Group of the European People's Party
(Christian-Democratic Group)
in the European Parliament

Composition

Historical development

CD/EPP Group Chairmen

CD/EPP Presidents of the ECSC Common Assembly and of the European Parliament

Secretaries-General of the CD/EPP Group

Composition

The Parliamentary Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democratic Group) in the European Parliament is, with 201 Members representing citizens from all the European Union states, the second largest political force in the European Parliament. Chaired by Wilfried Martens, who is also President of the EPP, the Group is currently composed of:

Germany:
47 members of the Christlich-Demokratische Union (CDU) and the Christlich-Soziale Union (CSU)
Italy:
36 members of the Forza Italia (FI), Partito Popolare Italiano (PPI), Unione Democratica per la Repubblica (Udr), Centro Cristiano Democratico (CCD), Rinnovamento Italiano (R.I.), Indipendente and Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP).
Spain:
29 members of the Partido Popular (PP) and Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (UDC)
United Kingdom:
17 members of the Conservative Party (as allied members)
France:
13 members of the UDF and the Démocratie Libérale (DL).
Greece:
9 members of Nea Dimokratia (ND).
Netherlands:
9 members of the Christen Democratisch Appèl (CDA).
Portugal:
9 members of the Partido Social Democrata (PSD).
Austria:
7 members of the Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP).
Belgium:
7 members of the Parti Social Chrétien (PSC-CSP) and of the Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP).
Sweden:
5 members of the Moderata Samlingspartiet.
Finland:
4 members of Kansallinen Kokoomus.
Ireland:
4 members of Fine Gael.
Danmark:
3 members of Det Konservative Folkeparti.
Luxembourg:
2 members of the Parti Chrétien Social (PCS-CSV).

Drawing its inspiration as it does from Christian values, the EPP Group bases its actions in the European Parliament on the principles of freedom with responsibility, equality, justice and solidarity.

For the EPP Group, there is more to building a united Europe than political, economic and social efficiency. Its aim is to create a "community of persons" linked to each other by the ties of solidarity and the fundamental human values shared by all Europeans.

The EPP Group has worked, since 1953, to put this European model into practice.


Historical development

23 June 1953 : the 38 delegates mandated by the Christian-Democratic parties of the six founder countries of the European Community (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands) sitting in the ECSC Common Assembly, meeting in Strasbourg officially establish the ‘Christian Democratic Group'. The first Assembly had a total of 78 Members.

19 March 1958 : With the entry into force of the Rome Treaties (1 January 1958) the ECSC Assembly, established in 1952, became the European Parliamentary Assembly (The European Parliament from 1962). The Parliament now had 142 Members, 67 of them in the Christian-Democratic Group.

1 January 1973 : On Ireland's accession to the Community the members of the Fine Gael party joined the Christian-Democratic Group. Of the 198 Members in the expanded European Parliament, 52 were in the Christian-Democratic Group.

17 July 1979 : Following the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (7-10 June 1979), the Christian-Democratic Group changed its name to ‘Group of the European People's Party (Christian-Democratic Group)'. The directly elected Parliament had 410 Members, 107 of them in the EPP Group.

23 December 1981 : Admission of Greek Nea Demokratia MEPs to the EPP Group brought the total to 117 members.

1 January 1986 : Admission to EPP Group of Portuguese MEPs from the Centro Democratico Social (in the Group until 1989), and Spanish MEPs from the Partido Nacionalista Vasco, the Unión Centro Democratico, the Unió Democrática de Catalunya and the Partido Demócrata Popular brought E.P. Group membership to 126.

17 July 1989 : Admission of Spanish MEPs from the Partido Popular. EPP Group membership was now 122.

1 May 1992 : Admission to EPP Group, as allied members, of British Conservative Party MEPs and Danish Conservative Party MEPs. EPP Group membership at 162 Members.

1 January 1995 : Admission to the EPP Group of Austrian MEPs from the Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP), of Finnish MEPs from Kansallinen Kokoomus and Swedish MEPs from the Moderata Samlingspartiet.

6 November 1996: Admission of 9 MEPs from the Portuguese Partido Social Democrata (PSD). The EPP Group was now composed of 180 members.

9 June 1998: Admission of Italian MEPs from the Forza Italia.

The EPP Group is at present composed of 201 members.


CD/EPP Group Chairmen

E.M.J.A. Sassen (NL)	1953-1958
Pierre Wigny (BE)	1958
Alain Poher (FR)	1958-1966
Joseph Illerhaus (DE)	1966-1969
Hans A. Lücker (DE)	1969-1975
Alfred Bertrand (BE)	1975-1977
Egon A. Klepsch (DE)	1977-1982
Paolo Barbi (IT)	1982-1984
Egon A. Klepsch (DE)	1984-1992
Leo Tindemans (BE)	1992-1994
Wilfried Martens (BE)	1994-

CD/EPP Presidents

of the ECSC Common Assembly:


Alcide De Gasperi (IT)	1954
Giuseppe Pella (IT)	1954-1956
Hans Furler (DE)	1956-1958

of the European Parliament (since 1958):


Robert Schuman (FR)	1958-1960
Hans Furler (DE)	1960-1962
Jean Duvieusart (BE)	1964-1965
Victor Leemans (BE)	1965-1966
Alain Poher (FR)	1966-1969
Mario Scelba (IT)	1969-1971
Emilio Colombo (IT)	1977-1979
Pierre Pflimlin (FR)	1984-1987
Egon A. Klepsch (DE)	1992-1994
José María Gil-Robles (ES)	1997-

Secretaries-General of the CD/EPP Group

Hans Joachim Opitz (DE)	1954 - 1959
Carl Otto Lenz (DE)	1960 - 1966
Arnaldo Ferragni (IT)	1966 - 1972
Alfredo De Poi (IT)	1972 - 1975
Giampaolo Bettamio (IT)	1976 - 1986
Sergio Guccione (IT)	1986 - 1990
Gerhard Guckenberger (DE)	1991 - 1997
Mário David (PT)	1997 - 1999
Klaus Welle (DE)	1999 -