Open VLD will organise a “starting moment” of a renewed Flemish liberal party in mid-September, with a new name. The party leadership reached an agreement on a “joint project” on Monday, according to Open VLD’s leader Eva De Bleeker.

The party bureau re-examined Open VLD’s renewal process on Monday. De Bleeker had already announced earlier this year that a founding congress of a new liberal party would be held in mid-September. That event will now no longer be called a “congress”, but a “starting moment”, with a new name, to which “other sympathisers” will be invited in addition to all members.

“We will clearly map out the starting point of the renewal there,” declared De Bleeker. In this way, the liberals want to explain “what for us are the fault lines in society, how we make a difference compared to the others, and what our answers are to the challenges and questions in society”. The new name should allow “anyone who feels liberal and wants to participate in the renewal process to identify with it”. 

The starting moment will, however, be preceded by a preliminary process in the coming months. Members of parliament, of the party leadership and of local branches will brainstorm on the themes of the kick-off event. “We will also go to the provinces, organise events, so that we create momentum and make people feel like participating in the whole process.”