European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party (EDP) is a centrist[1][2][3][4] European political party in favour of European integration. François Bayrou is the President of the party.
European Democratic Party | |
---|---|
President | François Bayrou |
Secretary-General | Marielle de Sarnez |
Founded | 9 December 2004 |
Split from | European People's Party |
Headquarters | Rue de l'Industrie 4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
Think tank | Institute of European Democrats |
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 (8 MEPs) S&D (PRO Romania, 1 MEP) |
Colours | Orange and blue |
European Parliament | 9 / 705 |
European Council | 0 / 27 |
European Commission | 0 / 27 |
European Lower Houses | 85 / 9,874 |
European Upper Houses | 23 / 2,714 |
Website | |
www |
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 with Democratic Movement and Slovenia with Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia, and Bavaria with Free Voters. A European Region is also led by EDP politician : Basque Country with Iñigo Urkullu of Basque Nationalist Party.
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Gérard Deprez (MCC – Mouvement des Citoyens pour le Changement) | - | - | |
People's Party - Reformists (Narodna stranka – Reformisti) | - | 1 / 151 | |
Citizens' Alliance (Συμμαχία Πολιτών, Symmachia Politon) | - | 1 / 56 | |
Citizens' Platform (Platforma Politon) | - | - | |
Senator 21 (Senátor 21) | - | 0 / 200
3 / 81 | |
Democratic Movement (Mouvement démocrate) | 5 / 79 |
41 / 577
4 / 348 | |
Free Voters (Freie Wähler) | 2 / 96 |
0 / 709
2 / 69 | |
Union of Centrists (Ένωση Κεντρώων) | - | - | |
New Start (Új Kezdet) | - | 1 / 199 | |
European Democratic Party Italy (Partito Democratico Europeo Italia) | - | - | |
Marian Harkin (Independent) | 1 / 160 | ||
Alliance of Democrats (Stronnictwo Demokratyczne) | - | - | |
Democratic Republican Party (Partido Democrático Republicano) | - | - | |
Association of Italians of Romania – RO.AS.IT. (Asociaţia Italienilor din România – RO.AS.IT., Associazione degli Italiani di Romania – RO.AS.IT.) | - | 1 / 329 | |
PRO Romania (PRO România) | 1 / 33 |
21 / 329 [6]3 / 136 | |
Future Republic (Repubblica Futura) | Not an EU member | 6 / 60 | |
Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (Demokratična stranka upokojencev Slovenije) | - | 5 / 90 | |
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) | - | - | |
Young Democrats for Europe[7] (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 Mario Pirillo, 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 European Democratic Party (Europska Demokraticka Strana) in 2019
- Alena Bašistová[8] (Independent), not reelected in 2020
Elected representatives of Member Parties
European institutions
Organisation | Institution | Number of seats |
---|---|---|
European Commission | 0 / 28 | |
European Council (Heads of Government) | 0 / 28 | |
Council of the EU (Participation in Government) | 3 / 28 | |
European Parliament | 9 / 705 | |
Parliamentary Assembly | 3 / 318 |
References
- Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "European Union". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- John McCormick (2015). European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-137-45340-2.
- 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.
- 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.
- "PSD pierde 4 parlamentari chiar înaintea ieșirii ALDE de la guvernare. Social-democrații nu mai au majoritate în Senat -UPDATE – Politic – HotNews.ro". hotnews.ro (in Romanian). 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- "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.