European Conservatives and Reformists Party

History

Foundation

The European Conservatives and Reformists Party was founded as the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists on 1 October 2009, after the ECR political group was founded in the wake of the 2009 European Parliament election, and was officially recognised by the European Parliament in January 2010. Amongst ACRE's eight founding members, the largest were the UK Conservative Party, the Polish PiS and the Czech ODS.

ECR Party was formally constituted under the chairmanship of Belgian MEP Derk Jan Eppink, who was succeeded by Czech MEP Jan Zahradil. ACRE's first congress took place in Warsaw on 8 June 2010, attended by its founding members, including UK Conservative Party Chairman and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. On 25 March 2011, the Civic Conservative Party from Slovakia joined; Iceland's Independence Party in November 2011 (the party's first member from outside the European Union); Georgia's Christian-Democratic Movement in August 2012; Italy's Conservatives and Social Reformers in October 2012; the Conservative Party of Canada became the ACRE's first associate member (later renamed 'regional partners') in November 2012; Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party in November 2013; and the Faroe Islands' People's Party, and Romania's New Republic; and in July 2014, Prosperous Armenia. The Conservative Party of Georgia and New Majority joined on 1 November 2014. At the same time, the ACRE formally affiliated to the European Conservatives Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In November 2015, the Conservatives and Reformists of Italy were admitted as ECR Party members, followed by the Alliance for Progress and Renewal (ALFA) of Germany and M10 party of Romania in March 2016. The Liberal Party of Australia, Istiqlal Party of Morocco, National Party of New Zealand, and Republican Party of the United States joined as further regional partners in 2014, followed by Afek Tounes and Likud Movement in 2015 and 2016.

The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists officially changed its name to the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) on 6 October 2016. In December 2018, ACRE was ordered to repay more than half a million euros of EU funds, following an investigation into their spending. This included €250,000 for a three-day conference in Miami and €90,000 for a trade meeting in Kampala. ACRE had previously been asked to return €121,000 given to the Prosperous Armenia party.

More recently, the ECR has seen a shift further towards the conservative right with the acceptance of the Brothers of Italy, Forum for Democracy, Vox, and the Sweden Democrats as members in 2019. On 11 April 2023, the Finns Party joined as the most recent member of the ECR's European Parliament group.

Leadership

The ECR Party has had three Presidents:

Membership

Full members

Global partners

Former members

• Armenia: Prosperous Armenia (until 2022)
• Azerbaijan: Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (until 2022)
• Belgium: Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (2010–14)
• Bulgaria: Order, Law and Justice (c. 2009)
• Bulgaria: Reload Bulgaria (until 2019)
• Croatia: Croatian Conservative Party (until 2021, dissolved)
• Faroe Islands: People's Party (until 2022)
• Finland: Blue Reform (until 2022)
• France: France Arise (2019–20)
• Georgia: Conservative Party of Georgia (2014–22)
• Hungary: Hungarian Democratic Forum (2009–11)
• Iceland: Independence Party (2011–2021)
• Italy: Conservatives and Social Reformers (2012–14)
• Italy: Conservatives and Reformists (2015–2017)
• Italy: Direction Italy (2017–2022; merged into fellow ECR member Brothers of Italy in 2019)
• Kosovo: Democratic Party of Kosovo (until 2022)
• Latvia: For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (2009–11; merged in 2011 into National Alliance, which became a member in 2014)
• Moldova: Șor Party (2018–22)
• Morocco: Istiqlal Party (2014–18)
• Montenegro: Movement for Changes (until 2022)
• Netherlands: Forum for Democracy (until 2020)
• Netherlands: JA21 (until 2023)
• Northern Cyprus: National Unity Party (until 2022)
• Poland: Poland Comes First (2010–13; dissolved)
• Romania: New Republic (2013–18)
• Slovakia: Civic Conservative Party (2009–22)
• Slovakia: New Majority (until 2021)
• Spain: Vox (2019–2024)
• Turkey: Justice and Development Party (2013–18)
• United Kingdom: Conservative Party (2009–21)

Former regional partners

• Australia: Liberal Party (until 2022)
• Canada: Conservative Party (until 2022)
• Colombia: Democratic Centre (until 2022)
• Kenya: Jubilee Party (until 2022)
• Maldives: Progressive Party of Maldives (until 2022)
• New Zealand: National Party (until 2022)
• North Macedonia: VMRO – People's Party (until 2025)
• Serbia: Enough is Enough (until 2025)
• Tanzania: Chadema (until 2022)
• Tunisia: Afek Tounes (until 2019)
• United Kingdom (Northern Ireland): Ulster Unionist Party (until 2025)

Individual members

The ECR also includes a number of individual members, although, as most other European parties, it has not sought to develop mass individual membership.

Below is the evolution of individual membership of the ECR since 2019. |arg:cols=year,ECR

Funding

As a registered European political party, the ECR is entitled to European public funding, which it has received continuously since its first application in 2010.

Below is the evolution of European public funding received by the ECR. |arg:where=party |arg:eq=ECR |arg:cols=year,maximum_allocated,amount_received

In line with the Regulation on European political parties and European political foundations, the ECR also raises private funds to co-finance its activities. As of 2025, European parties must raise at least 10% of their reimbursable expenditure from private sources, while the rest can be covered using European public funding.

Below is the evolution of contributions and donations received by the ECR. |arg:cols=year,ECR |arg:where=year |arg:gte=2010 |arg:cols=year,ECR |arg:where=year |arg:gte=2010

Elected representatives of member parties

European institutions

European Council

European Commission

ECR affiliate groupings

The ACRE is formally affiliated to groupings in the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, the Congress of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

European Parliament

Main article: European Conservatives and Reformists Group

The ECR group is the sixth-largest group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2009, the ECR brings together 64 MEPs from 15 countries. The ECR currently is led by two co-chairmen, Ryszard Legutko of the Polish Law and Justice party and Nicola Procaccini of the Brothers of Italy party.

European Commission

In the current European Commission, the ECR has one Commissioner.

European Council

Of the 27 heads of state and government that are members of the European Council, one is from the ECR.

In third countries

Through its global partners, the ECR has two heads of state or government in non-EU countries.

Committee of the Regions

Following the creation of the ECR Group in the European Parliament in 2009, and the creation of the ACRE in 2010, the ECR Group in the Committee of the Regions was formed on 10 April 2013 under the leadership of Gordon Keymer CBE and with the support of the ACRE. The Group was officially announced during the 11–12 April 100th Committee of the Regions plenary session.

The ECR Group was the first Group to be formed in the Committee of the Regions during the course of a mandate and was the first ECR Group to be formed outside of the European Parliament.

The President of the Group is Cllr. Gordon Keymer CBE (Leader of Tandridge District Council) and the vice-presidents are Dan Jiránek (Mayor of Kladno) and Daiva Matonienė (Deputy Mayor of Šiauliai City Council). Adam Banaszak (Member of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie regional assembly), Cllr. Kay Twitchen OBE (Member of Essex County Council) and Cllr. Judith Pearce (Deputy Leader of Wychavon District Council and executive board member for Planning, Infrastructure and Housing).

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Main article: European Conservatives Group

The European Conservatives Group in the European Parliament, founded in 1970 and existing for most of its history as the 'European Democrat Group' became officially affiliated to the ACRE on 29 September 2014. The EC group is led by Samad Seyidov MP, of the New Azerbaijan Party.

As of 23 October 2014, the European Conservatives have the following members:

Congress of the Council of Europe

The ECR group in the Congress of the Council of Europe brings together representatives in local government from across Europe. It has 31 members, 26 of whom represent parties in the ECRP.

Youth organisation

European Young Conservatives

Main article: European Young Conservatives

The European Young Conservatives (EYC) is the party's youth wing. It brings together youth wings of conservative political parties from across Europe. As of 2020, the group had a membership of 30 political youth organisations from 30 countries and territories. Its patron was Margaret Thatcher until her death in 2013.

Principles

ECRP adopted the Reykjavík Declaration at its Council Meeting on 21 March 2014. The declaration defines the principles that underpin ECR.

The Reykjavík Declaration

• The European Conservatives and Reformists Party brings together parties committed to individual liberty, national sovereignty, parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, private property, low taxes, sound money, free trade, open competition, and the devolution of power.
• ECRP believes in a Europe of independent nations, working together for mutual gain while each retaining its identity and integrity.
• ECRP is committed to the equality of all European democracies, whatever their size, and regardless of which international associations they join.
• ECRP favours the exercise of power at the lowest practicable level—by the individual where possible, by local or national authorities in preference to supranational bodies.
• ECRP understands that open societies rest upon the dignity and autonomy of the individual, who should be as free as possible from state coercion. The liberty of the individual includes freedom of religion and worship, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of movement and association, freedom of contract and employment, and freedom from oppressive, arbitrary or punitive taxation.
• ECRP recognises the equality of all citizens before the law, regardless of ethnicity, sex or social class. It rejects all forms of extremism, authoritarianism and racism.
• ECRP cherishes the important role of civil associations, families and other bodies that fill the space between the individual and the government.
• ECRP acknowledges the unique democratic legitimacy of the nation-state.
• ECRP is committed to the spread of free commerce and open competition, in Europe and globally.
• ECRP supports the principles of the Prague Declaration of March 2009 and the work of the European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament and allied groups on the other European assemblies.

Election results

European Parliament

Notes

References

References

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