However, the VLD continued to contain conservative-libertarian and classical liberal wings with ties to think-tanks like Nova Civitas.

Internal feuds, the support for electoral rights for immigrants and an unsuccessful economic policy were seen as the main reasons for its election defeat.

The school pact of 1958, as a result of which the most important argument for the traditional anti-clericalism was removed, gave the necessary impetus for a thorough renewal.

The new liberal party, which struggled with an anti-clerical image, opened its doors for believers, but wasn't too concerned about the situation of workers and primarily defended the interests of employers.

Willy De Clercq became the first chairman of the independent Party of Freedom and Progress (Dutch: Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang, PVV).

This reform was coupled an Ethical Congress, on which the PVV adopted very progressive and tolerant stances regarding abortion, euthanasia, adultery, homosexuality and gender equality.

In 1992, the PVV was reformed into the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten, VLD) under the impulse of Verhofstadt.

Although the VLD was the successor of the PVV, many politicians with democratic nationalist or socialist roots joined the new party.

Some of the party's ideological influences have been Karl Popper, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Paine, Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum.

The party also contained members from both social democratic and Flemish nationalist liberal-conservative backgrounds who have influenced the VLD's course, such as former Volksunie leader Jaak Gabriëls and Hugo Coveliers falling into the latter camp.

Dedecker later founded the LDD and Coveliers VLOTT while others joined the N-VA.[12] In 2024, Open VLD (along with MR) blocked Belgium from recognizing the State of Palestine.

[17][18] Then-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (VLD) was rejected as a candidate for the presidency of the European Commission in June 2004.

In the European Committee of the Regions, Open VLD sits in the Renew Europe CoR group, with two alternate members for the 2020-2025 mandate.