The meet of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party in Ljubljana is being attended by hundreds of delegates, party leaders and decision makers from 60 member parties from all across Europe.

In his keynote address, Van Baalen touched on the treat of populism, but said: "One year ago it seemed that European citizens were suffering a European fatigue, but the great results of Liberals in Austria, the Netherlands and France have been the right antidote."

He voiced the expectation that after winning the presidential election in France, Emmanuel Macron will be successful in the parliamentary polls as well.

The event was also addressed by Slovenian PM Miro Cerar, whose Modern Centre Party (SMC) is ALDE member. He said the EU was at a crossroads. "The unpredictability of Brexit, spreading populism and security issues face us with great responsibility. We must not forget about respecting democratic values."

"The best way to fight populists is to say the truth and to stick to and stand up for our Liberal values," said Luxembourgian PM Xavier Bettel, whose speech invited standing ovations from the delegates.

He said that it was possible to make Europe even better through cooperation between European policies at at all levels. He does not accept any more that that all EU institutions are led by by the European People's Party (EPP) or the European Socialists (PES).

He said it was necessary to give back hope to citizens, offer them new opportunities. It appears as if nothing is certain any more. Climate change, new economic paradigms, the refugees crisis, dictators, wars... all this has a strong impact on people's lives, he said.

The event was also addressed by European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, who focused on the field of transport and infrastructure. "Liberals have to dare to invest and lead the way. Europe is currently under-invested and we are full of opportunities. Inclusivity should be at the core of solutions."