On 18 January, D66 held a Rally for Europe in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
In a keynote speech, party leader Rob Jetten celebrated pro-European ideals and highlighted the successes of D66’s European election campaign, with the election of three MEPs.
Jetten urgently called for a strong and united Europe with ambitious goals such as energy independence, a green economy, innovation, and increased defense capabilities amid global challenges such as the war in Ukraine, rising populism and the climate crisis.
“Putin, Xi and Trump want to convince us that our Union is in decline. Be vigilant: populists who constantly instill fear do not care about your safety, but are after your freedom. But the story of and for Europe can be ten times more ambitious. Because the vast majority of Dutch people want to live in a strong and free Europe. Today we are gathered to shout that from the rooftops. Because we realise that Europe is worth fighting for," said Jetten.
Other speakers including Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy MEP, leader of the D66 delegation in the European Parliament, touched on topics such as creating a European armed force, streamlining EU governance and expanding the EU’s global role.
As Donald Trump’s inauguration as 47th President of the United States marks a stark shift towards isolationism and self-interest, D66’s political leaders suggested investing 3% of the EU’s GDP towards security and defence.