Alliance for an Open Europe
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for an Open Europe is a eurosceptic
and free market
transnational political organisation, that includes representatives from political parties and think tank
s.
Conservative
MEP
Daniel Hannan
, and its birth came in the midst of renewed questioning of the linkage between the centre-right European People's Party
and the further-right eurosceptic European Democrats
in the European Parliament
.
Some have suggested that the organization could become the nucleus of a new European political party
or that its name be adopted by a newly-independent ED group. The Alliance appears to have never received any official sanction from the respective party leadership of its participants, however.
Delegates to its inaugural meeting on 5 December 2005 included representatives from the UK
Conservatives
, the Czech
Civic Democratic Party, the Polish
Law and Justice party and the French
Rally For France.
was announced, a broadly similar body, though with a formal mandate from the leadership of the British Conservatives and Czech Civic Democrats. In February/March 2007 the Bulgaria
n Union of Democratic Forces
also joined in.
It remains unclear if the Alliance is now officially defunct or supplanted; the MER thus far does not include either the Rally for France or Law and Justice, however.
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
and free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
transnational political organisation, that includes representatives from political parties and think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
s.
Founding
It was initiated by BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Daniel Hannan
Daniel Hannan
Daniel John Hannan is a British journalist, author and politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists political group...
, and its birth came in the midst of renewed questioning of the linkage between the centre-right European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
and the further-right eurosceptic European Democrats
European Democrats
The European Democrats was a loose association of conservative political parties in Europe. It is a political group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe...
in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Some have suggested that the organization could become the nucleus of a new European political party
European political party
A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally a Europarty, is a type of political party organization operating transnationally in Europe and in the institutions of the European Union. They are regulated and funded by the European Union and are usually made up...
or that its name be adopted by a newly-independent ED group. The Alliance appears to have never received any official sanction from the respective party leadership of its participants, however.
Delegates to its inaugural meeting on 5 December 2005 included representatives from the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Civic Democratic Party, the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Law and Justice party and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Rally For France.
Uncertain future?
In July 2006, the Movement for European ReformMovement for European Reform
The Movement for European Reform, abbreviated to MER, was a pan-European alliance of national centre-right political parties with conservative, pro-free market and Eurosceptic inclinations...
was announced, a broadly similar body, though with a formal mandate from the leadership of the British Conservatives and Czech Civic Democrats. In February/March 2007 the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n Union of Democratic Forces
Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)
The Union of Democratic Forces is a political party in Bulgaria, founded in 1989 as a union of several political organizations in opposition to the communist government. In February 1997 the Union was transformed into a single unified party with the same name...
also joined in.
It remains unclear if the Alliance is now officially defunct or supplanted; the MER thus far does not include either the Rally for France or Law and Justice, however.
News report
Praises
- http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/544 Brussels Journal: The Congress of Brussels. 2005-12-06
- EURSOC: The Congress Of Brussels. 2005-12-09
- Adieu-EPP