European Democrat Union
Formation24 April 1978
Defunct1998
Parent organization
International Democrat Union
AffiliationsEuropean People's Party

The European Democrat Union (EDU) is one of the three European wings of the International Democrat Union, along with the European People's Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party).[1] Its members include Christian democratic, liberal conservative, and conservative political parties. It is only a nominal sub-entity of the IDU, since it ceased its activities in 2002.

Most EDU members were also members of the EPP, but the group also included 'unattached' conservatives that are unaffiliated to the EPP.[2] These were: the British Conservative Party, the Czech Civic Democratic Party, the Icelandic Independence Party and the Liechtenstein Patriotic Union and Progressive Citizens' Party.[3]

Secretary of EDU in the 1990s was Andreas Khol. One of the last conferences 17th EDU Conference were held in 12–13 March 1996 in Paris. In the late 1990s, the last chairman of an independent EDU, Finnish conservative politician Sauli Niinistö, negotiated the merger of the EDU into the EPP.[4] In October 2002, the EDU ceased its activities after being formally absorbed by the EPP at a special event in Estoril, Portugal.[5] In recognition of his efforts, Niinistö was elected Honorary President of the EPP in the same year. Moreover, in April 2008, the EPP was recognized as a Regional Union by the IDU.

Member parties

References

  1. ↑ "AECR becomes regional member of IDU | Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists". Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Hanley, David. "Christian Democracy and the Paradoxes of Europeanization: Flexibility, Competition and Collusion". Party Politics. 8 (4): 463–481. doi:10.1177/1354068802008004006. S2CID 145156148.
  3. ↑ "European Democrat Union (EDU)". International Democrat Union. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  4. ↑ EPP (2005). "EPP Honorary President Sauli Niinistö's Autobiography a Popular Success". EPP website. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2005.
  5. ↑ Alexis Wintoniak (Spring 2006). "Uniting the Center-Right of Europe: The Result of Historical Developments and Political Leadership". European View. pp. 173–178. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2006.


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