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European People's Party–
European Democrats
European Parliament group
EPP-ED logo
NameEuropean People's Party–European Democrats
English abbr.EPP-ED[1]
(20 July 1999[2] to present)

EPP[1]
(17 July 1979[3] to 20 July 1999[2])

CD[2]
(June 23 1953[3] to July 17 1979[3])
French abbr.PPE-DE[4]
(20 July 1999[2] to present)

PPE[3]
(17 July 1979[3] to 20 July 1999[2])

DC[3]
(June 23 1953[3] to July 17 1979[3])
Formal nameGroup of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats[4][5]
(20 July 1999[2] to present)

Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats)[6][3][7]
(17 July 1979[3] to 20 July 1999[2])

Christian Democratic Group (Group of the European People's Party)[3][7]
(March 14 1978[3] to July 17 1979[3])

Christian Democratic Group[2][7]
(June 23 1953[3] to March 14 1978[3])
IdeologyChristian democracy
Conservatism
Centre-Right
European partiesEuropean People's Party
Associated organizationsEuropean Democrats
From11 September 1952
(unofficially)[8]
23 June 1953
(officially)[8]
Topresent
Chaired byJoseph Daul MEP
(16 January 2007[9] to present)
MEP(s)288 (3 May 2008)
Websitehttp://www.epp-ed.eu/

EPP-ED is the current centre-right Group in the European Parliament and one of the three oldest Groups, dating its origin back to September 1952 and the first meeting of the Parliament's predecessor, the Common Assembly. Founded as an explicitly Christian Democrat Group, it declined at first but reversed its fortunes in the 80's/90's when it started to pick up members from other centre-right but non-Christian Democrat parties.

As a result, it has become the largest Group in the Parliament but does not have a majority. To guarantee the majorities required by the cooperation procedure, it is a member of the Grand Coalition with the Socialist Group (or the Liberals in the Fifth Parliament), and it is the Grand Coalition that holds a majority and the power in the Parliament. The Grand Coalition has held, although there have been occurences of a government-opposition dynamic, such as when the Group split with the Socialists to oppose the Santer Commission during the budget crisis.

Its success has not been unalloyed: the tensions between the europhile members (mostly Christian Democrat and mostly members of the European People's Party) and the eurosceptic (mostly Conservative) members has led to the latter congregating within a subgroup called the European Democrats. This subgroup has a very different voting record to the wider group. The members of the subgroup have threatened to leave EPP-ED after the 2009 elections, although they are not unanimous and doubts have been raised over whether this split will actually happen.

History

The Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (the predecessor of the present day European Parliament) first met on September 10, 1952[10] and the first Christian Democratic group was unofficially formed the next day, with Maan Sassen as President[11][8]. The group held 38 of the 78 seats, two short of an absolute majority.[8][12] On June 23 1953 the founding document of the group was published and the Group was officially formed.[8][12]

The Christian Democrat Group was the biggest group at formation, but as time wore on it lost support and was the second-biggest group by the time of the 1979 elections. But as the Community expanded into the Union, new countries joined and brought with them not just Christian Democrat parties but other parties of the centre-right. The British and Danish Conservatives tried to maintain a Group of their own called the European Democrats (ED), but other centre-right parties such as the Greek New Democracy and Spanish Partido Popular preferred to join the burgeoning Group, now named after the transnational party European People's Party founded in 1976. By the 1990's, lack of support and the problems inherent in maintaining a small Group forced the collapse of ED and its members crossed the floor to join the EPP Group (although not the party). This consolidation of the European centre-right continued through the 90's with the acquisition of members from the Italian Forza Italia and, after the 1999 elections, the Group reclaimed its position as the largest Group in the Parliament.

Size was not enough, however: the Group did not have a majority. It continued therefore to engage in the Grand Coalition (a coalition with the Socialist Group, or occasionally the Liberals) to generate the majorities required by the cooperation procedure under the Single European Act. This coalition has held, although occasionally the Group does adopt a government-opposition dynamic with the others, notably during the budget crisis when it opposed the Socialists and brought about the resignation of the Santer Commission.

Structure

Subgroups

EPP-ED is a coalition of MEPs from the European centre-right, but the European centre-right is split on the matter of Euroscepticism. The Eurosceptic MEPs congregate within a subgroup within EPP-ED called the European Democrats (ED), the rest are members of the europarty called the European People's Party (EPP), with the latter functioning as a de-facto subgroup.

In 2006, the new leader of the British Conservatives, David Cameron, stated his intention to take his party out of ED and EPP-ED and form their own, more eurosceptic, grouping. At the time that would require 20 MEPs from six countries but his main ally, the Czech Civic Democratic Party indicated it would not leave until after the 2009 elections.[13]

Organisation

EPP-ED is governed by a group of people, (referred to as the Presidency), who allocate tasks. The Presidency consists of the Group Chair and a maximum of ten Vice-Chairs, including the Treasurer. One Vice-Chair is reserved for the leader of the ED subgroup.[14] The day-to-day running of the group is performed by its secretariat, led by its Secretary-General. The Group runs its own think-tank, the European Ideas Network, which brings together opinion-formers from across Europe to discuss issues facing the European Union from a centre-right perspective.

The senior staff of EPP-ED as of 18 September 2008 are as follows:

The chairs of EPP-ED and its predecessors from 1952 to September 18 2008 are as follows:

Membership

Current membership by country

EPP-ED percentage of MEPs by member state December 2007 (see description for sources).
  Not in EU
  0% to 1%
  1% to 5%
  5% to 10%
  10% to 20%
  20% to 30%
  30% to 40%
  40% to 50%
  50% plus

A December 2007 European Parliament document gave the percentage of MEPs for each group and member state at that date. The results for EPP-ED are given on the diagram on the right.

The document shows that EPP-ED draws its MEPs from each member state. It has widespread support throughout the EU. Its smallest support is in Denmark, (where the right-wing vote is split between UEN,IND/DEM and EPP-ED), and only 7% of Danish MEPs sit with EPP-ED. Its stronghold is in Eastern Europe, with three of the four Visegrad Group member states having more than 50% of its MEPs sitting with EPP-ED. Member states which have 40% or over of its MEPs sitting with EPP-ED include Malta, Romania, Spain, Greece, Germany, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Current membership by party

The national parties that are members of EPP-ED at 18 September 2008 are as follows:

Membership at formation

The 38 members in the Christian Democratic Group on 11 September 1952 were as follows:

Activities

In the news

Activities performed by EPP-ED in the period between June 1 2004 and June 1 2008 that resulted in an entry on Google News include:

  • monitoring elections in Palestine[22] and the Ukraine;[23]
  • encouraging transeuropean rail travel,[24] telecoms deregulation,[25] energy security,[26] a common energy policy,[27] the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Union,[28] partial reform of the CAP,[29] and attempts to tackle illegal immigration;[30][31][32]
  • backing plans to outlaw Holocaust denial;[46]
  • nominating Anna Politkovskaya for the 2007 Sakharov Prize;[47]
  • the ongoing discussion about whether ED MEPs should remain within EPP-ED or form a Group of their own;[49][50][51]
  • criticisms of the Group's approach to tackle low turnout for the 2009 elections[52] and the Group's use of the two-President arrangement.[53]

Parliamentary activity profile

Group parliamentary activity profile, August 1 2004 to August 1 2008 (see description for sources).
  EPP-ED: 659 motions

The debates and votes in the European Parliament are tracked by its website and categorized by the groups that participate in them and the rule of procedure that they fall into. The results give a profile for each group by category and the total indicates the group's level of participation in Parliamentary debates. The activity profile for each Group for the period August 1 2004 to August 1 2008 in the Sixth Parliament is given on the diagram on the right. EPP-ED is denoted in blue.

The website shows EPP-ED as participating in 659 motions, making it the third most active Group during the period.

Publications

EPP-ED produces many publications, which can be found here on its website. Documents produced in 2008 cover subjects such as dialogue with the Orthodox Church, study days, its strategy for 2008-09, Euro-Mediterranean relations, and the Treaty of Lisbon. It also publishes a yearbook and irregularly publishes a presentation, a two-page summary of the Group.

Analysis

Hix and Nouri (part 1)

Hix-Lord model for first half of the Sixth Parliament (see description for sources).
  EPP subgroup: centre-right Europhiles
  ED subgroup: right-wing Eurosceptics

A 2008 working paper from the London School of Economics/Free University of Brussels by Hix and Nouri considered the positions of the political groups by analysing their roll-call votes. The results for each group are given in the diagram on the right. The vertical scale is anti-pro Europe spectrum, (0% = extremely anti-Europe, 100% = extremely pro), and the horizontal scale is economic left-right spectrum, (0% = extremely economically left-wing, 100% = extremely economically right-wing). The EPP subgroup is denoted by a blue square, the ED subgroup is denoted by a dark-blue square.

The paper shows the EPP subgroup as being centre-right Europhiles, and the ED subgroup as being right-wing Eurosceptics.

Hix and Nouri (part 2)

The same paper gave figures for the level of cooperation between each Group: how many times they vote with a Group, and how many times they vote against. The paper's figures for EPP-ED are given below.

Issue Position Notes
Cooperation with EUL/NGL 39.6%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with G/EFA 47.4%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with PES 68.4%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with ALDE 78.0%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with UEN 71.2%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with IND/DEM 52.0%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with
Cooperation with NI 68.2%[54] 0% = never votes with, 100% = always votes with

McElroy and Benoit

A 2005 discussion paper from the Institute for International Integration Studies by Gail McElroy and Kenneth Benoit gave these figures for EPP-ED in July 2004:

Issue Position Notes
Left-right spectrum 63%[55] 0% = extremely left-wing, 100% = extremely right-wing
Tax vs. spending 33%[56] 0% = extremely against tax, 100% = extremely for
Deeper Europe 63%[56] 0% = extremely against internal EU authority, 100% = extremely for
Federal Europe 63%[56] 0% = extremely against a federal Europe, 100% = extremely for
Deregulation 67.5%[55] 0% = extremely against deregulation, 100% = extremely for
Superpower Europe 70%[56] 0% = extremely against a common defence and security policy, 100% = extremely for
Fortress Europe 60%[55] 0% = extremely against controlling migration into the EU, 100% = extremely for
Green Europe 39.5%[56] 0% = extremely against environment, 100% = extremely for
Liberal Europe 30.5%[56] 0% = extremely against homosexual equality, abortion, and euthanasia, 100% = extremely for

Heinemann et al.

2007 Group attitude to EU tax (see description for sources).
  EPP-ED: 7% for

An April 2008 discussion paper from the Centre for European Economic Research by Heinemann et al. analysed each Group's stance on a hypothetical generalised EU tax. The results for each group are given in the diagram on the right. The horizontal scale denotes their stance (-100% = totally against, 0% = neutral, 100% = totally for). EPP-ED is denoted in blue.

The paper shows EPP-ED as being slightly in favour of a hypothetical generalised EU tax.

Faas

2002 Group cohesion (see description for sources).
  EPP-ED: approx 80% cohesive

Cohesion is the term used to define whether a Group is united or divided amongst itself. A 2002 paper from European Integration online Papers (EIoP) by Thorsten Faas analysed the Groups as they stood in 2002. The results for each group are given in the diagram on the right. The horizontal scale denotes cohesion (0% = totally split, 100% = totally united). EPP-ED is denoted in blue.

The paper shows EPP-ED as being the fourth most cohesive group in 2002.

Stokes

2006 Group gender balance (see description for sources).
  EPP-ED: 23% female

The March 2006 edition of "Social Europe: the journal of the European Left included a chapter called "Women and Social Democratic Politics" by Wendy Stokes. That chapter gave the proportion of female MEPs in each Group in the European Parliament. The results for each group are given in the diagram on the right. The horizontal scale denotes gender balance (0% = totally male, 100% = totally female, but no group has a female majority, so the scale stops at 50%). EPP-ED is denoted in blue.

The chapter shows EPP-ED as being the third most unbalanced group in 2006 in terms of gender balance.

Other

Other placements of IND/DEM by outside observers include:

Issue Position Notes
Turkish accession AGAINST[57]

Sources

References

  1. ^ a b c Democracy in the European Parliament
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Political Groups of the European Parliament
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p EPP-ED on Europe Politique
  4. ^ a b c Political Groups Annual Accounts 2001-2006
  5. ^ a b European Parliament archive entry for Hans-Gert Pöttering (incl. Membership)
  6. ^ a b Group names 1999
  7. ^ a b c d European Parliament archive entry for Egon Klepsch (incl. Membership)
  8. ^ a b c d e f EPP-ED Chronology 02
  9. ^ a b European Parliament archive entry for Joseph Daul (incl. Membership)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Composition of the Common Assembly (10-13 September 1952)
  11. ^ a b Sassen, Emanuel Marie Joseph Anthony (1911-1995)
  12. ^ a b c Chronology of European Integration 1945-2006
  13. ^ a b BBC News article 5169268
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m EPP-ED Group structure
  15. ^ a b EPP-ED Staff
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j EPP-ED Chronology 06
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay EPP-ED Parties
  18. ^ a b c d e EPP-ED Chronology 04
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac EPP-ED Chronology 07
  20. ^ a b c EPP-ED Chronology 05
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k EPP-ED Member List
  22. ^ a b European Parliament website document 20041208
  23. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "eu-parliament-group-demands-ukraine-election-observers"
  24. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "epp-ed-group-backs-eu-rail-shake-up"
  25. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "epp-ed-backs-eu-telecoms-shake-up"
  26. ^ a b EGOV document 10363
  27. ^ a b c Scoop article S00580
  28. ^ a b European Commission article 290906 EN
  29. ^ a b EurActiv article 112860
  30. ^ a b MaltaMedia Online Network article 2582
  31. ^ a b MaltaMedia Online Network article 2912
  32. ^ a b MaltaMedia Online Network article 2257
  33. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "epp-ed-chief-slams-russian-recognition-of-georgian-regions"
  34. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "meps-brok-and-karas-sent-to-georgia-to-report-on-developments"
  35. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "top-mep-brands-moscow-brutal-over-georgia"
  36. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "eu-aid-to-georgia-too-slow-says-mep"
  37. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "meps-call-on-eu-leaders-to-condemn-russian-intimidation"
  38. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "meps-call-for-eu-constitution-re-run-in-france"
  39. ^ a b EurActiv article 140105
  40. ^ a b Forbes article 2081969
  41. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "meps-appeal-to-irish-to-back-eu-reform-treaty"
  42. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "meps-kosovo-and-lisbon-treaty-should-top-eu-agenda"
  43. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "eu-debates-21st-century-globalisation"
  44. ^ a b People's Daily article 6401313
  45. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "more-meps-call-for-taiwans-membership-of-un-agencies"
  46. ^ a b The Parliament Magazine article "eu-plans-to-outlaw-holocaust-denial"
  47. ^ a b European Parliament website document 20070906FCS10161
  48. ^ a b EurActiv article 170049
  49. ^ a b Independent on Sunday article 407730
  50. ^ a b BBC News article 5053682
  51. ^ a b [1]
  52. ^ a b EurActiv article 171155
  53. ^ a b Deutsche Welle article 1272316
  54. ^ a b c d e f g h "After Enlargement: Voting Patterns in the Sixth European Parliament", by Simon Hix and Abdul Noury, LSE/ULB, 3 January 2008 original figure taken from "Table 6. Party Competition and Coalition Patterns in EP5 and EP6"
  55. ^ a b c d "Party Groups and Policy Positions in the European Parliament" by Gail McElroy and Kenneth Benoit, Trinity College, Dublin, 10 March 2005 original figure taken from "Table 2. Policy Positions of European Party Groups", figure converted from 0 to 20 scale to 0% to 100% scale
  56. ^ a b c d e f g "Party Groups and Policy Positions in the European Parliament" by Gail McElroy and Kenneth Benoit, Trinity College, Dublin, 10 March 2005 original figure taken from "Table 2. Policy Positions of European Party Groups", figure converted from 0 to 20 scale to 0% to 100% scale and subtracted from 100% to have scale start at "extremely against"
  57. ^ a b Turkey as a member of the European Union: a discourse analysis of the views presented in the European Parliament. Martin Olof Persson, ISSN 1402-1552, 2007
  58. ^ "After Enlargement: Voting Patterns in the Sixth European Parliament", by Simon Hix and Abdul Noury, LSE/ULB, 3 January 2008 original figure taken from "Table 2. Party Cohesion in EP5 and EP6", figure converted from 0 to 1 scale to 0% to 100% scale
  59. ^ "After Enlargement: Voting Patterns in the Sixth European Parliament", by Simon Hix and Abdul Noury, LSE/ULB, 3 January 2008 original figure estimated from "Figure 3. Spatial Map of EP6"

External links


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