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European Democratic Party

{{Short description|Centrist European political party}}

{{About|the European party|the Czech party|European Democratic Party (Czech Republic)|other uses|European Democrats (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox political party

| colorcode = #{{wikidata|property|P465}}

| name = European Democratic Party

| logo = EDP logo.png

| logo_size = 300px

| abbreviation = EDP

| president = François Bayrou (FR)

| secretary_general = Sandro Gozi (IT)

| foundation = {{start date and age|df=y|2004|12|9}}

| split = European People's Party

| headquarters = Rue Montoyer 25,
1000 Brussels, Belgium

| think_tank = Institute of European Democrats

| youth_wing = Young Democrats for Europe

| membership_year = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|P2124|P585}}

| membership = {{wikidata|property|references|preferred|P2124}}

| ideology = Centrism{{refn|}}
Pro-Europeanism{{cite book|first1=Nathalie|last1=Brack|first2=Olivier|last2=Costa|title=How the EU Really Works|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cOSAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA120|year=2014|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4724-1465-6|page=120}}

| position = Centre{{refn|{{cite web|url=http://parties-and-elections.eu/eu.html|title=European Union|last=Nordsieck|first=Wolfram|year=2019|website=Parties and Elections in Europe}}}}

| europarl = Renew Europe

| colours = {{color box|#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}} Orange

| seats1_title = European Parliament

| seats1 = {{EUPP composition bar|EP|thisparty|width=80%|percent=yes}}

| seats2_title = European Council

| seats2 = {{EUPP composition bar|EUCO|thisparty|width=80%|percent=yes}}

| seats3_title = {{nobr|European Commission}}

| seats3 = {{EUPP composition bar|EC|thisparty|width=80%|percent=yes}}

| seats4_title = European
Lower Houses

| seats4 = {{EUPP composition bar|ms-lower-house|thisparty|width=80%|percent=yes}}

| seats5_title = European
Upper Houses

| seats5 = {{EUPP composition bar|ms-upper-house|thisparty|width=80%|percent=yes}}

| international = Alliance of Democrats (2005–2012)

| website = {{ofurl}}

| country = the European Union

}}

The European Democratic Party (EDP; French: Parti démocrate européen, PDE), also known as the European Democrats, is a centrist{{cite book|first=John|last=McCormick|title=European Union Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xw2tCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA247|year=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-45340-2|page=247}}{{cite book|first=Lars|last=Pehrson|title=How Unified Is the European Union?: European Integration Between Visions and Popular Legitimacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N8tL9yHvTFwC&pg=PA160|date=12 June 2009|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-540-95855-0|page=160}}{{cite book|first=Oskar|last=Niedermayer|title=Handbuch Parteienforschung|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UP4h6r5apHkC&pg=PA831|date=1 May 2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-531-18932-1|page=831}} European political party in favour of European integration.

Within the European Parliament, its MEPs form the Renew Europe group, together with those of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party and the French Renaissance party. The President is François Bayrou.

The youth wing of the EDP is the Young Democrats for Europe (YDE).

As of 2025, EDP members participate in the national government of three EU member states: EDP President François Bayrou leading the government in France, Les Engagés in Belgium, which participates in the government of Prime Minister Bart De Wever and, EDP individual member Marian Harkin, who participates in the government of Prime Minister Micheál Martin. Two European regions are also led by an EDP politician, with Spain's Basque Country being led by Imanol Pradales of the Basque Nationalist Party and with Spain's Canary Islands being led by Fernando Clavijo Batlle of the Canarian Coalition; EDP member Free Voters participates as a junior coalition partner in the state government of Bavaria in Germany, as does Italia Viva in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Campania and Basilicata and Les Engagés in Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

The European Democratic Party is also a member of the European Movement International and was a member of the World Alliance of Democrats until its dissolution in 2012.

History

European Democratic Party was initiated on 16 April 2004 and formally founded on 9 December 2004 in Brussels.

In 2005, the European Democratic Party, together with the United States Democratic Party and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, co-founded the Alliance of Democrats international.{{Cite web |date=2015-02-22 |title=Presentation - EDP – European Democratic Party |url=http://www.pde-edp.eu/en/alliance-of-democrats/presentation |access-date=2024-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222134852/http://www.pde-edp.eu/en/alliance-of-democrats/presentation |archive-date=22 February 2015 }}{{Cite web |date=2012-02-16 |title=Towards a new Alliance of Democrats |url=http://www.allianceofdemocrats.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=70 |url-status= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120216013217/http://www.allianceofdemocrats.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=70|access-date=2024-06-22 |archive-date=16 February 2012 }}

François Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy and later the 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 renamed in 2019 as Renew Europe.

The European Democratic Party is ideologically centrist and federalist.{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yHD-DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22volt+europa%22+liberal+social&pg=PA237 | title = European Society | author = Alberto Martinelli & Alessandro Cavalli | publisher = Brill | volume = 133 | year = 2020 | page = 237 | isbn = 9789004351776 | quote = The European Democratic Party (EDP) is a centrist, social-liberal, and federalist party that stands for a more democratic, integrated EU closer to its citizens. Between 2004 and now (end of 2019) the EDP has formed a joint European parliamentary group with ALDE.}} Some major members and affiliated parties like EAJ-PNV, Free Voters, MoDem, MCC, Canarian Coalition and the disbanded Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy follow a Christian democratic or liberal conservative line.

At its 20th anniversary congress in Brussels in December 2024, the party adopted a new orange brand identity and logo, taking on the short name ‘Democrats’.

Membership

Members are national and regional political parties as well as members of the European Parliament, national and regional parliaments.{{cite web |title=Our members |url=https://democrats.eu/en/the-european-democratic-party/#members |website=democrats.eu |date=24 June 2022 |publisher=EDP |access-date=25 June 2024}}

=Current members=

class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
bgcolor="#cccccc"

! Country or Region

! colspan=2 | Party

! Leader

! MEPs{{efn|The number of MEPs listed below may not match the total number of MEPs of the European party, as it does not include MEPs who join as individual members.}}

! National lower houses

! National upper houses

! Position in national legislature

{{Flag|Austria}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Citizens' Forum Austria}}|

|Citizens' Forum Austria
{{lang|de|Bürgerforum Österreich}} (FRITZ)

|Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

rowspan=2|{{Flag|Belgium}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Les Engagés}}|

|Les Engagés
{{lang|fr|Les Engagés}} (LE)

|Yvan Verougstraete

|{{Composition bar|1|8|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|14|150|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|5|60|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{yes2|Government}}

style=background:{{party colour|Citizens' Movement for Change}}|

|Marie-Christine Marghem
(MR and MCC; Individual member)

|-

|-

|{{Composition bar|1|150|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|-

|{{yes2|Government}}

{{Flag|Croatia}}

|style=background:{{party colour|People's Party - Reformists}}|

|People's Party – Reformists
{{lang|hr|Narodna stranka – Reformisti}} (NS-R)

|Radimir Čačić

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Flag|Cyprus}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Democratic Party (Cyprus)}}|

|Pavlos Mylonas
(DIKO; individual member)

|-

|-

|{{Composition bar|1|56|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}{{cite web |title=MYLONAS Pavlos |url=https://www.parliament.cy/tr/general-information/composition/members-of-the-house/biographical-notes/mylonas-pavlos |website=parliament.cy |publisher=House of Representatives (Cyprus) |access-date=25 June 2024}}

|-

|{{no2|Opposition}}

{{Flag|Czech Republic}}

|style=background:{{party colour|SEN 21}}|

|SEN 21
SEN 21

|Václav Láska

|-

|{{Composition bar|0|200|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|4|81|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{no2|Opposition}}

rowspan="3" |{{Flag|France}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Democratic Movement (France)}}|

|Democratic Movement
{{lang|fr|Mouvement démocrate}} (MoDem)

|François Bayrou

|{{Composition bar|3|81|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|48|577|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|4|348|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{yes2|Government}}

style=background:{{party colour|Italia Viva}}|

|rowspan=2 | Sandro Gozi
(MoDem / IV; individual member)

|rowspan=2 | -

|rowspan=2 | {{Composition bar|1|81|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|rowspan=2 | -

|rowspan=2 | -

|rowspan=2 style=background:#e8e8e8;text-align:center | {{em dash}}

style=background:{{party colour|Democratic Movement (France)}}|
{{Flag|Germany}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Free Voters}}|

|Free Voters
{{lang|de|Freie Wähler}} (FW)

|Hubert Aiwanger

|{{Composition bar|3|96|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|0|735|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|2|69|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Flag|Greece}}

|style=background:#660fa2|

|Movement for Democracy
Κίνημα Δημοκρατίας

|Stefanos Kasselakis

|-

|6 {{efn|Τhe party has no parliamentary group, however 6 independent members of the Greek parliament are members of the party}}

|-

|{{no2|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Flag|Hungary}}

|style=background:{{party colour|New Start (Hungary)}}|

|New Start
{{lang|hu|Új Kezdet}} (UK)

|Krisztina Hohn

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

rowspan="2" |{{Flag|Italy}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Italia Viva}}|

|Italia Viva
{{lang|it|Italia Viva}} (IV)

|Matteo Renzi

|-

|{{Composition bar|7|400|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|8|200|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{no2|Opposition}}

style=background:#20588f|

|New Times – United Populars{{Cite web |last=Merlo |first=Giorgio |date=2023-10-17 |title=Tempi Nuovi ha scelto il PDE per motivi di coerenza |url=https://ildomaniditalia.eu/tempi-nuovi-ha-scelto-il-pde-per-motivi-di-coerenza/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Il Domani d'Italia |language=it-IT}}
{{lang|it|Tempi Nuovi – Popolari Uniti}}

|Giuseppe Fioroni

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

rowspan="2" |{{Flag|Ireland}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Independent Ireland}}|

|Independent Ireland (II)

|Michael Collins

|{{Composition bar|1|14|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|4|174|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|0|174|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{no2|Opposition}}

style=background:{{party colour|Independent}}|

|Marian Harkin (Independent; Individual member)

|-

|-

|{{Composition bar|1|174|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|-

|{{yes2|Government}}

{{Flag|Netherlands}}

|style=background:{{party colour|50PLUS}}|

|50PLUS (50+)

|Martin van Rooijen

|-

|{{Composition bar|0|150|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|1|75|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{no2|Opposition}}

{{Flag|Poland}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Alliance of Democrats (Poland)}}|

|Alliance of Democrats
{{lang|pl|Stronnictwo Demokratyczne}}

|Paweł Piskorski

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Flag|Portugal}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Together for the People}}|

|Together for the People
{{lang|pt|Juntos pelo Povo}} (JPP)

|Lina Pereira

|-

|-

|-

|{{No|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Flag|San Marino}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Future Republic}}|

|Future Republic
{{lang|it|Repubblica Futura}} (RF)

|Mario Venturini

|Not in EU

|{{Composition bar|6|60|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|-

|{{No2|Opposition}}

{{Flag|Slovenia}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia}}|

|Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia
{{lang|sl|Demokratična stranka upokojencev Slovenije}} (DeSUS)

|Ljubo Jasnič

|-

|-

|-

|{{No|Extra-parliamentary}}

rowspan="3" |{{Flag|Spain}}

|style=background:{{party colour|Basque Nationalist Party}}|

|Basque Nationalist Party
{{lang|eu|Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea}} (EAJ)
{{lang|es|Partido Nacionalista Vasco}} (PNV)

|Andoni Ortuzar

|{{Composition bar|1|61|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|6|350|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|10|265|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{partial|Confidence and supply}}

style=background:{{party colour|Canarian Coalition}}|

|Canarian Coalition
{{lang|es|Coalición Canaria}} (CC)

|Fernando Clavijo Batlle

|-

|{{Composition bar|1|350|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{Composition bar|1|265|hex=#{{wikidata|property|P465}}}}

|{{partial|Confidence and supply}}

style=background:{{party colour|Commitment to Galicia}}|

|Commitment to Galicia
{{lang|es|Compromiso por Galicia}} (CxG)

|Juan Carlos Piñeiro

|-

|-

|-

|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

=Former members=

Elected representatives of member parties

=European institutions=

class="wikitable"

OrganisationInstitutionNumber of seats
rowspan=5 | {{EU}}European Parliament{{EUPP composition bar|EP|thisparty|percent=yes|reference=yes}}
European Commission{{EUPP composition bar|EC|thisparty|percent=yes|reference=yes}}
European Council
(Heads of Government)		{{EUPP composition bar|EUCO|thisparty|percent=yes|reference=yes}}
Council of the European Union
(Participation in Government)
Committee of the Regions{{EUPP composition bar|COR|thisparty|percent=yes|reference=yes}}
{{flag|Council of Europe}}Parliamentary Assembly

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|European Democratic Party}}

  • {{official website}}

{{European Democratic Party}}

{{Renew Europe}}

{{European political parties}}

{{Political organisations at European Union level}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

Category:European political alliances

Category:European political parties

Category:Pro-European European political alliances