European Democratic Union

This article deals with the party alliance. For the group of the same name in the European Parliament, which existed from 1965–73, see Group of the European Democratic Movement .

The European Democratic Union (abbreviated EDU ) is an amalgamation of western and central European parties of the center-right. Its member parties included Christian Democratic and Conservative parties from across Europe. The EDU stopped its independent activities in 2002. For some time it still existed as a formal regional union within the International Democratic Union (IDU).

The EDU was founded on April 24, 1978 at Klessheim Castle near Salzburg and initially consisted of 18 parties from the democratic center and right . Its first president was the ÖVP -obmann Josef Taus until 1979 . After his resignation from all his functions, Alois Mock (ÖVP chairman after Taus and from 1987 vice-chancellor and foreign minister) became president of the EDU on July 21, 1979 and held this position until 1998. Mock also became the first president of the International Democratic Union ( IDU), which was founded in 1983 and currently has around 90 members.

The background to the founding of the EDU was a conflict between the Christian Democratic parties that formed the European People's Party (EPP) in 1976 . When the prospects for the expansion of the European institutions improved significantly in the 1970s, the value that the democratic parties attached to Europe-wide cooperation also increased. In the discussion that preceded the establishment of the EPP, the German CDU made attempts to open membership of this party federation to non-Christian conservative parties. However, some sister parties, particularly in the Netherlands , initially rejected this.

The Germans and Austrians therefore implemented their plans in 1978 by setting up the EDU parallel to the EPP as a working group of Christian Democratic and conservative parties. Initially, this EDU, founded in Salzburg, was also rejected by the Dutch Christian Democrats. The CDU, meanwhile, continued to plead for the EPP to be open to non-Christian parties of the center-right, and for the first time prevailed in 1991 with the Spanish Partido Popular .

In the course of the following years, the EDU took on other European parties, but with the EU enlargements in 1995 and 2004 and the growing political weight of the European Parliament, it became less important than the EPP . In October 2002 the EDU ceases its independent activities. For some time it continued to exist alongside the EPP and the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformers in Europe as a regional association within the IDU.

Members 2014

•  Italy Forza Italia
•  Liechtenstein Progressive Citizens' Party
•  Liechtenstein Patriotic Union
•  Slovakia Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie
•  Slovakia Party of the Hungarian Community

Permanent observer

•  Italy Cristiani Democratici Uniti
•  Italy South Tyrolean People's Party
•  Luxembourg Chrëschtlech Social Vollek party
•  Switzerland Christian Democratic People's Party
•  Belarus United Citizens' Party of Belarus

Associated Organizations

• Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC)
• European Democrat Students (EDS)
• European Medium and Small Enterprises Union (EMSU)
• European Union of Women (EUW)

Past members and permanent observers

•  Poland Unia Wolności
•  Turkey Anavatan Partisi
•  Turkey Doğru Yol Partisi

See also

• European People's Party
• European political party
• European Democrat Students

literature

• Hans-Joachim Veen (Ed.): Christian-Democratic and Conservative Parties in Western Europe. Volume 5: Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, European Democratic Union (EDU), European People's Party (EPP). Paderborn 2000.
• Walter Kleindel: The Chronicle of Austria (p. 610, 1978). Bertelsmann Chronik-Verlag, Munich 1994.
• Alexis Wintoniak: Uniting the Center-right of Europe: The Result of Historical Developments and Political Leadership. European View 3, 2006 online version .