European Democrat Union

The European Democrat Union (EDU) was 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 included Christian democratic, liberal conservative, and conservative political parties.

European Democrat Union

Formation	24 April 1978
Defunct	1998
Parent organization	International Democrat Union
Affiliations	European People's Party

Most EDU members were also members of the EPP, but the group also included 'unattached' conservatives that were 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][failed verification]}

The 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][failed verification]} 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

• Austrian People's Party
• Centre Agreement
• Conservative Party (UK)
• Conservative Party (Norway)
• Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)
• Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party
• Civic Democratic Alliance
• Christian Democratic Party (Czech Republic)
• Christian Democratic Movement
• Christian Democratic Appeal
• Croatian Democratic Union
• Christian Democratic Union of Germany
• Christian Social Union in Bavaria
• CDS – People's Party
• Social Democratic Party (Portugal)
• Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
• Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)
• Democratic Party (Bulgaria)
• Democratic Party of Serbia
• Democratic Rally
• Democratic Party of Albania
• Forza Italia
• Freedom Union (Poland)
• Fidesz
• Fine Gael
• Hungarian Democratic Forum
• Homeland Union
• Independence Party
• Liberal Democratic Congress
• Moderate Party
• New Democracy (Greece)
• National Coalition Party
• Rally for the Republic
• Pro Patria Union
• Patriotic Union
• Progressive Citizens' Party
• People's Party (Latvia)
• People's Party (Spain)
• Slovenian Democratic Party
• True Path Party
• Motherland Party (Turkey)