15th EPP Congress
Our future: A strong Europe
17 - 18 October 2002
Estoril - Portugal

Resolution adopted by the 15th EPP Congress
Commitment of the EPP to the leading role of the European Political Parties

The increasing importance of the European Parliament must also lead to the increasing importance of European Parties. They must not only observe European politics, including day-to-day politics, but must increasingly take part in shaping it. This requires the parties - even though there are differing traditions and movements within them - to develop in future a still greater measure of inner unity.

Therefore the EPP stresses Christian values. We see men and women as responsible persons each endowed with a unique and transcendent dignity. In order to fulfil themselves, people need freedom, autonomy and social responsibility. In this, we differentiate ourselves from all other ideologies.

The EPP states its claim to remain the strongest political force on the European stage. This requires us to be more clearly the party of the social market economy, the party for entrepreneurs as well as for employees.

The EPP must be open to everyone who supports its basic principles of freedom in responsibility in word and deed, and thus demonstrate, also to the outside world, the credibility of the European Peoples’ Party.