Irish businessman founds European party

BRUSSELS, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An Irish businessman has founded a political party that plans to run candidates for the European Parliament in every member nation of the European Union.

Libertas is the first all-Europe party, the EU Observer reported.

Declan Ganley said his aim is to make the European Union a truly Democratic organization. He talked to reporters Thursday at the office Libertas has recently opened in Brussels.

Ganley founded the Libertas group, which helped defeat the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum in Ireland. He charged that the European Union is becoming increasingly undemocratic.

"We want Europe to be strong and stand tall in the world, but based on democratic principles," he said. "This is a pro-European organization. There is no future for Euroscepticism. The European Union is necessary."

Libertas will adopt a centrist position on other issues, Ganley said, to attract broad support in the 27 member states.