Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Following the June EU polls, the ALDE Party’s new MEPs, including D66’s Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, and Brigitte van den Berg, champion liberal values.
Following the European Union polls on 6-9 June, the ALDE Party will be represented by a new body of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). According to the ADLE, their Democraten 66 (D66) MEPs will lead the battle for liberal values in the next five years.
What are Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy’s expertise and achievements?
MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy belonging to the group has a field of expertise in Climate, energy, nature and sustainability. As a Member of the European Parliament for D66 from 2009 to 2019, Gerbrandy became the foremost and only MEP ever to be granted the Greenest Politician in the Netherlands recognition for his work on climate, energy, nature and sustainability.
Throughout his time in EU Parliament, he performed on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. He acted as committee vice-chair between 2012 and 2014, leading part of the negotiations on an EU ban on ‘invasive alien species’ that damage the environment. He was re-elected as an MEP as D66’s lead candidate in 2024.
How has Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle contributed to sustainability?
Another D66 MEP Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle has a Field of expertise in Sustainability, human rights, and animal welfare. For over 20 years, Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle has been dedicated to sustainability, human rights, animal welfare, biodiversity conservation, equal opportunities and the advancement of democratic values, often at the EU or international level.
She was one of the passouts of the Alliance Of Her’s Class of 2022. In 2024, she was elected as an MEP in second position on D66’s list of candidates. “The EU can realise its full potential as an engine of peace, freedom and prosperity only if we bring it closer to its citizens. I try to build that bridge, that connection, every day,” she stated.
What roles has Brigitte van den Berg held in politics?
Brigitte van den Berg has a Field of expertise in Environmental Policy. Brigitte van den Berg started getting immersed in politics in Beverwijk, North Holland, in 2010. She was elected as a councillor in 2018 and 2022, operating on portfolios encompassing accessibility and infrastructure, labour market and participation, education, arts and culture, real estate policy and animal welfare.
As an MEP, Brigitte desires to work for a social green transition, for peace, human rights and for an interconnected Europe: “We desperately need each other. Especially now, I want to contribute to a strong Europe; bridging differences. Because Europe ensures that we live in peace, freedom and prosperity,” she stated.
