European Conservatives and Reformists
Encyclopedia
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative
anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament
. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs
, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament.
Founded after the June 2009 European elections
, it is based on the Movement for European Reform
. The largest parties in the group are the Conservative Party
of the United Kingdom
, Law and Justice
(PiS) and Poland Comes First
(PJN) of Poland
, and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of the Czech Republic
. Most of the member parties joined from the European Democrats
section of the EPP-ED and the Union for Europe of the Nations
.
In the media, the group is described as centre-right
to right-wing
. It is more eurosceptic than the three largest groups, but less than the hard eurosceptic EFD
. It is affiliated to the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
Europarty
, but also includes the sole ECPM
MEP.
held a leadership contest
. At the time, Conservative MEPs sat in the European Democrats
(ED), a subgroup of the larger EPP-ED group, which is dominated by the European People's Party
(EPP). One leadership contender, David Cameron
, argued for withdrawal of the Conservatives from EPP-ED and the formation of a new group. His opponent, David Davis
, argued in a letter to The Daily Telegraph
that the subgroup arrangement allowed the Conservatives to maintain suitable distance from EPP, while still having influence. MEP Martin Callanan
responded in that paper the following day:
Cameron won the leadership election. Upon taking office as Conservative leader in December 2005, Cameron indicated that the launch of new group would be undertaken immediately.
In June 2006, Cameron, frustrated with delays, ordered Shadow Foreign Secretary
William Hague
to ensure the new group was created by 13 July 2006. However, when that date arrived, a new policy was announced: the new group would be delayed until after the 2009 elections.
(MER), would be formed and function outside the European Parliament. The same day, the Polish Law and Justice
and Civic Platform
parties were identified as potential members of the new group. However, the latter stated that it would not leave the EPP, and the former stated that it planned to stay aligned to UEN. The next day, Sir Reg Empey
, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
, suggested that the UUP might join the new group after the 2009 election.
The Czech ODS was part of MER but its leader, Mirek Topolánek
, did not rule out staying in EPP-ED. Topolánek then attended the EPP Summit (a meeting of heads of state and government of the European People's Party
) of 21 June 2007, adding speculation about the fragility of the new group. The BBC speculated that the new group could become the third largest group in the Parliament with around 100 MEPs.
In July 2008, the European Parliament raised the 2009 threshold for forming a group to 25 members and (more importantly) representing 7 countries, which raised some doubt about the viability of the new group. Topolanek, after being re-elected President of the ODS on 7 December 2008, attended yet another EPP Summit, on 11 December 2008.
(a 'point-man' for the new group) were looking for partners. The list of possible partners was kept secret: as BBC News
Europe editor Mark Mardell
said,
This did not stop speculation. People or parties that were rumoured to be possible partners in the new group included Law and Justice
; Lega Nord; the Danish People's Party
; For Fatherland and Freedom, Order and Justice, the Pensioners' Party
; Order, Law and Justice; Libertas
; Civic Union
; Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, ChristenUnie-SGP
; the independent Indrek Tarand
; and Lijst Dedecker's Derk Jan Eppink
; from member states such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy
, Sweden
, the Baltic
and Balkan states, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Speculation also considered the remnants of the Union for Europe of the Nations
group, which was thought to be on the verge of collapse after the decision of Fianna Fáil
and National Alliance
to move to the ALDE
and the EPP respectively. Lajos Bokros, elected on the list of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF)
joined the group as the EPP did not want to accept him on pressure of the rival FIDESZ.
As time progressed, the new group was provisionally named the European Conservatives (echoing the 1970s group of the same name
), which was then changed to European Conservatives and Reformists. The original estimates were firmed up to 84 MEPs, then to approximately 60. Frictions surfaced, as the ODS wanted the new group to have as many MEPs as possible, whilst the Conservatives wanted to disbar anti-immigrant parties in the new group, including the Danish People's Party and Lega Nord.
editorial was critical of the new group:
The next day, the Daily Telegraph editorial mused that the ECR should help to enfranchise anti-federalists across Europe and demonstrated David Cameron's leadership qualities.
On 24 June, the group held its inaugural meeting, in which Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope
was named interim leader. Adam Bielan
of PiS and Jan Zahradil
of the ODS were named interim vice-chairmen.
At the first sitting of the Seventh European Parliament, on 14 July, outgoing Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering
announced that applications from all new and returning groups had been received and approved, including ECR. The group then became eligible for EU funding, office space, and committee places appropriate for a group of its size.
The first election for the group leadership was also scheduled for 14 July, pitting interim leader Kirkhope against fellow Briton Geoffrey Van Orden
. However, both Conservative leadership candidates were forced to forfeit the leadership in order to prevent it from falling apart, when then-Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott
defied his party whip and stood for one of the vice-presidency posts despite pledges the previous week that Polish MEP Michał Kamiński would be backed for it. Kamiński's bid for Vice-President of the European Parliament subsequently failed, and the Poles threatened to abandon the new caucus unless Kamiński was made the group leader in the parliament. Kirkhope went to an emergency meeting with the Poles in Strasbourg
and proposed sharing the group leadership with the Pole; however, this was not accepted, and he had to step down as coalition leader, withdrawing in favour of Kamiński. McMillan-Scott, who is known to believe the Conservative's new allies in Poland are 'racist and homophobic', had the Conservative whip
withdrawn in the European Parliament. In March 2010, McMillan-Scott joined the Liberal Democrats
and in the European Parliament, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
.
, formed as a breakaway from Law and Justice following dissatisfaction with the direction and leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński. Kamiński initially remained of the group, but other Law and Justice MEPs argued he should step down. On 15 December, rumours emerged that the eleven remaining PiS MEPs might leave the ECR and join the right-wing Europe of Freedom and Democracy
group instead.
In February 2011, Kamiński announced he would resign his chairmanship, effective 8 March, when a replacement would be elected. Former interim leader Timothy Kirkhope
was said to be the front runner, but lost the election to Jan Zahradil
of the Czech Republic
's ODS. Zahradil has been in talks with other parties about joining the ECR. In late March, David Cameron invited the moderate New Flemish Alliance to join the group.
The May 2011 resignation of Silvana Koch-Mehrin
, one of the fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament
, led to the ECR considering putting another candidate forward to take the position denied by McMillan-Scott's defection. Conservative Party MEP Giles Chichester
was nominated on 31 May, and was elected unopposed by the Parliament on 5 July 2011, after the ALDE group to which Koch-Mehrin belongs failed to find a willing and suitable candidate.
The last mixed group in the European Parliament
was forcibly dissolved. Since then, groups have been required to demonstrate ideological coherence. This is usually done by publishing a document (sometimes called a constituent declaration) stating the principles to which each group member is expected to adhere. The constituent declaration of the ECR has become known as the Prague Declaration. That document outlines the following principles:
, representing ten parties from nine countries. The ECR draws the majority of its MEPs from Central Europe
and the United Kingdom
. It also has minor representation from the Baltic states
, Benelux
and the Nordic countries
. It is weakest in Southern Europe
countries, where it currently has no members.
Originally, it had been announced on 22 June 2009 that Hannu Takkula
, MEP for the Finnish Centre Party
(a European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
member party) would also be a member of ECR (with his two party colleagues remaining in ALDE), but he reversed this decision two days later.
The membership was reduced to 54 when Edward McMillan-Scott was expelled from the group in July 2009. It increased to 55 again when Anna Rosbach
joined the group in March 2011. UKIP MEP David Campbell Bannerman rejoined the Conservative Party in May 2011, taking the group's tally to 56: one larger than The Greens–European Free Alliance. That advantage disappeared, when Rui Tavares
joined the Greens/EFA group in June 2011. Anthea McIntyre was confirmed as the ECR's 57th MEP on 1 December 2011.
and his party with annual Latvian Legion Day
celebrations which were argued to link Zīle to Nazi sympathisers or celebration of the Waffen-SS
.
Roberts Zīle
himself, the sole Latvian MEP in the ECR, has defended his party, stating that his party "has never justified Nazi war crimes or tried to glorify Nazi military units
", while British MEP Daniel Hannan
addressed the criticism thus:
, reported Michael Schudrich
, the Chief Rabbi
of Poland, as criticising Kaminski for his membership of the National Revival of Poland during the Communist era. Schudrich subsequently criticised Macintyre's original article describing the headline as "misleading and untrue" and stated that "Kaminski is a strong friend of the State of Israel".
Departing MEP Edward Macmillan-Scott accused Kaminski of having "anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist links". The defence of ECR MEPs' views on homosexuality has been of two general types; either it has been argued that the policies pursued are largely justified and proportionate, or that the leadership of the ECR has been willing to appear at gay pride events
, and is opposed to state interference in sexual relationships.
has pointed out that while ECR members such as Alexandr Vondra
and the late Lech Kaczynski
(shown left) were prepared to go to prison as part of the struggle for democracy, "two of Labour
’s allied Euro-MPs have been named by the official Polish Institute of National Remembrance as collaborators with the communist secret police
."
, the left-wing press and BBC
have led even Latvia's foreign minister Māris Riekstiņš
to complain to the British Ambassador about the treatment and portrayal of Eastern Europeans in the British media.
Meanwhile, a number of senior figures on the left of British politics have pointed out that this attempt to attack the British Conservatives constitutes slanderous treatment on democratic allies in Eastern Europe
.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
anti-federalist political group 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...
. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs
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,...
, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament.
Founded after the June 2009 European elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, it is based on the Movement for European Reform
Movement 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...
. The largest parties in the group are the Conservative Party
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...
of the United Kingdom
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...
, Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
(PiS) and Poland Comes First
Poland Comes First
Poland Comes First , also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right, conservative liberal, political party in Poland. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice...
(PJN) of Poland
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...
, and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of the Czech Republic
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....
. Most of the member parties joined from the 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...
section of the EPP-ED and the Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their...
.
In the media, the group is described as centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
to right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
. It is more eurosceptic than the three largest groups, but less than the hard eurosceptic EFD
Europe of Freedom and Democracy
Europe of Freedom and Democracy is a Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament. Formed after the European parliamentary election in 2009, it is mostly made up of elements of the now defunct Independence/Democracy and Union for a Europe of Nations groups from the out-going...
. It is affiliated to the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to AECR, is a centre-right anti-federalist European political party defending broader conservative and classical liberal principles. It consists of twelve parties in nine EU member states and Iceland...
Europarty
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...
, but also includes the sole ECPM
European Christian Political Movement
The European Christian Political Movement, abbreviated to ECPM, is a political party at European level that unites national parties from across Europe that share Christian democratic politics. The member parties are generally more socially conservative and Eurosceptic than the European People's...
MEP.
History
The genesis of the ECR dates back to 2005, and possibly earlier. A political group in the European Parliament cannot be officially recognised if it contains MEPs from only a single member state. Instead, it must meet the minimum threshold required by the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure. Any party seeking to create a group must therefore seek partners.Origins: 2005 - 2006
In 2005, the UK Conservative PartyConservative 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...
held a leadership contest
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2005
The 2005 Conservative leadership election was called by party leader Michael Howard on 6 May 2005, when he announced that he would be stepping down as leader in the near future. However, he stated that he would not depart until a review of the rules for the leadership election had been conducted,...
. At the time, Conservative MEPs sat in the 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...
(ED), a subgroup of the larger EPP-ED group, which is dominated by the 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...
(EPP). One leadership contender, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, argued for withdrawal of the Conservatives from EPP-ED and the formation of a new group. His opponent, David Davis
David Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
, argued in a letter to The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that the subgroup arrangement allowed the Conservatives to maintain suitable distance from EPP, while still having influence. MEP Martin Callanan
Martin Callanan
Martin Callanan is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the North East England constituency since 1999, and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009...
responded in that paper the following day:
Cameron won the leadership election. Upon taking office as Conservative leader in December 2005, Cameron indicated that the launch of new group would be undertaken immediately.
In June 2006, Cameron, frustrated with delays, ordered Shadow Foreign Secretary
Shadow Foreign Secretary
In British politics, the shadow foreign secretary is a position within the opposition's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office; such things are relations with other nations, if elected, the designated person may be slated to become the new Foreign...
William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
to ensure the new group was created by 13 July 2006. However, when that date arrived, a new policy was announced: the new group would be delayed until after the 2009 elections.
Movement for European Reform
In the interim, a pan-European alliance, called 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...
(MER), would be formed and function outside the European Parliament. The same day, the Polish Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
and Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
parties were identified as potential members of the new group. However, the latter stated that it would not leave the EPP, and the former stated that it planned to stay aligned to UEN. The next day, Sir Reg Empey
Reg Empey
Reginald Norman Morgan Empey, Baron Empey of Shandon, OBE, – known as Sir Reg Empey prior to 2011 – is a former Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast...
, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
, suggested that the UUP might join the new group after the 2009 election.
Mirek Topolánek
Mirek Topolánek is a former prime minister of the Czech Republic and former President of the European Council. A member of the Civic Democratic Party, he was chairman of the center-right party between November 2002 and March 2010, succeeding Václav Klaus, who was elected President in 2003.On 24...
, did not rule out staying in EPP-ED. Topolánek then attended the EPP Summit (a meeting of heads of state and government of the 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...
) of 21 June 2007, adding speculation about the fragility of the new group. The BBC speculated that the new group could become the third largest group in the Parliament with around 100 MEPs.
In July 2008, the European Parliament raised the 2009 threshold for forming a group to 25 members and (more importantly) representing 7 countries, which raised some doubt about the viability of the new group. Topolanek, after being re-elected President of the ODS on 7 December 2008, attended yet another EPP Summit, on 11 December 2008.
2009 European Parliament elections
As the 2009 elections approached, Cameron, Topolanek, and Conservative MEP Geoffrey Van OrdenGeoffrey van Orden
Geoffrey Charles Van Orden MBE is a British politician and former soldier. He is currently Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region for the Conservative Party. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999....
(a 'point-man' for the new group) were looking for partners. The list of possible partners was kept secret: as BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
Europe editor Mark Mardell
Mark Mardell
Mark Mardell is the North American Editor for BBC News. He has provided coverage for each United Kingdom general election since 1992.-Education:...
said,
This did not stop speculation. People or parties that were rumoured to be possible partners in the new group included Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
; Lega Nord; the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
; For Fatherland and Freedom, Order and Justice, the Pensioners' Party
Pensioners' Party (Italy)
The Pensioners' Party is a centrist Italian political party. It was founded in 1987 in Milan and its current leader is Carlo Fatuzzo....
; Order, Law and Justice; Libertas
Libertas.eu
Libertas is a political party founded by Declan Ganley that took part in the European Parliament election, 2009 in several member states of the European Union.-Preamble:...
; Civic Union
Civic Union (Latvia)
The Civic Union was a Latvian political party. It was founded in 2008 and most of its members came from the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK and New Era Party. It has been described as centre-right or right-wing....
; Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, ChristenUnie-SGP
ChristenUnie-SGP
Christian Union – Reformed Political Party was a parliamentary party in the European Parliament formed by two Dutch orthodox Protestant parties: the ChristianUnion and the Reformed Political Party...
; the independent Indrek Tarand
Indrek Tarand
Indrek Tarand MEP is an Estonian politician, reserve officer, civil servant, journalist and historian.Tarand has served as an advisor to the Prime Minister of Estonia and as the Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-Biography:Tarand is the eldest son of Andres Tarand...
; and Lijst Dedecker's Derk Jan Eppink
Derk Jan Eppink
Derk Jan Eppink is a Dutch journalist, politician in Belgium, and former cabinet secretary for European Commissioners Bolkestein and Kallas . In 2009, he was elected to the European Parliament for List Dedecker and sits on the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive.Eppink was...
; from member states such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and Balkan states, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Speculation also considered the remnants of the Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations
Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their...
group, which was thought to be on the verge of collapse after the decision of Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
and National Alliance
National Alliance (Italy)
National Alliance was a conservative political party in Italy.Gianfranco Fini was the leader of the party since its foundation in 1995, however he stepped down in 2008 after being elected to the nominally non-partisan post of President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was succeeded by...
to move to the ALDE
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
and the EPP respectively. Lajos Bokros, elected on the list of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF)
Hungarian Democratic Forum
The Hungarian Democratic Forum , abbreviated to MDF, was a centre-right political party in Hungary. It had a liberal conservative and Christian democratic ideology...
joined the group as the EPP did not want to accept him on pressure of the rival FIDESZ.
As time progressed, the new group was provisionally named the European Conservatives (echoing the 1970s group of the same name
European Conservatives
The European Conservative Group was a Conservative political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1973 and 1979.-History:On 1 January 1973 the Community enlarged for the first time to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom...
), which was then changed to European Conservatives and Reformists. The original estimates were firmed up to 84 MEPs, then to approximately 60. Frictions surfaced, as the ODS wanted the new group to have as many MEPs as possible, whilst the Conservatives wanted to disbar anti-immigrant parties in the new group, including the Danish People's Party and Lega Nord.
Formation
On 22 June 2009, the first official list of the new group's members was released. The same day, the Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
editorial was critical of the new group:
The next day, the Daily Telegraph editorial mused that the ECR should help to enfranchise anti-federalists across Europe and demonstrated David Cameron's leadership qualities.
On 24 June, the group held its inaugural meeting, in which Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy John Robert Kirkhope is a British lawyer and politician, currently serving as Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the Conservative Party. After serving for ten years as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East, he was first elected to the European Parliament...
was named interim leader. Adam Bielan
Adam Bielan
Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
of PiS and Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil is a Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party . He is the Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, a position that he's held since 8 March 2011.A scientific researcher by profession, Zahradil...
of the ODS were named interim vice-chairmen.
At the first sitting of the Seventh European Parliament, on 14 July, outgoing Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering
Hans-Gert Pöttering
Hans-Gert Pöttering is a German conservative politician , and was the President of the European Parliament from January 2007 to July 2009...
announced that applications from all new and returning groups had been received and approved, including ECR. The group then became eligible for EU funding, office space, and committee places appropriate for a group of its size.
Geoffrey van Orden
Geoffrey Charles Van Orden MBE is a British politician and former soldier. He is currently Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region for the Conservative Party. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999....
. However, both Conservative leadership candidates were forced to forfeit the leadership in order to prevent it from falling apart, when then-Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott
Edward McMillan-Scott
Edward Hugh Christian McMillan-Scott is a British Member of the European Parliament and one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament...
defied his party whip and stood for one of the vice-presidency posts despite pledges the previous week that Polish MEP Michał Kamiński would be backed for it. Kamiński's bid for Vice-President of the European Parliament subsequently failed, and the Poles threatened to abandon the new caucus unless Kamiński was made the group leader in the parliament. Kirkhope went to an emergency meeting with the Poles in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and proposed sharing the group leadership with the Pole; however, this was not accepted, and he had to step down as coalition leader, withdrawing in favour of Kamiński. McMillan-Scott, who is known to believe the Conservative's new allies in Poland are 'racist and homophobic', had the Conservative whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
withdrawn in the European Parliament. In March 2010, McMillan-Scott joined the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
and in the European Parliament, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
.
Problems in the Law and Justice Party
Group chairman Kamiński left Law and Justice in November 2010, saying that the party had been taken over by far-right extremists. Kamiński and other Law and Justice MPs and MEPs formed a new Polish party, Poland Comes FirstPoland Comes First
Poland Comes First , also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right, conservative liberal, political party in Poland. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice...
, formed as a breakaway from Law and Justice following dissatisfaction with the direction and leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński. Kamiński initially remained of the group, but other Law and Justice MEPs argued he should step down. On 15 December, rumours emerged that the eleven remaining PiS MEPs might leave the ECR and join the right-wing Europe of Freedom and Democracy
Europe of Freedom and Democracy
Europe of Freedom and Democracy is a Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament. Formed after the European parliamentary election in 2009, it is mostly made up of elements of the now defunct Independence/Democracy and Union for a Europe of Nations groups from the out-going...
group instead.
In February 2011, Kamiński announced he would resign his chairmanship, effective 8 March, when a replacement would be elected. Former interim leader Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy John Robert Kirkhope is a British lawyer and politician, currently serving as Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the Conservative Party. After serving for ten years as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East, he was first elected to the European Parliament...
was said to be the front runner, but lost the election to Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil is a Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party . He is the Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, a position that he's held since 8 March 2011.A scientific researcher by profession, Zahradil...
of the Czech Republic
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....
's ODS. Zahradil has been in talks with other parties about joining the ECR. In late March, David Cameron invited the moderate New Flemish Alliance to join the group.
The May 2011 resignation of Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Esther Silvana Koch-Mehrin is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Free Democratic Party of Germany. Until May 2011, she was Vice Chairwoman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. She is a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets...
, one of the fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament
Vice President of the European Parliament
There are fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the President in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament.-Role:...
, led to the ECR considering putting another candidate forward to take the position denied by McMillan-Scott's defection. Conservative Party MEP Giles Chichester
Giles Chichester
Giles Chichester is a British Conservative Party politician, and a Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar. He was elected as a temporary Vice President of the European Parliament on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin who had resigned over plagiarism...
was nominated on 31 May, and was elected unopposed by the Parliament on 5 July 2011, after the ALDE group to which Koch-Mehrin belongs failed to find a willing and suitable candidate.
Founding principles
Technical Group of Independents (1999–2001)
The Technical Group of Independent Members was a heterogeneous political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1999 and 2001. Unlike other political groups of the European Parliament, it did not have a coherent political complexion. Its existence prompted a five-year examination of...
was forcibly dissolved. Since then, groups have been required to demonstrate ideological coherence. This is usually done by publishing a document (sometimes called a constituent declaration) stating the principles to which each group member is expected to adhere. The constituent declaration of the ECR has become known as the Prague Declaration. That document outlines the following principles:
- Free enterprise, freeFree tradeUnder a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and fair tradeFair tradeFair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
and competition, minimal regulation, lower taxation, and small governmentSmall governmentA Small government is one which minimizes its own activities. It is a concept important to classical liberalism and libertarianism.-In Hong Kong:...
as the ultimate catalysts for individual freedomIndividualismIndividualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
and personal and national prosperity. - Freedom of the individual, more personal responsibility and greater democratic accountability.
- Sustainable, clean energy supply with an emphasis on energy securityEnergy securityEnergy security is a term for an association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led...
. - The importance of the familyFamilyIn human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
as the bedrock of societySocietyA society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. - The sovereign integrityNational sovereigntyNational sovereignty is the doctrine that sovereignty belongs to and derives from the nation, an abstract entity normally linked to a physical territory and its past, present, and future citizens. It is an ideological concept or doctrine derived from liberal political theory...
of the nation state, opposition to EU federalism and a renewed respect for true subsidiaritySubsidiaritySubsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which...
. - The overriding value of the transatlantic security relationshipAtlanticismAtlanticism is a philosophy of cooperation among Western European and North American nations regarding political, economic, and defense issues, with the purpose to maintain the security of the participating countries, and to protect the values that unite them: "democracy, individual liberty and...
in a revitalised NATO, and support for young democracies across Europe. - Effectively controlled immigration and an end to abuse of asylum procedures
- Efficient and modern public servicesPublic servicesPublic services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
and sensitivity to the needs of both rural and urban communities. - An end to waste and excessive bureaucracyBureaucracyA bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
and a commitment to greater transparency and probity in the EU institutions and use of EU funds. - Respect and equitable treatment for all EU countries, new and old, large and small.
Membership
The ECR has 57 Members of the European ParliamentMember 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,...
, representing ten parties from nine countries. The ECR draws the majority of its MEPs from Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and the United Kingdom
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...
. It also has minor representation from the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
, Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
and the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
. It is weakest in Southern Europe
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
countries, where it currently has no members.
Originally, it had been announced on 22 June 2009 that Hannu Takkula
Hannu Takkula
Hannu Takkula is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Centre Party of Finland....
, MEP for the Finnish Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
(a European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe...
member party) would also be a member of ECR (with his two party colleagues remaining in ALDE), but he reversed this decision two days later.
The membership was reduced to 54 when Edward McMillan-Scott was expelled from the group in July 2009. It increased to 55 again when Anna Rosbach
Anna Rosbach
Anna Rosbach Andersen is a Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament. She is an independent sitting in the European Conservatives and Reformists . She was elected for the Danish People's Party , but left in March 2011.-External links: *...
joined the group in March 2011. UKIP MEP David Campbell Bannerman rejoined the Conservative Party in May 2011, taking the group's tally to 56: one larger than The Greens–European Free Alliance. That advantage disappeared, when Rui Tavares
Rui Tavares
Rui Tavares is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament. He was elected in 2009 for the Left Bloc. In June 2011, Tavares became an independent within the The Greens–European Free Alliance group....
joined the Greens/EFA group in June 2011. Anthea McIntyre was confirmed as the ECR's 57th MEP on 1 December 2011.
| Party name | Abbr. | Member state | MEPs | Date joined | Previous group | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian, Direct, Democratic | LDD | 1 | N/A | ||||
| Civic Democratic Party | ODS | 9 | EPP-ED | ||||
| Anna Rosbach Anna Rosbach Anna Rosbach Andersen is a Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament. She is an independent sitting in the European Conservatives and Reformists . She was elected for the Danish People's Party , but left in March 2011.-External links: *... (independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... ) |
1 | EFD Europe of Freedom and Democracy Europe of Freedom and Democracy is a Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament. Formed after the European parliamentary election in 2009, it is mostly made up of elements of the now defunct Independence/Democracy and Union for a Europe of Nations groups from the out-going... |
|||||
| Lajos Bokros Lajos Bokros Lajos András Bokros is a Hungarian economist and Member of the European Parliament for Hungary.Bokros was born in Budapest. He graduated from and holds a Ph.D. from the Budapest University of Economics.... (independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... ) |
1 | EPP-ED | |||||
| For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK | TB/LNNK | 1 | UEN Union for Europe of the Nations Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their... |
||||
| Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania | AWPL | 1 | N/A | ||||
| ChristianUnion ChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
CU | 1 | IND/DEM | ||||
| Adam Bielan Adam Bielan Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping.... (independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... ) |
1 | UEN Union for Europe of the Nations Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their... |
|||||
| Law and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament.... |
PiS | 8 | UEN Union for Europe of the Nations Union for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their... |
||||
| Poland Comes First Poland Comes First Poland Comes First , also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right, conservative liberal, political party in Poland. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice... |
PJN | 3 | N/A | ||||
| Solidary Poland | SP | 3 | N/A | ||||
| Conservative Party 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... |
26 | EPP-ED | |||||
| Ulster Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
UUP | 1 | EPP-ED | ||||
| Elected for the Danish People's Party Danish People's Party The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard... . Elected for the Hungarian Democratic Forum Hungarian Democratic Forum The Hungarian Democratic Forum , abbreviated to MDF, was a centre-right political party in Hungary. It had a liberal conservative and Christian democratic ideology... . Elected for Law and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament.... . Joined Poland Comes First Poland Comes First Poland Comes First , also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right, conservative liberal, political party in Poland. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice... on 16 November 2010. Left Poland Comes First on 18 March 2011. Elected for Law and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament.... . Left Law and Justice on 16 November 2010. Elected for Law and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament.... . Left Law and Justice on 4 November 2011. Jim Nicholson Jim Nicholson (UK politician) James Frederick "Jim" Nicholson is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician, who is currently a Member of the European Parliament .-Career:... was elected for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists: an electoral alliance between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists. He is not counted in the Conservative Party total here. |
|||||||
Executive
The group is led by an eleven-person executive, with representatives from all countries with ECR Euro-parliamentarians.| Position | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jan Zahradil Jan Zahradil Jan Zahradil is a Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party . He is the Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, a position that he's held since 8 March 2011.A scientific researcher by profession, Zahradil... |
 Civic Democratic Party |
| Deputy Chairman | Timothy Kirkhope Timothy Kirkhope Timothy John Robert Kirkhope is a British lawyer and politician, currently serving as Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the Conservative Party. After serving for ten years as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East, he was first elected to the European Parliament... |
 Conservative PartyConservative 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... |
| Vice Chairman | Ryszard Legutko Ryszard Legutko Ryszard Antoni Legutko , born 24 December 1949. Polish philosopher and politician. Professor of philosophy at the Jagellonian University in Kraków, specializing in ancientphilosophy and political theory.... |
 Law and JusticeLaw and Justice Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament.... |
| Vice Chairman | Adam Bielan Adam Bielan Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping.... |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
| Member of the Bureau | Lajos Bokros Lajos Bokros Lajos András Bokros is a Hungarian economist and Member of the European Parliament for Hungary.Bokros was born in Budapest. He graduated from and holds a Ph.D. from the Budapest University of Economics.... |
 IndependentIndependent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
| Member of the Bureau | Derk Jan Eppink Derk Jan Eppink Derk Jan Eppink is a Dutch journalist, politician in Belgium, and former cabinet secretary for European Commissioners Bolkestein and Kallas . In 2009, he was elected to the European Parliament for List Dedecker and sits on the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive.Eppink was... |
 Libertarian, Direct, Democratic |
| Member of the Bureau | Peter van Dalen Peter van Dalen Peter van Dalen is a Dutch civil servant and politician. He is a member of the ChristianUnion party, a socially conservative Protestant party, and was formerly a member of the Reformatory Political Federation , which merged with the Reformed Political League to form the ChristianUnion... |
 ChristianUnionChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
| Member of the Bureau | Roberts Zīle Roberts Zile Dr. Roberts Zīle is a Latvian economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative political party in Latvia and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists... |
 For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK |
| Member of the Bureau | Valdemar Tomaševski Valdemar Tomaševski Valdemar Tomaševski , rendered in Polish orthography as Waldemar Tomaszewski, is a Lithuanian politician and Member of the European Parliament. Leader of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania , Tomaševski has been an MEP since 2009... |
 Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania |
| Treasurer | Hynek Fajmon Hynek Fajmon Hynek Fajmon is a Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party, part of the European Democrats and sits onthe European Parliament's Committee on Budgets.... |
Civic Democratic Party |
| Treasurer | Philip Bradbourn Philip Bradbourn Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, for the Conservative Party... |
Conservative Party 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... |
Latvian Legion
The European Conservatives and Reformists group has faced criticism from sections of the British press for the association of Roberts ZīleRoberts Zile
Dr. Roberts Zīle is a Latvian economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative political party in Latvia and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists...
and his party with annual Latvian Legion Day
Latvian Legion Day
Latvian Legion Day is a day on March 16, when front soldiers of the Latvian Legion, part of the Waffen SS, are commemorated...
celebrations which were argued to link Zīle to Nazi sympathisers or celebration of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
.
Roberts Zīle
Roberts Zile
Dr. Roberts Zīle is a Latvian economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative political party in Latvia and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists...
himself, the sole Latvian MEP in the ECR, has defended his party, stating that his party "has never justified Nazi war crimes or tried to glorify Nazi military units
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
", while British MEP 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...
addressed the criticism thus:
They don't "celebrate Waffen SS veterans". They attend an annual commemoration of all Latvia's war victims, a commemoration attended by every party in Latvia except the Russian ones. Let me repeat that: attended by every party in Latvia, from the Christian DemocratsChristian Democratic Union (Latvia)The Christian Democratic Union is a minor christian democratic political party in Latvia. It is currently led by Māra Viktorija Zilgalve.- History :...
to the GreensUnion of Greens and FarmersUnion of Greens and Farmers is a green/agrarian and conservative political alliance in Latvia. It consists of two political parties: Latvian Farmers' Union and the Green Party of Latvia . It is the third-largest party in the Saeima....
.
Michał Kamiński
The charge that group leader, Michał Kamiński, was anti-Semitic first appeared in Britain when an article in the left-wing magazine, the New StatesmanNew Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, reported Michael Schudrich
Michael Schudrich
Michael Joseph Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.-Biography:...
, the Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Poland, as criticising Kaminski for his membership of the National Revival of Poland during the Communist era. Schudrich subsequently criticised Macintyre's original article describing the headline as "misleading and untrue" and stated that "Kaminski is a strong friend of the State of Israel".
Departing MEP Edward Macmillan-Scott accused Kaminski of having "anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist links". The defence of ECR MEPs' views on homosexuality has been of two general types; either it has been argued that the policies pursued are largely justified and proportionate, or that the leadership of the ECR has been willing to appear at gay pride events
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
, and is opposed to state interference in sexual relationships.
Counter-criticism
Record under Communism
British Foreign Secretary William HagueWilliam Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
has pointed out that while ECR members such as Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr "Saša" Vondra is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Senator from Litoměřice and the nation's Minister of Defence. He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party...
and the late Lech Kaczynski
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
(shown left) were prepared to go to prison as part of the struggle for democracy, "two of Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
’s allied Euro-MPs have been named by the official Polish Institute of National Remembrance as collaborators with the communist secret police
Ministry of Public Security of Poland
The Ministry of Public Security of Poland was a Polish communist secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage service operating from 1945 to 1954 under Jakub Berman of the Politburo...
."
Anti-Eastern Europeanism
The severity of the attacks on the Latvian For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK party from David MilibandDavid Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, the left-wing press and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
have led even Latvia's foreign minister Māris Riekstiņš
Māris Riekstiņš
Māris Riekstiņš is a Latvian politician and diplomat with an extensive experience in the foreign service, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Latvia...
to complain to the British Ambassador about the treatment and portrayal of Eastern Europeans in the British media.
Meanwhile, a number of senior figures on the left of British politics have pointed out that this attempt to attack the British Conservatives constitutes slanderous treatment on democratic allies in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
See also
- European ConservativesEuropean ConservativesThe European Conservative Group was a Conservative political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1973 and 1979.-History:On 1 January 1973 the Community enlarged for the first time to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom...
, an earlier political group of Conservatives in the European Parliament - European Conservatives and Reformists Group ExecutiveEuropean Conservatives and Reformists Group ExecutiveThe European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive comprises the governing council of the major conservative grouping in the European Parliament...
- Movement for European ReformMovement for European ReformThe 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...