EPP - European People's Party - Homepage

Manfred Weber President

Thanasis Bakolas Secretary General

Today

The EPP strives for a democratic, transparent and efficient Europe that is close to its citizens. The EPP wants a prosperous Europe through the promotion of a free market economy with a social consciousness.

The EPP is the EU’s centre-right party and its largest and most influential political family. The EPP currently includes 84 parties and partners from 44 countries, the President of the European Commission, President of the European Parliament, 12 EU and 3 non-EU heads of state and government, 10 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.

2009 - 2019

In 2009 the EPP conducted – in close cooperation with its national member-parties – its first Europe-wide campaign for the June 2009 European elections and reinforced its leading position in the European Parliament.

2004 - 2008

In the second part of the decade, the EPP’s enlargement efforts have focused on supporting centre-right, reformist national parties in their efforts to consolidate democracy and the rule of law.

1999 - 2002

With the prospect of Central and Eastern European countries joining the European Union, the previous arguments supporting EUCD membership lost relevance – this led to the merger of the EUCD with the EPP in 1999.

1991

In April 1991, party and government leaders of the EPP decided that, while the party would be open to the British and Nordic conservative parties, Christian Democracy would be preserved as the cornerstone of the EPP’s identity.

1986

The EPP soon politically outweighed the EUCD.

1980

Once the EPP had been founded, a degree of pressure to establish formal links between Christian Democratic and conservative forces was exerted by EUCD parties in countries that were not European Community members.

1976

The formal establishment of the European People’s Party (EPP) took place in 1976 in Luxembourg, with member parties from the following EEC countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with Belgian PM Leo Tindemans as its first president.

1950 - 1975

With the European Coal and Steel Community and the foundation of the European Economic Community (EEC), practical cooperation among Christian Democrats gradually shifted in favour of the framework presented by the Common Assembly and the European Parliament.

1925 - 1946

The lessons and experiences of cooperation between 1925 and 1939 were key when leaders of the re-established or newly founded Christian Democratic parties in Europe formed the New International Teams (Nouvelles Équipes Internationales, NEI) in 1946 after World War II.

1920

Political formations of the centre-right can be tracked back to the early 1920s.

Manifesto 2024

The EPP Manifesto outlines the basic principles of the Party summary.

The EPP Manifesto outlines the basic principles of the Party summarising who we are, what our values are, what challenges are we facing and what vision we have for the future. The Manifesto was developed in parallel to the EPP Platform document within the EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy”.

Download:

Platform

The EPP Platform is the core programme of our party outlining our main values, explaining the challenges our society is facing and presenting our vision for the future of European Union.

The Party Platform was developed in EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy” chaired by EPP President Wilfried MARTENS ?and EPP Vice President Peter HINTZE. The Working Group consists of delegates of EPP member parties who prepared and worked?on this document for more than two years and received input?from the drafting committee as well as senior and young experts. The document was adopted at the 2012 EPP Congress in Bucharest, thus replacing the Basic Programme of Athens from 1992.

Download: