The (EDP) is a
Centrist European Political Party very strongly in favour of
European Integration (''"
Europeanist "''). It was initiated on
April 16 2004 and formally founded on
December 9 in
Brussels .
François Bayrou of
France 's UDF and
Francesco Rutelli of
Italy 's
Margherita Party serve as the first two co-presidents.
The EDP was founded in reaction to the rising influence of
Eurosceptic parties within European institutions. It drew
Europhillic centre-right parties from the
European People's Party and centre-left parties from the
Party Of European Socialists to form a new centrist multinational bloc.
Its cofounder
François Bayrou (
UDF ) described it as a party for people being ''neither conservative nor socialist'', like the
United States Democratic Party .
Current Members are:
The meeting of the Parliamentary Group of the
Liberal Democrat European Liberal Democrat And Reform Party which took place in
Brussels on
July 13 ,
2004 approved a recommendation to unite the ELDR Group and the EDP Group into the
Alliance Of Liberals And Democrats For Europe Group. Although their
MEPs currently sit together, these two European political parties remain separate parties.
