European Conservatives

{{Short description|Former conservative political group of the European Parliament}}

{{About||the current EP political grouping|European Conservatives and Reformists Group}}

{{Infobox European Parliament group

| name = European Conservatives

| title = European Conservatives

| from = 16 January 1973

| to = 17 July 1979

| succeededby = European Democratic Group

| englishabbr = C

| formalname = European Conservative Group

| ideology = Conservatism{{cite book |last1=Calossi |first1=Enrico |last2=Cicchi |first2=Lorenzo |title=European Parliament Political Groups and European Political Parties: Development and relationship between two faces of the EU political system |publisher=European University Institute |page=7 |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/65862/European%20Parliament%20Political%20Groups%20and%20European%20Political%20Parties.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}

| position = Centre-right

| chairs = Kent S. Kirk,{{cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/802/KENT+S._KIRK/history/1 |title=European Parliament profile of Kent S. Kirk |date=26 August 1948 |publisher=Europarl.europa.eu |access-date=18 July 2023}}[http://aei.pitt.edu/5765/01/003730_1.pdf European Parliament press release 1984] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911085807/http://aei.pitt.edu/5765/01/003730_1.pdf |date=11 September 2008 }}

Geoffrey Rippon

| meps = 63 (7 July 1979)

|}}

The European Conservative Group was a conservative political group that operated in the European Parliament between 1973 and 1979. At its height in July 1979, it had 63 MEPs.

History

On 1 January 1973 the Community enlarged for the first time to include Denmark, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The British Conservative Party and Danish Conservative People's Party formed their own group called the European Conservative Group on 16 January 1973.[http://www.kas.de/wf/de/71.4504/ Political Groups of the European Parliament] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517163147/http://www.kas.de/wf/de/71.4504/ |date=17 May 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.europe-politique.eu/groupe-des-democrates-europeens.htm |title=ED on Europe Politique |publisher=Europe-politique.eu |access-date=31 July 2016}}

In the ensuing years, the group collected additional centre-right members, and on 17 July 1979 it changed its name to the "European Democratic Group".{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1393/Sir_JAMES_SCOTT-HOPKINS_home.html |title=European Parliament profile of James Scott-Hopkins |publisher=Europarl.europa.eu |access-date=31 July 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/de/obj/the_development_of_political_groups_of_the_european_parliament-en-35c2d1b5-1661-4c33-a65a-db49ade0c5ac.html |title=Development of Political Groups in the European Parliament|date=7 September 2016 |access-date=18 July 2023}}

In March 2009 it was reported that the European Conservatives could be re-created as a group in the European Parliament, led by the British Conservative Party if they withdraw from the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED) group and succeed in meeting the minimum requirements for a political group in the Parliament.{{cite web|author=|url=http://euobserver.com/9/27762/?rk=1 |title=EUobserver / UK Tories confirm they are to leave the EPP | date=12 March 2009 |publisher=Euobserver.com |access-date=31 July 2016}}[http://www.euractiv.com/en/eu-elections/uk-tories-return-eu-socialists-power/article-180179 EurActiv.com - Will UK Tories return EU Socialists to power? | EU - European Information on EU Elections 09] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316192558/http://www.euractiv.com/en/eu-elections/uk-tories-return-eu-socialists-power/article-180179 |date=16 March 2009 }}

On 22 June 2009, the British Conservative Party with their colleagues launched the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8112581.stm |title=Conservative MEPs form new group |work=BBC News |date=22 June 2009 |access-date=31 July 2016}}

Members

class="wikitable"
Country ! colspan="3"\| Name ! Ideology
{{flag\|United Kingdom}} ! style="background:{{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}"\| \| Conservative Party \| Conservatives \| One-nation conservatism Liberal conservatism
{{flag\|Denmark}} ! style="background:{{party color\|Conservative People's Party (Denmark)}}"\| \| Conservative People's Party \| DKF \| Liberal conservatism Social conservatism

class="wikitable"

Country

! colspan="3"| Name

! Ideology

! style="background:{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|

| Conservative Party

| Conservatives

| One-nation conservatism
Liberal conservatism

! style="background:{{party color|Conservative People's Party (Denmark)}}"|

| Conservative People's Party

| DKF

| Liberal conservatism
Social conservatism