval on the grounds that an agreement would have failed if Germany had abstained. Overall, it could be observed in the debates that a broad majority in Europe was in favor of more control in immigration.
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Lessons on diversity from the Mediterranean
In 2020, when the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom signed the Diversity Charter, its vice president Sabine Leutheursser-Schnarrenberger said; “Establishing a sign of appreciation for diversity is, therefore, a human social imperative, but also an economic one. In addition to discrimination, the Diversity Charter is also directed against racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia”.
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"Liberalism for All"
In Portugal, the center left Partido Socialista party has ruled for many years. But new forces are also changing the political landscape: founded only in 2017, the liberal party "Iniciativa Liberal" has managed to increase the number of its parliamentary seats from one to eight in only its second attempt. The party has taken up the cause of urgently needed economic reforms and de-bureaucratization. Rui Rocha, chairman of Iniciativa Liberal, talks in an interview about the key factors behind this rise.
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The Med Fest is back
The Madrid office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) together with its main partners, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed); Casa Árabe, IPDAL (Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean) the Union for the Mediterranean (UpM), the Esade Center for Economic Policy (EsadeEcPol), IE Business School are going to celebrate the Mediterranean Festival - "The Med Fest", on June 29th, at Casa Árabe, Madrid.
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Autonomy or control? The debate on intelligence services
Democratic societies need to strike a balance between the autonomy required by intelligence services for their proper functioning, and the necessary control of their activity by the executive, legislative and judicial powers.
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Exploring diversity beyond labels
The Madrid office premieres the documentary in which expert voices and ordinary citizens share their ideas and impressions around the concept of diversity. Shot in Madrid and Barcelona in early 2023, the documentary aims to reflect different approaches to the complex, misunderstood and overused concept of diversity.
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Keynote lecture: "The control of secret services in democratic societies"; with the participation of Kostantin Kuhle, member of the German parliament.
"The balance between the needs of secret services and the protection of fundamental rights in liberal democracies is the challenge facing European intelligence." In an increasingly complex and constantly evolving society, understanding the reality of intelligence services becomes crucial. In this regard, we were privileged to attend a truly eye-opening day in which seven leading experts shared their experience and knowledge.
Social Media
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Today, we are delighted to introduce you to one of our #Free3Network partners 🌟 Adam Smith Society 🌟. Established in 2011 in collaboration with the Marilyn G. Fedak Capitalism Project, it comprises thousands of business professionals worldwide, forming a vibrant community. #fnfmad #freedompartners #Counterparts #Liberal
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Migration from rural communities to urban areas in Africa is occurring in numerous regions, caused by the severe impacts of climate change. The “Migration Policy Group” is working in tandem to develop policies that address the phenomenon of rural-urban migration in both Europe and Africa. Xavier Aragall, a migration expert and IEMed - Programme Manager, is taking the lead in these initiatives aimed at scrutinising and managing this multifaceted occurrence. For more information on this subject, refer to our complete report. https://www.freiheit.org/publikation/climate-change-and-migration #Migration #fnfmad #freedompartners #MigrationPolicyGroup #Africa
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How has the historical relationship been between Spain and Latin America and the Caribbean region? Can these historical ups and downs affect the future EU-LAC relationship now that Spain is hosting the rotatory presidency of the EU Council? Read more in our latest publication written by @ Catalina Gil Pinzón and @Jorge Galindo Alfonso here https://www.freiheit.org/publikation/spains-eu-council-presidency-and-future-eu-latin-america-relations #fnfmad #freedompartners #Europe #EU #EuropeanUnion #Mediterranean
