European People's Party
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Leader | Jean-Claude Juncker (LU) |
President | Joseph Daul MEP (FR) |
Deputy leader | Jyrki Katainen (FI) |
Founded | 8 July 1976 |
Headquarters | Rue du Commerce/Handelsstraat 10, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
Think tank | Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies |
Student wing | European Democrat Students |
Youth wing | Youth of the European People's Party |
Women's wing | Women of the European People's Party |
Ideology |
Liberal conservatism Christian democracy Pro-Europeanism European federalism |
Political position | Centre-right |
International affiliation |
Centrist Democrat International, International Democrat Union |
European Parliament group | European People's Party |
Colours | Blue |
European Parliament |
216 / 751
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European Council |
8 / 28
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Website | |
www |
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The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties, not individuals. Founded by primarily Christian democratic parties in 1976, it has since broadened its membership to include liberal-conservative parties and parties with other centre-right political perspectives.
The EPP has been the largest party in the European Parliament since 1999 and in the European Council since 2002. It is also by far the largest party in the current European Commission. The President of the European Council, President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament are both from the EPP. Many of the Founding fathers of the European Union were also from parties that later formed the EPP. Outside the EU the party also controls a majority in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The EPP has alternated with its centre-left rival the Party of European Socialists (PES) as the largest European political party and parliamentary group.
The EPP includes major parties such as the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), The Republicans of France, Forza Italia of Italy, and the People's Party (PP) of Spain, and it has member parties in all of the EU member states except the United Kingdom.