European Christian Political Movement

European Christian Political Movement
President Peter Östman
Founded November 2002
Headquarters Utrechtseweg 1a, 3811 NA Amersfoort, Netherlands
Ideology Christian democracy
Social conservatism
European Parliament group European Conservatives and Reformists
Colours Green and blue
Website
www.ecpm.info
Politics of the European Union
Political parties
Elections

The European Christian Political Movement, abbreviated to ECPM, is a political party at European level that unites national parties from across Europe that share Christian democratic politics. The member parties are generally more socially conservative and Eurosceptic than the European People's Party. The ECPM unites parties from a Christian social view.

The party was founded in November 2002 in Lakitelek, Hungary. It elected its first board in January 2005, and was registered in the Netherlands in September 2005. The first ECPM president was Peeter Võsu of the Party of Estonian Christian Democrats. The party has twenty members from across fifteen countries. Youth movements are also welcome in the European Christian Political Youth Network that started in 2004 and installed its first board in summer 2005.

The ECPM member parties have three Members of the European Parliament, Peter van Dalen of ChristianUnion (NL), Bas Belder of the Dutch Reformed Party (NL) and Branislav Škripek of OL'aNO (SK) who all sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists.

History

This platform had started in November 2002 when representatives of political parties from more than 15 countries decided to examine new chances for Christian politics in Europe on the conference "For a Christian Europe" at Lakitelek, Hungary.

The ECPM started with parties and organizations regardless their denominative background. Parties residing in and outside the EU participate in this first years and make it possible to create a movement that is solidly continuing. In 2003 the ECPM adopted eight Guiding Principles in the Lakitelek declaration "Values for Europe", which shapes ECPM's vision on Europe and in January 2005 in Tallinn, Estonia the ECPM elected its first board. On 15 September 2005 ECPM was officially registered with statutes as an association under Dutch law. In 2010 ECPM was officially recognized as a European political party by the European parliament.[1] ECPM is chaired by Peter Östman. In 2014 ECPM took for the first time as European Party part of the European Elections.

Foundation

The European Christian Political Foundation (ECPF) is the official thinktank of the ECPM.

Member parties

Full members

Party Abbr. Country
Christian Democratic Union CDU  Armenia
Bulgarian Christian Coalition BHK  Bulgaria
Christian Democratic Forum  Bulgaria
Estonian Christian Democrats EKD  Estonia
Christian-Democratic Movement KDM  Georgia
Party of Bible-abiding Christians PBC  Germany
Party for Labour, Environment and Family AUF  Germany
Christian Democratic Union KDS  Latvia
People's Party НС – NS  Montenegro
ChristianUnion CU  Netherlands
Reformed Political Party SGP  Netherlands
Union of Banat Bulgarians UBB  Romania
Alliance of Vojvodina Romanians ARDV  Serbia
Evangelical People's Party EVP – PEV   Switzerland
Christian Democratic Union ХДС  Ukraine
Christian Peoples Alliance CPA  United Kingdom
European Christian Political Youth Network ECPYN  Europe

Associates

 Romania

 United Kingdom

 Belgium

 United States

 Netherlands

 Serbia

 France

 Italy

 Armenia

 Bulgaria

 Moldova

 Russia

 Germany

 Hungary

Congresses

The ECPM organizes annually a member congress. Specific themes will be discussed during these congresses. The ECPM also organizes regional conferences all over Europe.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004–2012", November 2012, from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/, retrieved 25 January 2013

External links