What is the goal of this project?

The overall aim of this project is to support the liberal agenda in EU decision-making and to promote the adoption of liberal solutions in key areas of public policy by increasing the participation of liberal organisations and civil society groups in the policy-making process and providing high quality authoritative policy recommendations.

What are the objectives?

• To facilitate and enhance the involvement and impact of liberal-minded think tanks in the EU policy consultation processes;
• To give an organized voice to liberal solutions by providing joint policy responses for EU decision makers;
• To facilitate and strengthen the pooling of expertise and cooperation of liberal minded think tanks in designing and delivering liberal solutions.

What are we doing?

• In cooperation with other think tanks we identify key policy areas that require more liberal voices;
• We respond to EU public consultations in the key areas selected by submitting policy papers;
• We engage in follow-up communication with relevant EU authorities;
• We publicize the most important issues both on the EU and national levels;
• We organise policy briefings for policy makers.

Who do we cooperate with?

To promote liberal agenda in EU-decision making and liberal solutions in key areas of public policy we partner with members of the 4Liberty.eu network. The initiative is generously supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

What we have already done?

We have responded to the EU public consultations and submitted policy papers on the following issues:

Business regulation

• Gold Plating: How to Identify and Avoid (2021)
• Position on the EC Proposal on Price Reporting in the Food Supply Chain (2019)
• The review of SME definition (2018);
• Excise Duties Applied to Manufactured Tobacco (2017);
• A case against minimum excise duties set by the EU (2015);
• Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications Networks and Services (2015);
• Better Regulation for Better Results (2015);
• Capital Market Union (2015);
• Digital Single Market Strategy (2015);
• Small Business Act (2014);

Competition

• Position on Fitness Check of 2012 State Aid Modernisation Package, Railways Guidelines and short-term Export Credit Insurance (2019);
• Agricultural Land Purchase (2015);
• European Union Merger control regulations (2014);

Digital Economy

• Position Note on EC’s Initiative on A Fair & Competitive Digital Economy – Digital Levy

Economic Policy

• Position on the European Commission’s initiative on identifying and addressing barriers to the single market (2020)
• Position on an EU Framework for Markets in Crypto-Assets (2020)
• European Agenda for the Collaborative Economy (2016);

Education

The Promotion of Social Inclusion and Shared Values through Formal and Non-Formal Learning (2017);

Employment regulation

• Position Paper on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate Minimum Wages in the European Union (2020)
• The Unemployment Trap in Lithuania: Among the Highest in Europe (2020)
• Position Paper on the European Commission’s Report on the Working Conditions of Platform Workers (2020)
• Position Paper on the European Commission’s Proposal on Possible Action Addressing the Challenges Related to Fair Minimum Wages
• Position on Equal Pay for Equal Work (2019);
• Posting of Workers in the European Union (2017);
• Posting of Workers Directive (2016);
• Working Time Directive (2014);

Energy

• Energy Taxation Directive (2018);
• New Energy Market Design (2015);
• A Green Paper on Energy in 2030 (2013);
• Unconventional fossil fuels in Europe (2013);

 Environment

• Sustainable buildings (2013);
• Sustainability of the food system (2013);

Finance and monetary policy

• Does Increase in Money Supply Really Lead to Higher Prices? (2022)
• EU Initiative on Restrictions on Payments in Cash (2017);
• Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (2016);

Governance

• More efficient law-making in the field of taxation: identification of areas for a move to qualified majority voting (2019);
• The revision of the Commission’s Impact assessment guidelines (2014);

Health

Human-centric health care (2013);

Pensions

• A potential EU personal pension framework (2016);

Social policy

• Access to Social Protection (2018);
• European Pillar of Social Rights (2016);

 Tax and budget

• Position paper on EU budget 2021-2027 (2020)
• An Open Letter on EU Budget 2021-2027 (2020)
• Excise duties applied to manufactured tobacco and possible taxation of novel products (2018);
• The System of Own Resources of the European Union (2018);
• The Future of EU Finance (2017);
• A Joint Open Letter on the Future of EU Finance (2017);
• The Structure of Excise Duties Applied to Alcohol and Alcoholic Beverages (2017);
• Reform of VAT Rates (2017);
• The Effect Corporate Tax Base Harmonization in the EU (2016);
• The Effect Corporate Tax Base Harmonization in the EU (2015);
• VAT legislation on public bodies and tax exemptions in the public interest (2014);
• The European Taxpayer’s Code (2013);

State Aid

• Position on fitness check of 2012 State aid modernisation package;
• The notice on the notion of State aid (2014);

Trade

• The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (2015);

All of the aforementioned policy responses are compiled into the annual editions of the More Liberal Voices publication:

• More Liberal Voices 2019
• More Liberal Voices 2018
• More Liberal Voices 2017
• More Liberal Voices 2016
• More Liberal Voices 2015
• More Liberal Voices 2014
• More Liberal Voices 2013