The political heavyweight that has dominated the European Parliament since 1999
From its origins in the 1920s to its current status as Europe's largest political force, the European People's Party has shaped the continent's architecture. But how does a group of diverse national parties maintain such a powerful, unified grip on European leadership?
The European People's Party (EPP) is a transnational political group representing a spectrum of Christian democratic, liberal-conservative, and conservative perspectives. While the modern EPP was formally established in Luxembourg on 8 July 1976 by figures such as Jean Seitlinger, Leo Tindemans, and Wilfried Martens, its lineage is much older. The party traces its roots back to a 1920s conference in Paris and the 1953 Christian Democrat Group within the European Coal and Steel Community. Today, it is the largest party in the European Parliament, a position it has held since 1999, and has led the European Council since 2002.
The party's influence is visible in the highest echelons of EU governance. Current leaders include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The EPP's membership is a complex hierarchy: full members are parties from EU states—such as Germany's CDU/CSU, Spain's PP, and Italy's Forza Italia—while associate members include parties from EU candidate and EFTA countries. Observers, such as the Belarusian Popular Front until 2017, participate without voting rights.
However, this dominance has not been without internal friction. The party faced a significant crisis during the 2019 European elections due to tensions with Hungary's Fidesz party. Following a campaign by Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán targeting EPP figures like Jean-Claude Juncker, 13 member parties requested Fidesz's exclusion. This led to a period of partial suspension in March 2019, followed by an indefinite suspension in February 2020. Eventually, Fidesz left the EPP group in March 2021, and its partner, the KDNP, departed in June 2024.
Source: European People's Party
