The (EPP) is the largest transnational
European Political Party . Founded in
1976 , the EPP includes
Christian Democratic and
Conservative parties in
Europe . The EPP has 71 member-parties from 38 countries, 9 EU and 6 non-EU heads of government, 9 European Commissioners (including the President), and the largest group in the European Parliament with 277 members.
According to its website, the EPP is "the family of the political center-right, whose roots run deep in the history and civilization of the European continent and has pioneered the European project from its inception."
Its current President is former Belgian Prime Minister
Wilfried Martens . Martens was re-elected President at the March 2006 EPP Congress in Rome for a 3-year term.
The EPP currently holds the Presidencies of the 2 main EU institutions: the
European Commission led by President
José Manuel Barroso (PSD), and the
European Parliament led by President
Hans-Gert Pöttering (CDU). This will again be repeated in the first half of 2008, when the Presidency of the European Council will be led by Slovenian Prime Minister
Janez Janša (SDS).
EPP has 9 out of the 27 heads of government in the (Netherlands, CDA),
Lawrence Gonzi (Malta, PN),
Janez Janša (Slovenia, SDS),
Jean-Claude Juncker (Luxembourg, CSV),
Aigars Kalvītis (Latvia, TP),
Kostas Karamanlis (Greece, ND),
Angela Merkel (Germany, CDU),
Fredrik Reinfeldt (Sweden, MSP) and
Nicolas Sarkozy (France, UMP).
EPP also has 6 heads of government from non-EU countries:
Ivo Sanader (Croatia, HDZ),
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey, AKP),
Vojislav Koštunica (Serbia, DSS),
Sali Berisha (Albania, DP),
Nikola Gruevski (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE), and
Viktor Yushchenko (Ukraine, NSNU).
By invitation of the EPP President, the heads of government - along with leaders of the opposition - the President of the
European Commission and the President of the
European Parliament customarily meet a few hours prior to the Summit of the
European Council at Brussels suburb of
Meise for the to form common positions.
EPP has 9 out of 27 members of the (Portugal, PSD), Vice President
Jacques Barrot (France, UMP), Vice President
Franco Frattini , (Italy, FI),
Joe Borg , (Malta, PN),
Stavros Dimas (Greece, ND),
Ján Figeľ (Slovakia, KDH),
Andris Piebalgs (Latvia, TP),
Viviane Reding (Luxembourg, CSV), and
Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria, ÖVP).
In the
European Parliament the EPP is allied with the more eurosceptic 'European Democrats' sub-group to form the
EPP-ED Group of 277 MEPs. The current Group Chairman in French UMP politician
Joseph Daul , replacing
Hans-Gert Pöttering who was elected as the new President of the
European Parliament in January 2007.
EPP also has parliamentary groups in the parliamentary assemblies of the
Council Of Europe and the
OSCE .
In recent years, the EPP has been developing beyond Europe bilateral relations with major conservative and like-minded parties. Due its firm transatlantic orientation, North America has been a particular focus of the Party's international activities.
- Høyre (H) (Conservatives)
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