Astrid Panosyan, co-founder of En Marche, speaks at the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE Party) on November 9 in Madrid | Jesus Hellin/Zuma Wire via Belga Images Macron ally charms Europe’s liberals Astrid Panosyan urged liberals to enter the ‘battle of ideas.’

Astrid Panosyan was the star of the show at the annual gathering of Europe's liberals in Madrid.

The 47-year-old businesswoman, who is a close political ally of Emmanuel Macron and a co-founder of his En Marche political movement, earned a standing ovation when she formalized the party's call for a coalition with Europe's liberals.

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the fourth largest party grouping in the Parliament, hopes that the alliance with the French president's La République En Marche will help them to break the conservatives' dominance over EU politics.

In particular, delegates gathered in Madrid — where they voted on a party manifesto for the European election in May — want to disrupt a system for choosing the next European Commission president. They argue it is rigged in favor of the center-right European People’s Party.

Panosyan earned her ovation with a forceful speech that committed La République En Marche to join ALDE in “a common front, a platform of self-evident policies pertaining to democratic institutions, climate change, social inclusion and collective security." She added that her party's goal would be to work toward a common campaign and, ultimately, a new group in the European Parliament.

“We need to break the good old habits of conservatives and socialists in the way they have been running things in Brussels,” Panosyan said, adding that liberals, democrats and progressives must return to the "battle of ideas."

She buttered up her audience by thanking the members of ALDE who had “entrusted us with your support” and added that “En Marche would have not been possible without you."

Her call to arms struck a chord with many liberals in the room.

“It was capital to hear that we are going to be together,” said Javier Nart, a member of the Spanish center-right Ciudadanos, which is a member of ALDE. He praised Panosyan for her ability to “ring the bells” on the rise of populists in Europe. “We have been sleeping for too long,” he added.

Sophie In ’t Veld, a Dutch liberal MEP, said she didn’t know Panosyan well personally but was impressed with the speech. “It’s the speech we were looking for on values, and on self-confidence about being pro-European,” she said.

An ALDE official said few people in the group knew Panosyan but her “speaking talent, and perfect command of English were impressive.” The official was even more caught off guard when he heard Panosyan — whose mother is Norwegian — speak in Swedish to Annie Lööf, the new rising star of the liberal Center Party in Sweden.

Though she is little-known in France and Brussels, Panosyan is not a newcomer in politics and business. A senior En Marche official even said she was interested in running for the EU election, and some officials in Madrid joked that she could make a good addition to ALDE’s slate of candidates for EU top jobs.

As a member of Macron’s cabinet when he was France’s economy minister, Panosyan advised him on international investments and the attractiveness of France's economy. In 2016, she co-founded the En Marche movement and was later part of a trio who led the movement for several months before Christophe Castaner took its reigns.

As the movement’s current head of international relations, she is part of a team of people at En Marche who have conducted En Marche’s mission to build a progressive force in and outside the Parliament. She was recently in Vienna and Hungary to meet with liberal parties there.

Besides politics, Panosyan’s business CV is impressive. She graduated from Paris at the well-regarded Sciences-Po school and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Later, she took up senior positions at two of the main insurance groups in France, AXA and Groupama.

But even as Panosyan’s effort to build the new alliance moves forward, there are still differences.

Danish MEP Morten Løkkegaard said that Panosyan’s speech had made a good impression with ALDE delegates, but that many still want Macron and his party to embrace the “liberal” label — something he has resisted.

“We recognize the situation in France and how the term ‘liberal’ is interpreted,” Løkkegaard said. “But we insist on them accepting the term ‘liberal.’”