Last week (October 16-19), EPPride gathered for three days of useful meetings with various NGOs and to hold our Annual Meeting in Amsterdam and the Hague, the Netherlands. The focus of the Annual Meeting was directed to local policies and LGBTIQ+ issues in municipalities, cities and regions.
Rewarding meetings
During Thursday and Friday, the hosts of the Annual Meeting, CDA Pride organised a program of rewarding meetings with Dutch organisations and with CDA. The meetings gave useful knowledge about systematic competence building from the independent foundation Movisie who work with supporting Dutch municipalities in their work with among other areas LGBTIQ+. Issues. Good insight into work to prevent STD’s and HIV from Soa Aids Nederland. Pride Amsterdam gave us insight into the plans for EuroPride and World Pride in 2026 and we had an exciting visit to IHLIA LGBTI Heritage, the world’s largest LGBTIQ+ archive.
COC Nederland, the national LGBTIQ+ organisation in the Netherlands informed about its work both in The Netherlands and internationally, while LCC Plus Projecten gave useful insight into the relationship between religious communities and the LGBTIQ+ members of the communities.
Former MEP and MP Wim van de Camp from CDA gave us a very good introduction to Dutch politics, CDA strategy and politics and the political landscape two weeks before the upcoming snap election.
Local policies and new board
Saturday started with the formal Annual Meeting of EPPride. The AM gave us time for policy development, discussions and adoption of political resolutions to be forwarded both within the EPP – European People’s Party, towards the European Parliament and not least for our member organizations in their home countries. The new Handbook för Local LGBTIQ+ policies was presented by 2nd Vice President Kevin Maas and welcomed by the members. Motions were adopted among other issues on the situation in Slovakia demanding that the EU step in and take action against the discriminatory legislation in the country, the importance of fighting bullying in schools and online towards LGBTIQ+ youth on the local level and the importance to defend the core values of inclusion and diversity on the European level.
The Presidency was re-elected with Helge Ytterøy L’orange from Åpne Høyre as President, Gerben Horst, from the host organisation CDA Pride as first Vice President and Kevin Maas from Belgian CD&V Regenboognetwerk as Second Vice President. Fredrik Saweståhl from Öppna Moderater, Sweden was named Secretary General.
Many thanks to CDA Pride and CDA who hosted a great conference and created a very knowledge building good program.