European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party | |
---|---|
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President | François Bayrou |
Secretary-General | Sandro Gozi |
Founded | 9 December 2004 |
Split from | European People's Party |
Headquarters | Rue de l'Industrie 4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
Think tank | |
Youth wing | Young Democrats for Europe (YDE) |
Ideology | Centrism[1][2][3][4] Pro-Europeanism[5] |
Political position | Centre[1][2][3][4] |
European Parliament group | Renew Europe (10 MEPs) S&D (PRO Romania, 1 MEP) |
Colours | Blue Orange |
European Parliament | 11 / 705 |
European Council | 0 / 27 |
European Commission | 0 / 27 |
European Lower Houses | 64 / 9,874 |
European Upper Houses | 20 / 2,714 |
Website | |
www |
The European Democratic Party (EDP), also known as the European Democrats, is a centrist[1][2][3][4] European political party in favour of European integration. François Bayrou is the President of the party.
Almost all MEPs of the European Democratic Party currently sit in the Renew Europe group, except for two MEPs of the PRO Romania party, who sit in the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.
The youth wing of the EDP is the Young Democrats for Europe.
As of 2020, EDP member parties participate in the government of two countries: France (Democratic Movement) and Slovenia (Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia). A European region is also led by an EDP politician, with the Basque Country being led by Iñigo Urkullu of the Basque Nationalist Party, and EDP member Free Voters participate as a coalition partner in the government of Bavaria.
History[]
European Democratic Party was initiated on 16 April 2004 and formally founded on 9 December 2004 in Brussels.
François Bayrou of the French Democratic Movement (MoDem) and Francesco Rutelli, former leader of the Democracy is Freedom and Alliance for Italy parties, served as the two co-presidents until 2019. Now, François Bayrou serves as the only president.
The EDP was founded in reaction to the rising influence of Eurosceptic parties within European institutions. It drew pro-European centrist parties from the European People's Party (EPP) group to form a new centrist multinational bloc. Its co-founder François Bayrou described it as a party for people being neither conservative nor socialist."
Since the beginning of the 6th European Parliament of 2004–2009, the EDP has formed a joint European parliamentary group with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party called the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group. This parliamentary group was dissolved in 2019.
Members[]
Members are national and regional political parties as well as members of the European Parliament, national and regional parliaments.
Country or Region | Party | European MPs | National MPs |
---|---|---|---|
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Gérard Deprez (MCC – Mouvement des Citoyens pour le Changement) | - | - |
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People's Party - Reformists (Narodna stranka – Reformisti) | - | 1 / 151
|
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Citizens' Alliance (Συμμαχία Πολιτών, Symmachia Politon) | - | 1 / 56
|
Citizens' Platform (Platforma Politon) | - | - | |
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Senator 21 (Senátor 21) | - | 0 / 200
3 / 81
|
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Democratic Movement (Mouvement démocrate) | 5 / 79
|
41 / 577
4 / 348
|
Sandro Gozi (Individual member) | 1 / 79
|
- | |
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Free Voters (Freie Wähler) | 2 / 96
|
0 / 709
2 / 69
|
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Union of Centrists (Ένωση Κεντρώων) | - | - |
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New Start (Új Kezdet) | - | 1 / 199
|
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(Partito Democratico Europeo Italia) | - | - |
Nicola Danti (Individual member) | 1 / 76
|
- | |
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Marian Harkin (Independent) | 1 / 160
| |
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Alliance of Democrats (Stronnictwo Demokratyczne) | - | - |
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Democratic Republican Party (Partido Democrático Republicano) | - | - |
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Association of Italians of Romania – RO.AS.IT. (Asociaţia Italienilor din România – RO.AS.IT., Associazione degli Italiani di Romania – RO.AS.IT.) | - | 1 / 330
|
PRO Romania (PRO România) | 1 / 33
|
0 / 330 0 / 136
| |
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Future Republic (Repubblica Futura) | Not an EU member | 6 / 60
|
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Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (Demokratična stranka upokojencev Slovenije) | - | 5 / 90
|
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Basque Nationalist Party (Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) | 1 / 58
|
6 / 350 10 / 265
|
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) | - | 1 / 350 1 / 265
| |
Commitment to Galicia (Compromiso por Galicia) | - | - | |
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Young Democrats for Europe[6] (Jeunes Démocrates européens) | - | - |
Former member parties[]
Croatia : National Forum (Nacionalni forum), joined EDP in 2014, disbanded in 2015
Cyprus: European Party
Czech Republic:
- Party for the Open Society
- Way to Change, founding member of EDP, disbanded in 2009
France: Union of Democrats and Independents joined the ALDE party on 2 December 2016
Italy:
- Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, founding member of EDP, merged into the Democratic Party in 2007, MEPs , Silvia Costa and Vittorio Prodi stayed as individual members until 2014, now member of PES
- Alliance for Italy, party disbanded by the end of 2016
Lithuania: Labour Party, left in 2012 to join the ALDE party
Slovakia:
- People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, joined EDP in 2009, disbanded in 2014, succeeded by Democratic Slovakia Party
- Democratic Slovakia Party ('Strana Demokratického Slovenska') and (Europska Demokraticka Strana) in 2019
- [7] (Independent), not reelected in 2020
Elected representatives of Member Parties[]
European institutions[]
Organisation | Institution | Number of seats |
---|---|---|
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European Commission | 0 / 28
|
European Council (Heads of Government) |
0 / 28
| |
Council of the EU (Participation in Government) |
3 / 28
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European Parliament | 11 / 705
| |
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Parliamentary Assembly | 3 / 318
|
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "European Union". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c John McCormick (2015). European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-137-45340-2.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Lars Pehrson (12 June 2009). How Unified Is the European Union?: European Integration Between Visions and Popular Legitimacy. Springer. p. 160. ISBN 978-3-540-95855-0.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Oskar Niedermayer (1 May 2013). Handbuch Parteienforschung. Springer. p. 831. ISBN 978-3-531-18932-1.
- ^ Nathalie Brack; Olivier Costa (2014). How the EU Really Works. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-4724-1465-6.
- ^ "Adoption of the EDP manifesto and new member organisation | European Democrats – European Democratic Party". www.democrats.eu. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ Democrats, European (30 June 2017). "Individual membership request from MP Alena #Bašistová (SK) has just been accepted by the #EDPCouncil in #Coimbra. Welcome! #EDPCoimbrapic.twitter.com/RiOAZGrfQ7". @PDE_EDP. Retrieved 31 July 2017.[non-primary source needed]
External links[]
- European Democratic Party
- Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
- Pan-European political parties