European People's Party–European Democrats
Encyclopedia
The Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right
political group of the European Parliament. It is made up of MEPs elected from the lists of member parties of the European People's Party
(EPP).
The EPP Group is one of the three oldest groups, dating its origin back to September 1952 and the first meeting of the Parliament's predecessor, the Common Assembly. Founded as an explicitly Christian democratic
group, it declined at first but reversed its fortunes in the 1980s and 1990s when, as a result of the gradual enlargement of the EPP (party), it started to pick up members from other centre-right but non-Christian democratic parties.
(the predecessor of the present day European Parliament) first met on 10 September 1952 and the first Christian Democratic group was unofficially formed the next day, with Maan Sassen
as President. The group held 38 of the 78 seats, two short of an absolute majority. On 16 June 1953 the Common Assembly passed a resolution enabling the official formation of political groups, and on 23 June 1953 the constituent declaration of the group was published and the group was officially formed.
The Christian Democrat group was the biggest group at formation, but as time wore on it lost support and was the second-biggest group by the time of the 1979 elections. As the Community expanded into the Union, the centre-right in the new member states were not necessarily Christian Democrat and the EPP (European People's Party
, the transnational political party founded in 1976 which all group members are now affiliated to) feared being sidelined. To counter this, the EPP (party) expanded its remit to cover the centre-right regardless of tradition and pursued a policy of integrating Conservative parties.
This policy bore fruit, with the Greek New Democracy and Spanish Partido Popular MEPs joining the EPP Group. The British and Danish Conservatives tried to maintain a group of their own called the European Democrats (ED), but lack of support and the problems inherent in maintaining a small group forced ED's collapse in the 1990s, and its members crossed the floor to join the EPP Group. The parties of these MEPs also became full members of the EPP (with the exception of the British Conservatives who did not join the Party) and this consolidation process of the European centre-right throughout the '90s with the acquisition of members from the Italian Forza Italia. However, the consolidation was not unalloyed and a split emerged with the Eurosceptic MEPs who congregated in a subgroup within the group, also called the European Democrats
(ED).
Nevertheless the consolidation held through the 1990s, assisted by the group being renamed to the European People's Party–European Democrats
(EPP-ED Group), and the group reclaimed its position as the largest group in the Parliament after the 1999 elections.
Size was not enough, however: the group did not have a majority. It continued therefore to engage in the Grand Coalition (a coalition with the Socialist Group, or occasionally the Liberals) to generate the majorities required by the cooperation procedure
under the Single European Act
. This coalition has held, although occasionally the group adopts a government-opposition dynamic with the other groups, notably during the budget crisis when it opposed the Socialists and brought about the resignation of the Santer Commission.
Meanwhile the parties in the ED subgroup were growing restless
and finally left following the 2009 elections, when the Czech
Civic Democratic Party and United Kingdom
Conservatives
formed their own European Conservatives and Reformists
group on 22 June 2009, abolishing the ED subgroup from that date. The EPP-ED Group reverted to its original name - EPP Group - almost immediately.
The EPP Group remains the largest group in the European Parliament with 265 MEPs. It is the only political group in the European parliament to fully represent its corresponding European political party
, i.e. the EPP
. The United Kingdom is now the only member state not to have representation in the EPP Group.
The EPP Group Presidency includes:
The chairs of the group and its predecessors from 1952 to 18 September 2008 are as follows:
from the Group; the discussion about whether ED MEPs should remain within EPP-ED or form a group of their own; criticisms of the group's approach to tackle low turnout for the 2009 elections and the group's use of the two-President arrangement.
The debates and votes in the European Parliament are tracked by its website and categorized by the groups that participate in them and the rule of procedure that they fall into. The results give a profile for each group by category and the total indicates the group's level of participation in Parliamentary debates. The activity profile for each group for the period 1 August 2004 to 1 August 2008 in the Sixth Parliament is given on the diagram on the right. The group is denoted in blue.
The website shows the group as participating in 659 motions, making it the third most active group during the period.
. That article characterizes the group as a three-quarter male group that, prior to ED's departure, was only 80% cohesive and split between centre-right Europhiles (the larger EPP subgroup) and right-wing Eurosceptics (the smaller ED subgroup). That article characterized the group as a whole as ambiguous on hypothetical EU taxes, against taxation, Green issues, social liberal issues (homosexual equality, abortion, euthanasia) and full Turkish accession to the European Union, and for a deeper
Federal Europe, deregulation, the Common Foreign and Security Policy
and controlling migration into the EU.
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...
political group of the European Parliament. It is made up of MEPs elected from the lists of member parties 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...
(EPP).
The EPP Group is one of the three oldest groups, dating its origin back to September 1952 and the first meeting of the Parliament's predecessor, the Common Assembly. Founded as an explicitly Christian democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
group, it declined at first but reversed its fortunes in the 1980s and 1990s when, as a result of the gradual enlargement of the EPP (party), it started to pick up members from other centre-right but non-Christian democratic parties.
History
The Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel CommunityEuropean Coal and Steel Community
The European Coal and Steel Community was a six-nation international organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and create the foundation for the modern-day developments of the European Union...
(the predecessor of the present day European Parliament) first met on 10 September 1952 and the first Christian Democratic group was unofficially formed the next day, with Maan Sassen
Maan Sassen
Maan Sassen was a Dutch politician.In 1946, he was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives for the Katholieke Volkspartij . He served as Minister responsible for the Dutch Colonies and European Commissioner ....
as President. The group held 38 of the 78 seats, two short of an absolute majority. On 16 June 1953 the Common Assembly passed a resolution enabling the official formation of political groups, and on 23 June 1953 the constituent declaration of the group was published and the group was officially formed.
The Christian Democrat group was the biggest group at formation, but as time wore on it lost support and was the second-biggest group by the time of the 1979 elections. As the Community expanded into the Union, the centre-right in the new member states were not necessarily Christian Democrat and the EPP (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...
, the transnational political party founded in 1976 which all group members are now affiliated to) feared being sidelined. To counter this, the EPP (party) expanded its remit to cover the centre-right regardless of tradition and pursued a policy of integrating Conservative parties.
This policy bore fruit, with the Greek New Democracy and Spanish Partido Popular MEPs joining the EPP Group. The British and Danish Conservatives tried to maintain a group of their own called the European Democrats (ED), but lack of support and the problems inherent in maintaining a small group forced ED's collapse in the 1990s, and its members crossed the floor to join the EPP Group. The parties of these MEPs also became full members of the EPP (with the exception of the British Conservatives who did not join the Party) and this consolidation process of the European centre-right throughout the '90s with the acquisition of members from the Italian Forza Italia. However, the consolidation was not unalloyed and a split emerged with the Eurosceptic MEPs who congregated in a subgroup within the group, also called 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).
Nevertheless the consolidation held through the 1990s, assisted by the group being renamed to the European People's Party–European Democrats
European People's Party–European Democrats
The Group of the European People's Party , abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament...
(EPP-ED Group), and the group reclaimed its position as the largest group in the Parliament after the 1999 elections.
Size was not enough, however: the group did not have a majority. It continued therefore to engage in the Grand Coalition (a coalition with the Socialist Group, or occasionally the Liberals) to generate the majorities required by the cooperation procedure
Cooperation procedure
The cooperation procedure was one of the principal legislative procedures of the European Community, before the entrance into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam. It was retained after that treaty but only in a few areas...
under the Single European Act
Single European Act
The Single European Act was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a Single Market by 31 December 1992, and codified European Political Cooperation, the forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy...
. This coalition has held, although occasionally the group adopts a government-opposition dynamic with the other groups, notably during the budget crisis when it opposed the Socialists and brought about the resignation of the Santer Commission.
Meanwhile the parties in the ED subgroup were growing restless
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...
and finally left following the 2009 elections, when 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 and 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...
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...
formed their own European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
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....
group on 22 June 2009, abolishing the ED subgroup from that date. The EPP-ED Group reverted to its original name - EPP Group - almost immediately.
The EPP Group remains the largest group in the European Parliament with 265 MEPs. It is the only political group in the European parliament to fully represent its corresponding 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...
, i.e. the EPP
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...
. The United Kingdom is now the only member state not to have representation in the EPP Group.
Organisation
The EPP Group is governed by a collective (referred to as the Presidency) that allocates tasks. The Presidency consists of the Group Chair and a maximum of ten Vice-Chairs, including the Treasurer. The day-to-day running of the EPP Group is performed by its secretariat in the European Parliament, led by its Secretary-General. The Group runs its own think-tank, the European Ideas Network, which brings together opinion-formers from across Europe to discuss issues facing the European Union from a centre-right perspective.The EPP Group Presidency includes:
| Name | Position | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Daul | Chair | |
| Jaime Mayor Oreja Jaime Mayor Oreja Jaime Mayor Oreja, is a €Spain|Spanish]] politician who served as Interior Minister in the People's Party government of José María Aznar before resigning in February 2001 to stand for Basque President on 13 May 2001, a post he failed to win. He is known for his strongly anti-ETA views.He graduated... |
Vice-Chair | |
| Corien Wortmann-Kool | Vice-Chair | |
| József Szájer | Vice-Chair | |
| Manfred Weber | Vice-Chair | |
| Vito Bonsignore | Vice-Chair | |
| Othmar Karas | Vice-Chair | |
| Rumiana Jeleva | Vice-Chair | |
| Paulo Rangel | Vice-Chair | |
| Marian-Jean Marinescu | Vice-Chair | |
| Ioannis Kasoulides | Vice-Chair |
The chairs of the group and its predecessors from 1952 to 18 September 2008 are as follows:
From |
To |
Chair |
Member State |
National party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 1958 | Maan Sassen Maan Sassen Maan Sassen was a Dutch politician.In 1946, he was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives for the Katholieke Volkspartij . He served as Minister responsible for the Dutch Colonies and European Commissioner .... |
 Netherlands |
Katholieke Volkspartij Catholic People's Party The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945... (Catholic People's Party) |
| 1958 | 1958 | Pierre Wigny |  Belgium |
Parti Social-Chrétien Humanist Democratic Centre The Humanist Democratic Centre is a Francophone Christian democratic political party in Belgium. The cdH currently participates in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Government of the French Community and the Walloon Government.- History :... (Social Christian Party) |
| 1958 | 1966 | Alain Poher Alain Poher Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher was a French centrist politician, affiliated first with the Popular Republican Movement and later with the Democratic Centre. He served as a Senator for Val-de-Marne from 1946 to 1995. He was President of the Senate from 3 October 1968 to 1 October 1992 and, in that... |
 Early Modern France |
Mouvement Républicain Populaire Popular Republican Movement The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic... (Popular Republican Movement) |
| 1966 | 1969 | Joseph Illerhaus |  West Germany |
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) |
| 1969 | 1975 | Hans Lücker | West Germany |
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) |
| 1975 | 1977 | Alfred Bertrand | Belgium |
Christelijke Volkspartij Christian Democratic and Flemish The Christian Democratic and Flemish is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party... (Christian People's Party) |
| 1977 | 1982 | Egon Klepsch Egon Klepsch Egon Alfred Klepsch was a German politician .In the years 1963–1969 Dr. Klepsch was Federal leader of the Junge Union. In 1965 he worked briefly as an election campaign manager for Ludwig Erhard. In the same year he was elected to the German Bundestag, to which he belonged until 1980.Since... |
West Germany |
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) |
| 1982 | 1984 | Paolo Barbi |  Italy |
Democrazia Cristiana Christian Democracy (Italy) Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield .... (Christian Democracy) |
| 1984 | 1992 | Egon Klepsch Egon Klepsch Egon Alfred Klepsch was a German politician .In the years 1963–1969 Dr. Klepsch was Federal leader of the Junge Union. In 1965 he worked briefly as an election campaign manager for Ludwig Erhard. In the same year he was elected to the German Bundestag, to which he belonged until 1980.Since... |
West Germany/ Germany |
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) |
| 1992 | 1994 | Leo Tindemans | Belgium |
Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) |
| 1994 | 1999 | Wilfried Martens Wilfried Martens Wilfried Martens is a Belgian politician. He was born in Sleidinge . Martens was the 44th Prime Minister of Belgium from 3 April 1979 to 6 April 1981 and 17 December 1981 to 7 March 1992.... |
Belgium |
Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) |
| 1999 | 2007 | 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... |
Germany |
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) |
| 2007 | present | Joseph Daul Joseph Daul Joseph Daul is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the East of France. He is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement , a member-party of the European People's Party... |
Early Modern France |
Union pour un Mouvement Populaire Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party... (Union for a Popular Movement) |
Membership
The MEPs that compose the EPP Group are as follows:| Country |
National Parties (members 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... ) |
MEPs 2009-2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Austrian People's Party Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology... |
6 | |
| Christian Democratic and Flemish Christian Democratic and Flemish The Christian Democratic and Flemish is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party... |
3 | |
| Humanist Democratic Centre Humanist Democratic Centre The Humanist Democratic Centre is a Francophone Christian democratic political party in Belgium. The cdH currently participates in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Government of the French Community and the Walloon Government.- History :... |
1 | |
| Christian Social Party Christian Social Party (Belgium) The Christian Social Party is a party operating in the German-speaking community of Belgium. Its President is Mathieu Grosch.In the 2004 European Parliament election, standing as Christlich-Soziale Partei - Europäische Volkspartei, the party gained the single seat allocated by Belgian law to the... * |
1 | |
| Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009.... |
5 | |
| 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... |
1 | |
| Democratic Rally Democratic Rally The Democratic Rally , is a centre-right political party in Cyprus, led by Nicos Anastasiades.The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafkos Klerides. Clerides served as Cyprus president from 1993 until 2003.... |
2 | |
| Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party The Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party is a political party in the Czech Republic expressing Christian democratic views... |
2 | |
| Conservative People's Party Conservative People's Party (Denmark) The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition... |
1 | |
| Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of... |
1 | |
| National Coalition Party | 3 | |
| Christian Democrats Christian Democrats (Finland) The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of... |
1 | |
| Union for a Popular Movement Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party... |
29 | |
| Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
34 | |
| Christian Social Union of Bavaria Christian Social Union of Bavaria The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany... |
8 | |
| New Democracy New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
7 | |
| Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Union | 14 | |
| Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000... |
4 | |
| The People of Freedom The People of Freedom The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system.... |
24 | |
| Future and Freedom Future and Freedom Future and Freedom , whose complete name is Future and Freedom for Italy is a centre-right political party in Italy.... |
5 | |
| Union of the Centre | 5 | |
| South Tyrolese People's Party | 1 | |
| 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.... |
2 | |
| New Era Party New Era Party The New Era Party , abbreviated to JL, was a centre-right political party in Latvia. Founded in 2002, the party merged with Civic Union and Society for Other Politics to form Unity in 2011.... |
1 | |
| Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats | 4 | |
| Christian Social People's Party Christian Social People's Party The Christian Social People's Party , abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian Democratic and conservative ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, it is strongly pro-European... |
3 | |
| Nationalist Party Nationalist Party (Malta) The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the... |
2 | |
| Christian Democratic Appeal Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
5 | |
| 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... |
25 | |
| Polish People's Party | 3 | |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Portugal) The Social Democratic Party , is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Portugal. It is commonly known by its initials, PSD; on ballot papers, its initials appear as PPD/PSD, with the first three letters coming from the party's original name, Democratic People's Party... |
8 | |
| Democratic and Social Center - People's Party | 2 | |
| Democratic Liberal Party Democratic Liberal Party (Romania) The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance... |
11 | |
| Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania.... |
3 | |
| Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party is a liberal conservative political party in Slovakia.-Ideology:SDKU-DS is a centre-right party, and recently, after the general elections, is talking with their centre right partners to form a new government... |
2 | |
| Christian Democratic Movement Christian Democratic Movement The Christian Democratic Movement is a political party in Slovakia.It is represented in the parliament. It was also member of the government coalition, but it left that coalition on 7 February 2006 due to disputes over an international treaty between Slovakia and the Holy See dealing with the... |
2 | |
| Party of the Hungarian Coalition Party of the Hungarian Coalition The Party of the Hungarian Coalition, officially registered under the compound name Strana maďarskej koalície – Magyar Koalíció Pártja, is a political party in Slovakia, for the ethnic Hungarian minority... |
2 | |
| Slovenian Democratic Party Slovenian Democratic Party The Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party... |
2 | |
| New Slovenia – Christian People's Party | 1 | |
| People's Party People's Party (Spain) The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship... |
23 | |
| Moderate Party | 4 | |
| Christian Democrats Christian Democrats (Sweden) The Christian Democrats ) is a political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1964 but did not enter parliament until 1985 in an electoral cooperation with the Centre Party and on the Christian Democrats' own accord in 1991. The leader since April 3, 2004 is Göran Hägglund. He succeeded Alf... |
1 | |
| Total | 265 | |
Membership at formation
The 38 members in the group on 11 September 1952 were as follows:| Member state |
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,... s |
Party |
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,... s |
Notes |
Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
5 | Social Christian Party | 5 |
|
|
| France 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... |
5 | Christian People's Party (Saar) | 2 |
|
|
| Republican People's Movement | 3 |
François de Menthon François de Menthon was a French politician and professor of law.-Early and private life:Menthon was born in Montmirey-la-Ville in Jura. He was a son of an old noble family from Menthon-Saint-Bernard. He studied law in Dijon, where he joined Action catholique de la Jeunesse française . He also... |
|||
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
8 | Christian Democratic Union Party and Christian Social Union Party |
7 |
|
|
| Federal Union Party | 1 |
|
|||
| 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... |
12 | Christian Democratic Party | 12 |
|
|
| Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... |
2 | Christian Social Party | 2 |
|
|
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
6 | Anti-Revolutionary Party | 2 |
|
|
| Catholic People's Party Catholic People's Party The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945... |
3 |
|
|||
| Christian Historical Union Christian Historical Union The Christian Historical Union was a Dutch conservative Protestant political party. The CHU is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.-History before 1908:... |
1 |
|
In the news
Activities performed by the group in the period between June 2004 and June 2008 include monitoring elections in Palestine and the Ukraine; encouraging transeuropean rail travel, telecoms deregulation, energy security, a common energy policy, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Union, partial reform of the CAP and attempts to tackle illegal immigration; denouncing Russian involvement in South Ossetia; supporting the Constitution Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty; debating globalisation, relations with China, and Taiwan; backing plans to outlaw Holocaust denial; nominating Anna Politkovskaya for the 2007 Sakharov Prize; expelling Daniel HannanDaniel 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...
from the Group; the discussion about whether ED MEPs should remain within EPP-ED or form a group of their own; criticisms of the group's approach to tackle low turnout for the 2009 elections and the group's use of the two-President arrangement.
Parliamentary activity profile
The website shows the group as participating in 659 motions, making it the third most active group during the period.
Publications
The group produces many publications, which can be found on its website. Documents produced in 2008 cover subjects such as dialogue with the Orthodox Church, study days, its strategy for 2008-09, Euro-Mediterranean relations, and the Treaty of Lisbon. It also publishes a yearbook and irregularly publishes a presentation, a two-page summary of the group.Academic analysis
Along with the other political groups, the group has been analysed by academics on its positions regarding various issues. Those positions are summarized in this articleAcademic studies of the political groups of the European Parliament
Academic studies of the political groups of the European Parliament refers to the studies of those groups by academics, the methods that they use and the conclusions that they reach.-Background:...
. That article characterizes the group as a three-quarter male group that, prior to ED's departure, was only 80% cohesive and split between centre-right Europhiles (the larger EPP subgroup) and right-wing Eurosceptics (the smaller ED subgroup). That article characterized the group as a whole as ambiguous on hypothetical EU taxes, against taxation, Green issues, social liberal issues (homosexual equality, abortion, euthanasia) and full Turkish accession to the European Union, and for a deeper
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
Federal Europe, deregulation, the Common Foreign and Security Policy
Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Common Foreign and Security Policy is the organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union for mainly security and defence diplomacy and actions. CFSP deals only with a specific part of the EU's external relations, which domains include mainly Trade and Commercial Policy and other areas...
and controlling migration into the EU.
See also
- European People's PartyEuropean People's PartyThe 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...
- 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...
- Members of the European Parliament 2004-2009Members of the European Parliament 2004-2009This is a list giving breakdowns of the members serving in the European Parliamentary session from 2004 to 2009, following the 2004 election. For a full single list, see: List of members of the European Parliament 2004–2009.*MEPs for Austria 2004–2009...