EPP IN ACTION 2006
Contents > 01
Welcome to the EPP
> 12
EPP Congress
> 02
EPP in the European Council EPP Summit
> 18
EPP Global Political Activity
> 20
EPP Communication Strategy
> 04
EPP Heads of Government > 21
EPP Statute and Party Funding
> 05
EPP in the European Commission > 22
EPP Associations
> 06
EPP in the European Parliament > 24
EPP Foundations and Think-Tanks
> 07
EPP in the Committee of the Regions, the Council of Europe and the OSCE
> 26
Who is Who in the EPP
> 08
EPP Presidency and Political Bureau
> 28
EPP Member Parties and Observers
> 10
EPP Working Groups
> 30
Map of Europe
> 11
EPP Archive
Welcome to the EPP
Welcome to the EPP Welcome to the European People‘s Party, the largest European-level party of Europe. With 69 member-parties from 37 countries, 18 heads of government, 9 European Commissioners, including the President, and the largest Group in the European Parliament with 277 members, the EPP is the leading political force on the continent.
Secretar y General Antonio López-Istúriz and President Wilfried Mar tens
The EPP is the family of the political centreright, whose roots run deep in the history and civilization of the European continent and has pioneered the European project from its inception. The EPP is committed to a federal Europe, based on the principle of subsidiarity – a democratic, transparent and efficient Europe. Our vision is one of mutual respect, of inclusion of all free citizens, encompassing all European countries and regions, no matter how diverse – a Europe for all. The EPP wants a Europe that upholds a prosperous and peaceful future for all its citizens. 2006 was a year of many changes and new, positive developments. At its XVIIth Congress in Rome on the 30th and 31st of March 2006, the EPP adopted its manifesto “The citizens and Europe: clear priorities for a better Europe”, approved several resolutions and elected its new Presidency. In September, the EPP moved to its new and improved headquarters, which better suits the party’s needs and objectives. In 2006, the EPP also expanded its international relations and bilateral contacts with many parties and organizations around the world. EPP has many important tasks ahead. By being in the driver’s seat of the three main EU institutions in the first half of 2007 - the Council with the German Presidency led by Angela Merkel, the Commission led by President José Manuel Barroso, and the Parliament led by Hans-Gert Poettering will have the responsibility for finding solutions to the current Constitutional impasse, for implementing the Lisbon strategy, for securing Europe’s energy needs and for making Europe a competitive knowledge-based economy.
EPP in the European Council | EPP Summit EPP in the European Council - EPP Summit At the Summit of the EPP, heads of government, party leaders in coalition governments and opposition, the EPP Presidency and the EPP Presidents of the Commission and Parliament, meet regularly prior to the European Council Summit. These important sessions offer EPP leaders - in an informal and confidential setting - the opportunity to air differences and seek consensus within the EPP family in an effort to develop common positions at the European Council. Customarily, the EPP Summit meetings are held at the Bouchout Castle in Meise, a suburb of Brussels. During 2006, four Summit meetings were held. The discussions focused on EU’s economic development, safeguarding our energy supply and security, innovation and research, immigration and thorough debates on the Constitutional Treaty during the reflection period.
Statutory Summit, Meise, 23 March 2006 The organization of EPP’s XVIIth congress hosted by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome was welcomed. The European Council agenda topics “sustainable growth” and “unemployment” were addressed. The leaders indicated that flexibility in the on-going bilateral meetings on the Ser vices Directive and the Financial Perspectives was needed. Elmar Brok reported on the European Parliament’s resolution on Enlargement. In view of the EU crisis with the delay in the ratification of the Constitution and the financial perspectives being linked with the enlargement capacity for countries in the Western Balkans, the EU is unable to start negotiations. An additional interim step was proposed to further their progress and strenghten ties of these countries with the Union without abandoning pledges made at the Council of Thessaloniki. Resolutions on terrorism and the situation in Belarus were adopted.
Statutory Summit, Meise, 15 June 2006 The leaders endorsed the detailed proposal by Michel Barnier: “For a European Civil Protection Force: Europe Aid”. As Europe needs more transparency, democracy and the capability to act - in order to address the great expectations of the citizens - the Summit released a statement expressing EPP’s commitment to the European Constitutional treaty. Also a resolution on the condemnation of the violation of human rights in Cuba was unanimously adopted.
Extraordinary Summit, Helsinki, 19 October 2006 The need for a EU Energy Policy was stressed. It was decided that stable relations are in the interest of both the European Union and Russia and that a credible and reliable partnership is needed not only for safeguarding our energy needs but also for Europe’s long-term strategic interests. A strong, unified message on democracy with proposals for cooperation would be presented to Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, who was a guest at the informal Council meeting in Lahti, Finland. A pan-European initiative for innovation and research with coherent solidarity that will take concrete action should be established. It should also be an instrument for dealing with climate problems. The leaders reflected further on possible scenarios to relaunch, in due time, the substance of the Constitutional Treaty. Resolutions on “Negotiations of the Spanish government with the terrorist Group ETA” and “Croatia’s membership in NATO and the EU” were unanimously approved.
Statutory Summit, Meise, 14 December 2006 Alaxandar Milinkevic, ˇ Belarusian opposition leader, was applauded by the EPP leaders for winning the 2006 Sacharov Prize. Also, the leaders from Bulgaria and Romania were congratulated for their countries’ imminent accession to the European Union as Member States. The EPP leaders also welcomed at the meeting newly-elected Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and wished him success for his government. In order to support the EPP Working Group on European Policy in preparation of the EPP Action Programme for the 2009 European elections, it was decided that the EPP would organize in the course of the coming months, conferences on specific topics of concern. ˘ Furthermore, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s message (read by an AK representative) on his government’s commitment to accession negotiations was well received. The leaders also debated the overall issue of the future of enlargement and they also approved unanimously a resolution on a common European policy on illegal immigration. Finally, the leaders obser ved a one-minute silence to commemorate the passing away of Loyola de Palacio, former Vice President of the European Commission.
JAN PETER BALKENENDE, Netherlands, CDA “Democracy, freedom, solidarity, respect, equity and tolerance are at the heart of my view of our future Europe: a European society with peacefully coexisting minorities sharing a common set of core values.“ ˘ TRAIAN BASESCU, Romania, PD “The process of EU enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe represented from its ver y beginning a historic opportunity to erase artificial dividing lines, strengthening and extending peace and prosperity on our continent, preparing us better for the future.“ DOMINIQUE de VILLEPIN, France, UMP “The resolute choice in favour of environmental protection is at the heart of the values promoted by the European Union. We alone in the world are promoting these values.“ LAWRENCE GONZI, Malta, PN “We want Europe to move for ward, we want Europe to respond to globalization, we want to see a modernised Europe, we want to see a Europe that is able to win the challenges that we are facing today. And Malta, the smallest member of the European Union, is prepared to contribute to tr y and achieve these aims.“ JANEZ JANŠA, Slovenia, SDS “One of our fundamental challenges is also maintaining a sustainable demographic picture in the continent. Without any delays we should engage in a European-wide reflection on how to create an environment that will stimulate the European society to become younger.“
EPP Heads of Government
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, Luxembourg, CSV “Without a Constitution, without the completion of the internal market, without this social dimension to the European Union, whether we like it or not, Europe will, without any of us being aware of it, gradually become a sophisticated free trade zone.“ AIGARS KALVITIS, Latvia, TP “Today’s challenge for European countries is to be among the most competitive economies in the world. Political leaders must create appropriate instruments to ensure that EU countries can maintain their competitiveness – not only in Europe, but also globally.“ KOSTAS KARAMANLIS, Greece, ND “Today Europe stands at the threshold of major choices. The distribution of competences, the simplification of the European Treaties and the role of the national Parliaments are certainly issues we urgently continue to address. Yet, we should not let this urgency blur the clarity of the vision we have for the Europe of the future.“ ANGELA MERKEL, Germany, CDU “Above all it is important to point out that we can only maintain our prosperity in Europe if we belong to the most innovative regions in the world.“
FREDRIK REINFELDT, Sweden, MOD “In the EPP, we come from dif ferent cultures, with our separate national histories and traditions, but we share values in our views on freedom, people and politics. We stand united in our diversity.“
WOLFGANG SCHÜSSEL, Austria, ÖVP “We need to establish clarity about questions which really concern people. We need to be honest, and look at unpleasant answers as well. Europe must be useful and protect its citizens from the real threats that exist.“ SALI BERISHA, Albania, DP “The signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Albania in June 2006 opened a new horizon for the future of the Albanian people and the end of a 15 years-long transition period – the EPP played a pivotal role in this process.” ˘ RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkey, AKP “Turkey’s membership to the EU will constitute yet another step in mutually influencing Muslim and Christian societies positively, in their ef forts of identifying with each other, as well as strengthening the ground for much-needed dialogue and cooperation between the two.“ VOJISLAV KOŠTUNICA, Serbia, DSS “The EPP can count that my countr y and the party that I am heading will remain committed to the idea of a Europe of cooperation, stability and prosperity - in one word, a citizens‘ Europe.“
IVO SANADER, Croatia, HDZ “If the European People’s Party succeeds in ser ving fundamental human and community values, then EPP will secure Europe’s future.“
VICTOR YUSHCHENKO, Ukraine, NSNU “The transnational nature of European identity is manifested in the procedure of mutual recognition of each other‘s equality and self-suf ficiency. Being European means making consensus decisions.“
EPP in the European Commission
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he European People’s Party has always played a pivotal role in the European Commission,a pillar institution of the Union that implements European Union policies. With José Manuel Barroso – a long-standing figure of the EPP family – at the helm, the current Commission is giving a vital impulse to EU policies. The Commission has a total of 9 Members that originate from the EPP family:
President | José Manuel BARROSO | Portugal, PSD “When this Commission took of fice, there was unfinished business to deal with and to reform. With the help of this Parliament and the Council, these things have been dealt with, put behind us, or turned around. So as we celebrate Europe‘s 50th anniversar y this year, we can do so with much greater confidence. Once again, Europe has proved its continuing vigor and relevance by reinventing itself for the 21st centur y.” Transport | Jacques BARROT | France, UMP “I am keen to promote the development of the transport sector, which currently accounts for 10 % of the European Union’s GDP. In order to do so, we must stimulate technological innovation and strengthen investments in infrastructure through ambitious projects.”
Justice, Freedom & Security | Franco FRATTINI | Italy, FI “One of the fundamental objectives of the European Union, is to of fer its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice without internal borders. I personally am ver y committed to working hard on these extremely important and challenging subjects. One of my aims is to bring these issues closer to the EU citizens.” Fisheries & Maritime Af fairs | Joe BORG | Malta, PN “Activities related to the oceans and seas are interconnected, and that they should be thought about, and planned for, in an integrated way. The seas have provided Europe with great wealth over the centuries, but we can no longer take this bounty for granted. Our approach to our oceans and seas must be holistic and responsible if we want to continue to benefit from them sustainably for the centur y to come.” Environment | Stavros DIMAS | Greece, ND “Fostering eco-innovation is essential if we are to successfully tackle these issues as well as the other environmental challenges we face, such as pollution of our air and water, waste generation and unsustainable use of resources. Real progress will only be feasible if new environmental technologies are developed and promoted throughout the EU.” External Relations & ENP | Benita FERRERO-WALDNER | Austria, ÖVP “The EU and its citizens face major challenges like managing globalization to our advantage, responding to threats like terrorism, organized crime and the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and securing an international order based on the rule of law and wellfunctioning multilateral institutions. All of this requires a strong EU on the international stage that is capable of promoting peace, security and stability and of protecting its values and interests, with a strong European Commission at the heart.” Education & Culture | Jan FIGEL | Slovakia, KDH “I am committed to develop a European area of lifelong learning that will be a benchmark for the world by 2010 and help to make the European Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge economy in the world, capable of sustained economic growth accompanied by more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.”
Energy | Andris PIEBALGS | Latvia, TP “The security of energy supply should not be taken for granted. I am here to make Europe respond to this challenge by bringing Union‘s energy consumption and external dependence in balance. We have to use energy more ef ficiently and rely more often on renewable energy sources.“
Information Society & Media | Vivianne REDING | Luxembourg, CSV “The Information Society and Media portfolio represents an economic sector which is crucial for prosperity and quality of life in the European Union. All Europeans, irrespective of health, wealth or where they live, should be able to benefit from the Information Society.”
EPP in the European Parliament EPP-ED Group
The EPP-ED Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with a relative majority compared to the other political groups. This strength is reflected in the fact that, since 1999, the EPP-ED Group has been the most influential and on the winning side in more votes than any other group in plenary sessions of Parliament.
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he new parliamentar y term (2004 - 09) was inaugurated with the approval of the new Commission and its President, JosĂŠ Manuel Barroso, who was nominated by EPP. The result of the election (449 in favour, with 149 against and 82 abstentions) was quite an accomplishment for the President of the Commission, the EPP, and the EPP-ED Group, which favoured a strong Commission led by Barroso. The EPP-ED Group looks to the Commission, above all, to promote the competitiveness of the European Union, as an essential condition for creating new jobs, combating crime and securing the external borders of the Union as well as reducing bureaucracy. In December 2004, the European Council took the important political decision of starting accession negotiations with Turkey. The EPP-ED Group measured this question continuously and in-depth during the course
EPP in the OSCE PA The Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the Parliamentar y Assembly for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) and Vice President of the Assembly is Panos Kammenos. In July 2006, GĂśran Lennmarker was elected as President of the OSCE PA, following his nomination by the Group. This was a great victor y for the EPP since the position has been held for many years by other political groups. For more information, please contact: info @ kammenos.gr
of 2005. The Group agreed that the negotiating process must be entirely open and that the outcome must not be looked upon as a foregone conclusion. Negotiations with Turkey must be open-ended; they can lead to membership, but not inevitably. These negotiations are not proceeding smoothly, with Turkey, having signed a Customs-Union Agreement with 24 EU Member States, ef fectively refusing to recognise Cyprus. The Group welcomes the good progress with the Croatian accession negotiations. The EPP-ED Group upholds the principle that all European countries should be of fered the prospect of membership in the long term, provided they meet the Copenhagen criteria without reser vation. During the first half of the current legislature there have been important political and legislative achievements. Bulgaria and Romania, following intensive negotiations, will be welcomed into the Union on 1st Januar y 2007. The financial guidelines for the European Union Budget to 2013 have been agreed between the Parliament and Council. The important Ser vices Directive has been finally adopted with most of the input coming from the EPP-ED Group. Similarly, the RE ACH Regulation on the thousands of chemicals in ever yday use will come into force early in 2007. The Group expects considerable progress on finding a way to deal with the constitutional Treaty in 2007. The Treaty has been ratified by more than half the Member States but following negative referenda in France and the Netherlands it is now important to find a way forward. Undoubtedly, the political highlight of this year was the nomination of EPP-ED Group Chairman Hans-Gert Poettering as the candidate for the of fice of President of the European Parliament. On November 14, 2006, the members of the EPP-ED Group unanimously nominated Hans-Gert Poettering, as its candidate - as there were no other candidates, Poettering was nominated by acclamation. The nomination of Poettering was initially proposed by the CDU/CSU Delegation, it was supported by the Group Presidency and all of the 25 Delegation Leaders, and was confirmed by the entire 264 Member Group (277 as of 1 Januar y 2007). Hans-Gert Poettering was elected President of the European Parliament on Januar y 16, 2007 - one week prior to the election, Joseph Daul was elected as the new Chairman of the EPP-ED Group. For more information on EPP-ED Group, please visit: www.epp-ed.eu
EPP in the Committee of the Regions EPP in the Council of Europe and the OSCE
EPP in the Committee of the Regions The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union. The EPP Group led by President Isidoro Gottardo is a major political pillar in the CoR, making it the driving force for strengthening and increasing the role and influence of local and regional authorities in the EU decision-making process. At the beginning of the 4th mandate of the CoR, in Februar y 2006, Isidoro Gottardo was re-elected President of the EPP Group and Luc Van den Brande Vice-President of the CoR. Besides its ordinar y meetings, the EPP Group held two meetings outside Brussels during 2006: one linked to the EPP congress in Rome, dealing with Regions & Europe: a better future for citizens - how regions shape European legislation, and a meeting in Madrid dedicated to the issue of “Migration and Immigration - Regions and Cities on the Front Line“. The EPP in the CoR furthermore developed a new tool of cooperation with the European Commission, by organising restricted high level meetings with Commissioners on topical EU issues such as energy policy, the new transport policy and the future EU maritime policy in 2006. On the other hand, the EPP Group in the CoR has continued to strengthen its cooperation with the European Parliament, and most notably with the Committee for Regional Af fairs for the promotion of local and regional interests in Europe. For more information on the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions, please visit: www.cor.europa.eu/eppweb
EPP in the Council of Europe The Council of Europe is the continent‘s oldest political organisation, founded in 1949. It groups together 46 countries, including 21 countries from Central and Eastern Europe. A formal decision on the membership of Montenegro is expected in 2007 bringing to 47 the membership of the Council. It is distinct from the 25-nation European Union, but no countr y has ever joined the Union without first belonging to the Council of Europe. The Group of the European People’s Party in the Parliamentar y Assembly of the Council of Europe promotes co-operation in Europe in a democratic and social framework, based on individual freedom, linked to the concept of Christian responsibility and according to the principles and the values of the EPP. During 2006, members of the EPP Group in the Council of Europe participated as obser vers in elections which took place for the Palestinian Legislative Authority; legislative elections in Ukraine; partial re-runs of legislative elections in A zerbaijan; the conduct of the referendum on state status of the Republic of Montenegro; Presidential and Legislative elections in Mexico; legislative elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; in the Republic of Montenegro; in Bosnia-Herzegovina; the Constitutional Referendum in Serbia and a Pre-Electoral Mission in December 2006 in advance of legislative elections in Serbia in Januar y 2007. Following legislative elections in a number of countries the Group welcomed a number of new delegations and accepted new members from Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (Bulgaria) and from the Republican Party of Albania. Luc Van den Brande was elected by acclamation as President of the EPP Group in Januar y 2005. He underlined that the Council of Europe is the “Cathedral of Values” and must adhere to its core objectives while also reaching out to the colleagues in the European Parliament and the OSCE. René van der Linden, President of the EPP Group 1999 – 2005, was elected as President of the Parliamentar y Assembly of the Council of Europe on 24 Januar y 2005. For more information on the EPP/CD Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, please visit: http://assembly.coe.int/ppe/index_e.htm
EPP Presidency and Political Bureau
EPP Structure The EPP has three levels of decision-making: Presidency, Political Bureau and Congress. EPP heads of government can give policy recommendations at the level of the EPP Summit, whereas EPP Working Groups perform preparatory political work. The Presidency decides on the general political guidelines and presides over the Political Bureau. The Presidency is composed of the President, 10 Vice-Presidents, the Secretar y General and the Treasurer. The Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament is also ex of ficio Vice President of the EPP. The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the Party. It is composed of the delegates of EPP Member Parties and Associate Member Parties and of EPP recognized Associations. The number of participants reflects the number of delegates for the Political Bureau. The EPP Congress meets once ever y three years. It elects the EPP Presidency and decides on the main policy documents, electoral programmes and provides a platform for the EPP Heads of Government and Party leaders.
The Political Bureau defines the political positions of the party between Congresses, deciding on membership applications and final political guidelines. The Political Bureau also decides on the budget and safeguards the political presence of the EPP between the Congress meetings. The Political Bureau is composed of the designated delegates of the EPP Member Parties, Associated Member Parties and of the EPP recognized Associations. The number of delegates for each party is linked to the election result in the last European elections so that parties are weighted according to their strength. This allows taking decisions by majority. The Political Bureau meets three to four times a year. The Political Bureau defines the mandate of the Working Groups which prepare the Party’s policy documents and recommendations. All Member Parties and Associated Member Parties and members of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament have the possibility of participating in the Working Groups.
EPP Presidency During 2006 the EPP held 9 Presidency meetings in preparation of the EPP Political Bureau meetings and EPP Summits and to make recommendations and take decisions on the good governance of the Party and its Secretariat.
9 & 10 JANUARY 2006 - Brussels
18 & 19 SEPTEMBER 2006 – Brussels
The Political Bureau dealt with the EU budget of 2007-2013 and the preparation of the EPP Congress in Rome which will focus on giving new impetus to the European Union. In this regard, the “Rome Manifesto” was approved.
The Swedish Moderaterna and KD won the parliamentar y elections in Sweden.
EPP POLITICAL BUREAU HIGHLIGHTS
A political embargo on the current HDZ-BiH President and the members of its Presidency was accepted. Based on the review the President, he confirmed that Our Ukraine People’s Union (NSNU) and People’s Movement (RUKH), Ukraine are legitimate successors of the NU Bloc that was originally accepted in 2005 as an obser ver. A resolution on the Result of the Committee Vote on the Ser vices Directive was approved. The Blue Book presented by the Secretar y General will be used as an operational common guideline for addressing the media and will be published after the Congress.
The initiative of UMP President Nicolas Sarkozy on solution to overcome the constitutional crisis and to introduce urgent institutional reforms, dominated the debate in the Political Bureau. Kostas Sasmatzoglou was elected as the Secretar y of External Relations. Because of long overdue membership payments DHSS of Serbia was excluded from the EPP. Alojz Peterle’s proposal on Information Society was accepted. EU-Russia relations were discussed. Resolutions on Mexico, terrorism and Hungar y were adopted. The Political Bureau took note of the change of the address of the EPP Headquarters to Rue du Commerce 10, B-1000 Brussels as of 8 September 2006.
29 MARCH 2006 – Rome 9 & 10 NOVEMBER 2006 – Brussels The Political Bureau fully concentrated on the EPP Congress (30 & 31 March 2006) where more then 1600 participants were registered. The Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) was accepted as an associate member party. Our Ukraine People’s Union (NSNU) and People’s Movement (RUKH), Ukraine were accepted as obser ver members of the EPP. The amended EPP By-Laws were adopted in second reading.
8 JUNE 2006 – Brussels Christian Kremer and Luc Vandeputte were reelected as Deputies Secretar y General. The Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) and United Civic Party (UCP) of Belarus were accepted as obser ver members. The positions taken in the Rome Manifesto outlining the EPP proposals to overcome the present crisis in the EU must be used as guidelines and referred to by all the member parties. EPP Working Groups European Policy, Economic and Social Policy, Party Membership, and Campaign Management were re-established by the Political Bureau. The amended Internal Regulations and the resolution on “Europe & the World Economy Strengthening the EU’s Global Role” were adopted.
To elaborate on EU’s energy integration policy, a seminar on Energy Policy will be organized on 7 Februar y 2007. The EPP will continue to strengthen its focus on the transatlantic partnership through its relations with the International Republican Institute (IRI), especially in view of the Transatlantic Summit of June 2007. The upgrade application of the Democratic Party of Romania (PD) for Associate Membership was adopted. The sister parties in Romania committed themselves to enhanced cooperation in view of the European elections in Romania in May 2007. The Member Parties supported the KD of Sweden’s fact-finding mission to Cuba which was organized because of increased repression since Fidel Castro’s brother took over as head of government. The EPP Budget and the Membership fees for 2007, the EPP Declaration on “Police brutality in Hungary” and the list of Individual Membership Applications of MEP’s (according to §5 of the Statutes) were accepted.
EPP Working Groups EPP Working Groups Working Groups are the backbone of EPP’s political work, where high-profile representatives from the EPP member-parties develop common positions and strategies on major policy areas and submit specific recommendations to the Political Bureau for final approval. A Working Group can be given a specific mandate for preparative work for EPP Summits and the EPP Congress. Working Groups are also responsible for organizing Conferences, Roundtable discussions and other important events.
European Policy Chaired by the EPP President Wilfried Martens together with EPP Vice President Peter Hintze, the Working Group had the task of preparing the EPP’s most vital policy papers and Congress documents on European issues. In past years, the Working Group prepared the Congress documents of Berlin (2001), Estoril (2002) and Brussels (2004). Thus, the European Policy Working Group has prepared the most important decisions of the EPP in the last years. On 2006, the Group focused on Energy Policy with the guidance of Eija-Riitta Korhola, EPP Rapporteur on Energy. The group also continued to work with the possible solutions to resolve the deadlock caused by the negative referenda on the Constitutional Treaty.
Economic and Social Policy With the renewed mandate of the Rome Congress, the working group - Co-Chaired by Peter Jungen and Ria Oomen-Ruijten - focused on the fundamental developments regarding Economic and Social policy at the European level. Particular emphasis was placed on Labour market flexibility and Globalisation’s impact on European Social Models. In 2006 the working group continued its ef forts to enhance its contacts with the main European economic institutions.
EPP Membership Chaired by Camiel Eurlings, EPP Vice President, this Working Group is mandated to promote, facilitate and incorporate new EPP members, associate members, and obser vers throughout the continent. When a party is accepted in the EPP, its elected representatives automatically join the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, and all other EPP Groups and organizations. In 2006, the Working Group recommended (and ultimately accepted by the Political Bureau) the following parties: Our Ukraine People’s Union (NSNU), People’s Movement (RUKH), Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB), Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), United Civic Party (UCP), and the Democratic Party of Romania (PD, upgrade application).
EPP Archives
EPP Archives Re-organisation and new access rules
Campaign Management The coordination of the persons responsible for campaigning from the headquarters of member-parties, is the main task of this Committee. The exchange of experiences in recent election campaigns as well as the long-term preparation of European issues and the campaign for the European Parliament election, has brought added value to the Member Parties and to the EPP. During the last meeting of the Committee, which took place in Rhodes, Greece in May 21-23, 2006, over 25 participants exchanged their experiences in recent campaigns. Several ideas for campaigns were proposed which found a lot of interest among the participants. Numerous presentations were made which can be found online in the EPP Intranet.
EPP Conferences EPP Conferences reflect the political agenda and political priorities of the EPP. Experts, European politicians and representatives of the EPP member parties debate issues and present their positions to the public. In June 2006 a Conference on “EPP Priorities for a Europe Close to the Citizens” took place in the European Parliament in Brussels. EPP President Wilfried Martens opened the Conference together with EPPED Group Chairman Hans-Gert Poettering. The keynote Presentation was given by EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who described the main challenges that the EU is facing today. Members of the newly elected EPP Presidency presented the EPP vision on economic reforms, implementation of the Lisbon agenda, challenges of the European Security Strategy, and the future of the European Constitution. More than 150 guests from the European Parliament as well as the political, business and NGO circles of the EU participated in the Conference.
In 2006 the EPP carried out a serious re-organisation of its archives in order to ensure a more professional and durable conser vation of its recent histor y, both for internal and external users. First, a large part of EPP files was transferred to the “Archiv für Christlich-Demokratische Politik“ of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Sankt Augustin/Bonn, which already contains the central archives of the EPP(-ED) Group in the European Parliament, some EPP files as well as those from the NEI, the EUCD and the CDI. Second, a new inventor y was set up for the remaining archive files that are kept in the new EPP headquarters in Brussels. Apart from a large e-collection of party documents, the EPP archives now include the of ficial EPP publications (documents for external use), the minutes of the EPP decision-making bodies since 1990 (Congress, Political Bureau [and Council] , Presidency, Summit and Working Groups) and a large collection of photographs and audiotapes. This collection reflects the variety in activities the EPP has organised in more than a decade. Wishing to stimulate historical and political research, the EPP has decided to open its archives for consultation to the general public and to limit its ‘confidentiality access period’ to 15 years.
XVII
EPP Congress Rome 路 30-31 March 2006
More than 700 delegates, 50 volunteers, 15 Heads of Government, European Commissioners, representatives from more than 69 political parties and 37 countries, more than 300 journalists, dozens of international guests‌ contributed to the success of XVII EPP Congress. The EPP Congress, took place on the 30th & 31st of March 2006, coinciding with the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the EPP.
XVII EPP Congress · Rome
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he EPP has come a long way since its inception as a transnational party of European Christian Democrats. 30 years later, the EPP boasts 69 Christian democrat, reform and conser vative member parties from 37 European countries and is the most influential political party in all major European institutions: 10 heads of government in the European Council, 9 Commissioners including the President, and the largest Group in the European Parliament with 277 members. The Rome Congress was the ultimate political event of 2006 in Europe and set the stage for new momentum in the European project. “Our Aim, Your Europe“ was the slogan for the 17th EPP Congress in Rome, reflecting EPP‘s ambition to create a Europe close to its citizens. The Congress adopted its “Rome Manifesto”. Untitled “For a Europe of the Citizens: Priorities for a Better Future”, the document includes the EPP positions to strengthen the European Union. The EPP elected its President, Secretar y General, VicePresidents and Treasurer during the XVII Congress. Wilfried Martens (Belgium) and Antonio LópezIstúriz (Spain) were re-elected as President and Secretar y General of the EPP for a term of three years.
EPP 30th ANNIVERSARY The EPP was created 30 years ago as a Federation of Christian Democrat Parties of the European Community. The EPP wanted to give continuity to the tradition of the Christian Democrat Statesmen such as Robert Schuman, Alcide de Gasperi and Konrad Adenauer Thanks to its remarkable Europe-wide profile, the EPP has grown ver y rapidly to become the leading political actor of the continent. No other political family has played such a decisive role in the different stages of the European integration.
The EPP had a crucial role during the 90s in the preparations of the Treaty of Maastricht, and it is destined to play a decisive role in the current political crisis, to which the EPP gave solid answers during its XVII Congress in Rome. 30 years after its foundation, the EPP is still the paramount political actor in Europe !
BLUE BOOK
MARTENS ADDRESSES XVII EPP CONGRESS
The “Blue book” is an innovative initiative launched by the EPP during its Rome Congress. The purpose of this “book” is to ser ve as a communication tool to reach out to citizens and give straight-for ward answers to their main questions and concerns.
EPP President Wilfried Martens, following his re-election, made the following address to the Congress delegates:
The Book contains clear, relevant information on the idea of Europe, immigration, terrorism, environment, budgetar y questions, the role of Europe in the world, among other crucial issues. “The EPP is in favor of responsible EU policies. The EPP believes in a free, open, prosperous and democratic Europe and assumes the responsibility that EU citizens trusted our political family in last European elections by bringing about EPP policies to continue the construction of Europe in the frame of the EPP tradition”
“It is time for the EPP to transform the current political crisis into a new impetus. This is the goal of the XVII Congress of the EPP: to give back ‘a soul‘ to European project, to provide it with the dynamism that only a strong European ideal gives. Conscious of the challenge and the urgency, the European People’s Party has approved a Manifesto formulating the essential orientations with the new prospects for Europe. The European Union urgently needs more leadership, to defend the common interest and our joint projects. I am convinced, that a new generation, resulting from our popular movement, will take again the torch and I remain convinced that the entire EPP family will assume the responsibility to conclude this task and to bring Europe closer to our fellow citizens.”
ROME MANIFESTO The EPP adopted its “Rome Manifesto” during the Congress. Entitled “For a Europe of the Citizens: Priorities for a Better Future”, the document includes the new EPP positions to strengthen the European Union. “Thanks to European integration, there has been peace, security and prosperity on our continent for more than half a centur y. Today, the European Union guarantees the consolidation of the young democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and contributes to the economical revival of Western Europe. The diversity of languages, cultures and religions provides big opportunities for everyone’s life. It is a permanent mission for European society.
We want to make a contribution to this positive process and to seize the opportunities it offers. Most citizens, whether or not they adhere to a religion or church, are willing to cooperate, stand together and to commit themselves in a show of solidarity. The European People’s Party makes, through its Rome ‘Manifesto’, an open plea for their support and contribution in order to fulfil our common goals.”
EPP Global Political Activity
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and EPP President Wilfried Martens meet in Ottawa, 05.05.06
US Senator John McCain addresses an EPP and IRI Event in Brussels, 29.04.06
EPP Global Political Activity In recent years, the EPP began developing its international profile in the global political arena. In view of EU’s expanding relations with many countries around the world, the EPP is actively assisting in the promotion of these relations on a political level. Thus, EPP’s international relations have a dual aim: to advance its political principles and values beyond Europe and, at the same time, to promote EU interests around the world. Specifically, the EPP has embarked on a series of political contacts for the purpose of advancing bilateral relations with important political parties and organizations around the world. We are currently in close contact with important like-minded parties such as the Conser vative Party of Canada led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a.o. The EPP is also continuing to foster its relationship with the International Republican Institute (IRI) of the United States. In 2006, the EPP co-organized three important events with the IRI in Brussels: with George Weigel (06/12/06), a dis-
tinguished American intellectual, with Jim Kolbe (11/10/06), Arizona Congressman, and with John McCain (29/04/06), Arizona Senator and IRI Chairman. Finally, for the purpose of improving global political synergy and cooperation, the EPP follows closely the activities of the two multilateral organizations of our political family: the Christian/Centrist Democrat International (CDI) and the International Democrat Union (IDU).
EPP Communication Strategy
This online and monthly publication highlights the main activities of the EPP of the previous weeks, and also includes interviews and articles. The newsletter is available in English, French and German. EPP 30th Anniversary On the occasion of its video to remember the influence of the party in decades. The video was gress in Rome.
video 30th Anniversar y, the EPP produced a main facts of its own Histor y and the the European project over the last three successfully presented during the Con-
Website: www.epp.eu Updated ever y day, the EPP website contains not only “last minute” information (press releases and other news), but also the calendar of activities, documents, and background information on the EPP and its member parties.
“EPP in Action” Launched in 2005 for the first time, is a handsome brochure that reviews the activities of the EPP of the previous year in a clear and concise manner. Advertising on other websites In addition to the articles of the EPP published on other websites of the EPP family (e.g. EPP-ED Group), our party signed in 2006 a cooperation agreement with Euractiv, one of the most important portals on European af fairs, to guarantee further advertising of our activities. Press conferences and meetings with journalists The EPP also of fers press conferences to the journalists at the end of each important event, such as the Summits (last year held in Brussels and in Helsinki) or the Congress which took place in Rome. In addition, President Wilfried Martens and Secretar y General Antonio López-Istúriz meet regularly with journalists and give inter views.
The EPP also launched last year a special website on the Congress held in Rome (30 and 31 March) including news, documents and pictures. The site is still available: www.eppcongress2006.org
EPP Statute and Party Funding
In 2006, 10 European parties received party funding: - European People‘s Party (EPP) - Party of European Socialists (PES) - European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR) - European Democrat Party (EDP) - The European Federation of Green Parties (EFGP) - Party of the European Left (GUE) - Alliance for the Europe of Nations (AEN) - European Free Alliance (EFA) - Alliance for Independent Democrats in Europe (AIDE) - EU Democrats Alliance for Democracy in the EU (EUD)
The Rome Congress placed the keystone of the reforms of our statutes transforming the EPP into a modern and functional organization with the legal personality of an International Non-Profit Association, formally recognized by the European Union. The recognition as an International NonProfit Association and the reform of our Statutes were necessar y prerequisites in view of the regulations of the European Parliament on party funding. The implementation of the Regulation of European Party funding, introduced in 2004 as a first step towards a legal framework for European level political parties, has not always been easy and consistent with the modern management of a dynamic organization. EPP therefore took the lead in drafting the Report on the implementation of funding arrangements for political parties at European-level, which was approved by the European Parliament in spring 2006 (‘Leinen Report‘). Numerous suggestions and proposals for changes were made to improve the application, and more specifically, the long-term financial planning, the building-up of reser ves and the procedures for transparency and simplification. The European Commission and Council are now deciding on the implementation of these proposed changes.
New Headquarters At the heart of the ‘European quarter’ in Brussels, just a short walk from the EU institutions, the EPP and the ‘Forum for European Studies’ inaugurated the new EPP Headquarters. The new and larger of fice building will allow EPP to further invest on the enhancement and modernization of its ser vices. In the future, the new EPP headquarters will also host the EPP recognized associations and other organizations close to EPP. Our ambition is to transform our new of fices as the common home of all those linked to the big European People‘s Party family. The new headquarters were of ficially inaugurated on September 18, 2006.
The European Union budget for 2006 set aside 9.2 million EURO for party funding. 15% of the budget is distributed among the parties in equal shares. 85% is distributed on the basis of the number of Members of Parliament accounted for by ever y Party. The European funds were allocated as follows (in million EURO) : EPP 2.9
PES 2.6
ELDR 0.8
EFGP 0.6
AEN 0.4
EDP 0.5
GUE 0.5
EFA 0.2
EUD 0.2
AIDE 0.3
The European Parliament funds constitute 2/3 of EPP income. The rest of the income is generated through the membership fees. Membership fees of full Member Parties are calculated on the basis of the political strength of the party and the number of MEPs. The membership fee of the associate and obser ver member parties is calculated by the Political Bureau on the basis of the votes obtained by these parties during the last national elections.
EPP Associations
Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Union (SME UNION) The SME UNION of the EPP is the network of pro-business Christian-Democrat, Conser vative and Liberal politicians and political organizations. Its main objective is to shape EU policy in a more SME friendly way in close cooperation with the SME Circle of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, DG Enterprise and the SME UNION members within the EPP member parties. The importance of the work of the SME UNION can be seen in the fact that SMEs are considered as the key driver for sustainable jobs, growth and prosperity. Its top priority is to reform the legal framework for SMEs all over Europe and to promote and support the interests
of small and medium-sized enterprises which - due to their willingness to take risks and responsibility - are the engine of the European economy. The topic of the Year for 2007 will be Less & Better Regulation for SMEs. In June 2005, President of Eurochambres and President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Christoph Leitl, was elected President of the SME UNION. For more information on SME UNION, please visit: www.sme-union.org
European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (EUCDW) The EUCDW is the workers‘ organisation of the EPP with 23 member organisations from 17 dif ferent countries. As the of ficially recognised EPP association of workers, the EUCDW led by its President Elmar Brok, MEP, has the following aims: to press for the political unification of a democratic Europe; to promote the development of the EPP on the basis of Christian-social teaching; to represent and defend worker interests in European Policy; to work for the achievement of Christian-social principles and policies in the European workers‘ movements; to step up co-operation with the workers and their organizations.
Therefore, in the last years and 2006 in particular, the EUCDW has spent a lot of ef fort in influencing employment policy and defending an undivided Europe of social protection without any “opt-outs.” EUCDW welcomes the success of reshaping the “Ser vices Directive” in such a way that it fits into a reasonable and balanced approach for the Internal Market which will help preserve the social cohesion of our societies. For more information on EUCDW, please visit: www.eucdw.org
EPP Women EPP Women is recognised by the EPP as the of ficial association of women from all likeminded political parties of Europe. EPP Women have over 40 member organizations from countries of the European Union and beyond. All member organisations are women‘s organisations from political parties which are members of the EPP. EPP Women, led by its President Doris Pack, MEP, was dedicated in 2006 to the advancement of women‘s political participation throughout Europe and to the promotion of important women-related issues. In particular
EPPW in 2006 promoted the notion of equal opportunities between men and women, women’s contribution to the realization of the Lisbon Strategy, and the fight against women and poverty. For more information on the EPP Women, please visit: www.epp-women.org or send an e-mail to eppwomen @epp.eu
European Senior Citizen’s Union (ESU) The ESU, founded in Madrid in 1995, is the largest political senior citizens’ organization in Europe. The ESU is represented in 21 member states with 34 organisations and about 500.000 members. The ESU is dedicated to the advancement of rights of European senior citizens and their engagement in society. The aims of the ESU are the promotion of the role of the elderly in ageing European societies, against the discrimination of the elderly, the European pension systems, seniors and volunteering, intergenerational relationship & participation.
kind to freedom and solidarity, 3. ethnical, economic and social demands which are not in conflict, but in agreement with each other. The ESU, led by its President, Bernhard Worms, calls for the active participation of senior citizens in the workplace, in decisions and in the promotion of responsibility in European societies. Senior citizens are the determining group of society in the 21st centur y. For more information on ESU, please visit: www.eu-seniorunion.info
In 2006, ESU based its work on three firm principles: 1. the Christian conception of man, 2. the call of man
European Democrat Students (EDS) EDS is the of ficial students’ organization of the EPP. Since it was founded in 1961, EDS brings together students and young political leaders from all over Europe to promote a political pro-European exchange. Although being a students’ organization, and therefore taking a special interest in topics like the Bologna Process, the organization is especially aware of the importance of promoting values like Freedom, Democracy and the Human Rights. Led by its Chair woman Ana Filipa Janine, the structure has 36 member organizations, representing nearly 500.000 students across the continent. Currently, EDS is represented in 34 countries, including non EU member states like Belarus and Georgia. EDS is not a centralized
organization, it is an “organization of organizations”, a networking structure whose general aim is to bundle the power of the various members in order to give young people and students a strong voice. Ever y year the organization hosts Summer and a Winter universities and several seminars, publishes a bi-annual magazine “Bullseye” and campaigns, through various forms, for the interests of young people. Most recent events, organized by EDS, took place in Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Ukraine and Romania. For more information on EDS, please visit: www.edsnet.org
Youth of the European People‘s Party (YEPP) YEPP is EPP‘s of ficial youth organisation, self-governed by its own statutes, political program and elected representatives. YEPP’s members are national party-political youth organisations. The purpose of all 55 member organisations as well as for YEPP is to provide young people a channel in order to influence the shaping of their societies with democratic means and centre-right, Christian democratic and conser vative ideas. Through its member organisations YEPP brings together more than 1,2 million youngsters in 35 European states. This makes YEPP the largest party-political youth organisation in Europe. YEPP is led by its President, David Hansen. He chairs a Board of 12 members with a two years mandate.
2006 was the mid-term of the Board and yet another active period. Seven dif ferent weekend seminars, including one Summer School and 5 Council meetings of member organisations have been held. YEPP’s of fice with its own Executive Of ficer, Ann-Pascale Mommerency, is located within the new EPP building in Brussels. In 2007 YEPP will celebrate its 10th anniversar y at a Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. Being welcomed there by its first president and now Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, this will surely manifest YEPP’s intention: to be the future of the EPP – the future of Europe. For more information on YEPP, please visit: www.yepp-eu.org
EPP Foundations and Think Tanks
g y , y develop new thinking, to prepare in-puts into the annual summer university. They attract prominent policy experts as chairmen and rapporteurs. The EIN held its fifth summer university and third ”European Ideas Fair” from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 September 2006 at the Centre de Congrès, Lyon. The event attracted over 300 participants from 27 countries. Plenar y sessions focussed on the challenge of globalisation and the continuing need for Europe to develop an ”agenda for revival” based on economic reform. Keynote speakers included José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Carl Bildt, the former prime minister and now foreign minister of Sweden, Dominique Perben, French Minister of Transport, and Jean-Martin Folz, chief executive of Peugeot-Citroën. During 2006, already close working links with the EPP party were deepened. Wilfried Martens, President of the EPP, chaired a seminar organised jointly in Italy by the EIN, EPP and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, on longer-term European policy challenges. Participants included policy directors of national political parties and chairmen and rapporteurs of EIN working groups. This discussion ser ves as a precursor to a broader project on “Europe 2025“ which the network will be carr ying for ward in all its activities during the course of 2007. Further details of EIN activities in 2006 can be found on the EIN website: www.ein.eu
Centre for Political Parliamentary Education and Training The ”EPP-ED Centre for Political Parliamentar y Education and Training” (CET ) was established in 2002. The goal of the CET is to contribute to the successful work of the EPP-ED Group by organising educational activities: workshops, seminars, conferences and special meetings. Activities in 2006 - ”MEP assistant training” for the 25 EU member countries - “Values and Policy of the EPP and EPP-ED Group” 2 infoworkshops for the new EPP member party PD (Romania) - “MEP assistant training and an internship” for future assistants from Bulgaria and Romania - “Local self-government: A step towards ef fectiveness and the understanding on the decision-making procedure of the EU and basic principles and values of EPP-ED” seminars in the Ukraine for local councillors to improve the level of political parliamentar y education among the young councillors - “Developing local self-government in former soviet states: Moldova and Belarus” seminars in Moldova and for Belorussian participants in Kiev For more on the Centre for Political Parliamentar y Education and Training, please contact: cet@t-online.hu
The Robert Schuman Institute The “Union of the Robert Schuman Institute for Developing Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe“ (RSI) has been operating under the auspices of the EPP with an extended scope of activities since 1995. The RSI organizes international courses for potential young leaders, party members and of ficials of the EPP sister and co-operating parties of the developing democracies in the region receiving both theoretical and practical training.
Since the 2004 EU enlargement, the Institute has been focusing mostly on East and Southeast European countries. Wim van Velzen announced his retirement as President of the RSI. The General Meeting appointed him Honorar y President. EPP Vice President Camiel Eurlings, MEP, was elected as the new President of RSI. For more on Robert Schuman Institute, please visit: www.rschuman.hu
International conference: “The Effects of Robert Schuman’s Ideas in Today’s Europe.“
The Robert Schuman Foundation
Political Foundations
The Robert Schuman Foundation for Cooperation among Christian Democrats in Europe, founded in 1989, is an entity of the Group of the European People‘s Party (Christian Democrats), registered in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Working together with the EPP Member Parties, Political Foundations around Europe deliver vital input to European political debate and development. This work consists of a large variety of activities in European political life, including conferences, research, contributions resulting from public debate, publications, training programmes, etc. These Foundations, such as Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), HansSeidel-Stiftung (HSS), Fundación para el Análisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES), Political Academy of ÖVP, Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation, Institute for Democracy Konstantinos Karamanlis and others, cooperate with EPP in various projects and provide important advice for the EPP and its work.
Since its establishment, the Foundation has provided a onemonth internships in the European Parliament for more than 500 young people, primarily from central and eastern Europe, but also from Latin America, Russia and the southern Caucasus. The majority of those who complete the programme remain faithful to the policies and values they originally adopted. Ever y two years the Foundation organizes meetings of former interns in the form of political seminars. These were first held in Prague, in Poland and Hungar y and, in recent years, were held in Brussels, Strasbourg and Rome. For more information on Robert Schuman Foundation, please contact: Corinna Zehler, corinna.zehler @europarl.europa.eu
Who is Who EPP Presidency PRESIDENT Wilfried MARTENS (Belgium, CD&V )
VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Michel BARNIER, (France, UMP)
Mario DAVID, (Portugal, PSD)
VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Camiel EURLINGS ( The Netherlands, CDA)
Peter HINTZE (Germany, CDU)
VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Jyrki K ATAINEN (Finland, KK)
Enda KENNY (Ireland, FG)
VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Viktor ORBAN (Hungar y, FIDESZ)
Alojz PETERLE (Slovenia, NSI)
VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
Antonio TAJANI (Italy, FI)
Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI (Poland, PO)
Ingo FRIEDRICH (Germany, CSU)
HONORARY PRESIDENT
HONORARY PRESIDENT
Sauli NIINISTÖ (Finland, KOK)
Leo TINDEMANS (Belgium, CD&V )
Who is Who EPP Secretariat SECRETARY GENERAL Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ Secretar y General, MEP, (Spain, PP) alopez @ epp.eu DEPUTIES SECRETARY GENERAL (l) Christian KREMER Deputy Secretar y General, (Germany, CDU) ckremer@ epp.eu (r) Luc VANDEPUT TE Deputy Secretar y General, (Belgium, CD&V ) lvandeputte @ epp.eu
SENIOR OFFICIALS (l) José Luis FONTALBA Senior Political Adviser, (Spain, PP) jlfontalba @ epp.eu (m) Tomi HUHTANEN Senior Political Adviser, (Finland, KOK) thuhtanen @ epp.eu (r) Javier JIMENEZ Press Of ficer, (Spain, PP) jjimenez @ epp.eu
SECRETARY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS Kostas SASMATZOGLOU Secretar y of External Relations, (Greece, ND) relex @ epp.eu
OFFICIALS (l) Galina FOMENCHENKO Political Adviser (Ukraine) gfomenchenko @ epp.eu (r) Pieter RONSIJN Political Adviser (Belgium, CD&V ) pronsijn @ epp.eu
CABINET OF THE PRESIDENT Ingrid GOOSSENS Head of President´s cabinet af fairs igoossens @ epp.eu
ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL Mélanie DURSIN Assistant to Secretar y General mdursin @ epp.eu
ASSISTANTS TO THE DEPUTIES SECRETARY GENERAL
ASSISTANT OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
(l) Susanne CORDS Assistant to Christian Kremer scords @ epp.eu
ˇ Pavlina HEYMANS-ŠPACKOVÁ Assistant to Secretar y of External Relations pheymans @ epp.eu
(r) Daniele BUFFELS Assistant to Luc Vandeputte dbuf fels @ epp.eu
SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL (l) Rita TRIEST Political Bureau Executive Secretar y rtriest @ epp.eu
SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL (r) Yelba TORRES CDI, Working Groups ytorres @ epp.eu (l) Sophie PAEME Reception, General administration and logistics spaeme @ epp.eu (r) Guy VOLCK AERT Manager of Informatics & Internet gvolckaert @ epp.eu
ALBANIA PDR *New Democrat Par ty / DP* Democratic Par ty of Albania w w w.dpalbania.org AUSTRIA ÖVP Österreichische Volkspartei www.oevp.at BELARUS BPF* Belarusan Popular Front w w w.pbnt.org / UCP* United Civil Par ty w w w.ucpb.org BELGIUM CD &V Christen-Demokratisch & Vlaams w w w.cdenv.be / CDH Centre Démocrate Humaniste w w w.lecdh.be BOSNIA & HERZOGOVINA HDZBiH* Hr vatska Demokratska Zajednica BiH w w w.hdzbih.org / PDP* Par tija Demokratskog Progresa RS w w w.pdp-rs.org/ SDA* Stranka Demokratski Akcijew w w.sda.ba BULGARIA BANU-PU Banu People‘s Union / DSB Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria w w w.dsb.org / UDF Union of Democratic Forces w w w.sds.bg / DP Democratic Par ty CROATIA HDZ Hr vatska Demokratska Zajednica w w w.hdz.hr / DC* Demokratski Centar w w w.demokratski-centar.hr / HSS* Hr vatska Seljacka Stranka w w w.hss.hr CYPRUS DISY Democratic Rally of Cyprus w w w.disy.org.cy CZECH REPUBLIC KDU- CSL Krestanka a demokraticka unie w w w.kdu.cz DENMARK DKF Det Konser vative Folkepar ti w w w.konser vative.dk / KD Kristendemokraterne w w w.kd.dk
EPP Member Parties and Observers
ESTONIA IRL Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit w w w.irl.ee FINLAND KOK Kansallinen Kokoomus w w w.kokoomus.fi / KD* Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit w w w.kristillisdemokraatit.fi FRANCE UMP Union pour un Mouvement Populaire w w w.u-m-p.org GERMANY CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands w w w.cdu.de / CSU Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern w w w.csu.de GREECE ND Nea Demokratia w w w.nd.gr HUNGARY FIDESZ Fidesz Magyar Polgári Szövetség w w w.fidesz.hu / MDF Magyar Demokrata Fórum w w w.mdf.hu IRELAND FG Fine Gael w w w.finegael.ie ITALY FI Forza Italia w w w.forza-italia.it / UDC Unione dei Democratici Cristiani w w w.udc-camera.it / UDEUR Popolari UDEUR w w w.popolariudeur.it / SVP* Südtiroler Volk spar tei w w w.svpar tei.org LATVIA JL/ NE New Era w w w.jaunaislaiks.lv / TP Tautas Par tija w w w.tautaspar tija.lv LITHUANIA LKD Lietuvos Krikscionys Demokratai w w w.lkdp.lt / TS-LK Tev ynes Sajunga w w w.tsajunga.lt LUXEMBOURG CSV Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollek spar tei w w w.csv.lu MALTA PN Par tit Nazzjonalista w w w.pn.org.mt MOLDOVA PPCD Par tidul Popular Crestin Democrat w w w.ppcd.md NETHERLANDS CDA Christen Democratisch Appèl w w w.cda.nl NORWAY HOYRE w w w.hoyre.no / KRF* Kristelig Folkepar ti w w w.kr f.no POLAND PO Platforma Obywatelska www.platforma.org / PSL Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe www.psl.pl PORTUGAL PSD Partido Social Democrata www.psd.pt ROMANIA PD Partidul Democrat www.pd.ro / PNTCD Partidul National Taranesc Crestin Democrat www.pntcd.ro / RMDSZ Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség www.rmdsz.ro SAN MARINO PDCS* Partito Democratico Cristiano Sammarinese www.pdcs.sm SERBIA DSS Democratic Party of Serbia www.dss.org.yu / G17PLUS www.g17plus.org.yu SLOVAKIA KDH Krestanskodemokraticke Hnutie Slovenska www.kdh.sk / MKP Strana Madarskej Koalície www.mkp.sk / SDKÚ-DS Slovenská Demokratická a Krest‘anska Únia – Demokratická Strana www.sdkuonline.sk SLOVENIA NSI Nova Slovenija - Krscanska Ljudska Stranka www.nsi.si / SDS Slovenska Demokratska Stranka www.sds.si / SLS Slovenska Ljudska Stranka www.sls.si SPAIN PP Par tido Popular w w w.pp.es / UDC Unió Democràtica de Catalunya w w w.unio.org SWEDEN KD Kristdemokraterna www.kristdemokraterna.se / Moderaterna www.moderat.se SWITZERLAND CVP Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei www.cvp.ch / EVP Evangelische Volkspartei www.evppev.ch TURKEY AKP* Justice and Development Party www.akparti.org.tr UKRAINE NSNU* People‘s Union Our Ukraine www.razom.org.ua / RUKH* People‘s Movement of Ukraine www.nru.org.ua
* Obser vers
Map of Europe
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