| European Conservatives and Reformists Party | |
| Abbreviation: | ECR |
| President: | Giorgia Meloni (IT) |
| Secretary General: | Antonio Giordano (IT) |
| Split: | European People's Party Union for Europe of the Nations |
| Predecessor: | Movement for European Reform[1] |
| Headquarters: | Rue du Trône 4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
| Think Tank: | New Direction |
| Youth Wing: | European Young Conservatives |
| Position: | Right-wing to far-right |
| International: | International Democracy Union |
| Europarl: | European Conservatives and Reformists (majority) Patriots for Europe (Vox) |
| Colours: | Blue |
| Seats1 Title: | European Parliament |
| Seats2 Title: | European Council |
| Seats3 Title: | European Commission |
| Seats4 Title: | European Lower Houses |
| Seats4: | |
| Seats5 Title: | European Upper Houses |
| Seats5: | |
| Country: | European Union |
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR, 2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE, 2016–2019), is a conservative,[2] [3] soft Eurosceptic[4] European political party with a main focus on reforming the European Union (EU) on the basis of Eurorealism,[5] as opposed to total rejection of the EU (anti-EU-ism).[6] [7]
The political movement was founded on 1 October 2009,[8] after the creation of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) political group of the European Parliament. It was officially recognised by the European Parliament in January 2010.
ECR Party is governed by a board of directors who are elected by the Council, which represents all ECR member parties.[9] The executive board is composed of the President Giorgia Meloni (Prime Minister of Italy), Vicepresident Jorge Buxadé (Spanish Member of the European Parliament), and Vicepresident Radosław Fogiel (Polish member of the Parliament).[10] [11]
The party is affiliated with the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament, the pan-European think tank New Direction – The Foundation for European Reform, and the youth organisation the European Young Conservatives. It is also formally associated with the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the Committee of the Regions, in the Congress of the Council of Europe, and in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.[12] In the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the ECR Party forms the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance with the Identity and Democracy Party.
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party was founded as the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists on 1 October 2009,[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] In November 2015, the Conservatives and Reformists of Italy were admitted as ECR Party members,[16] followed by the Alliance for Progress and Renewal (ALFA) of Germany and M10 party of Romania in March 2016.[17] 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.[18]
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.[19]
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 Sweden Democrats as members in 2019.[20] [21] In April 2023 Finns Party joined as most recent member of the ECR's European Parliament group.[22]
The ideas serve as the cornerstone for ECR's political ideology, which guides to approach to changing the European Union. Europe is at a critical juncture, making the ECR Party's reform agenda more important than ever. They are urging people to join their movement and help push a vision for a better Europe—and a better world. They state "by participating, you can play an important role in advancing their vision of not just reforming the European Union but also making a beneficial influence internationally". ECR seeking assistance for their efforts to create a more inclusive, economic, and sustainable future for all.[23]
The ECR Party has had two Presidents:
| No. | Image | Name | Tenure | Party | Member state | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Zahradil | 2009–2020 | Civic Democratic Party |  Czech Republic | ||
| 2 | Giorgia Meloni | 2020– | Brothers of Italy |  Italy |
| Country | Party name | Abbr. | Legislature lower house seats | Legislature upper house Seats | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement Bulgarian: ВМРО – Българско Национално Движение Bulgarian: VMRO – Balgarsko Natsionalno Dvizhenie | VMRO | |||||
| Croatian Sovereignists Croatian: Hrvatski suverenisti | HS | |||||
| Civic Democratic Party Czech: Občanská demokratická strana | ODS | |||||
| We Citizens German: Wir Bürger | WB | |||||
| Brothers of Italy Italian: Fratelli d'Italia | FdI | |||||
| National Alliance Latvian: Nacionālā apvienība | NA | |||||
| Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance Lithuanian: Lietuvos lenkų rinkimų akcija – Krikščioniškų šeimų sąjunga | LLRA–KŠS | |||||
| Alternative Democratic Reform Party Luxembourgish; Letzeburgesch: Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei French: Parti réformiste d'alternative démocratique German: Alternative Demokratische Reformpartei | ADR | |||||
| Law and Justice Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość | PiS | |||||
| The Right Alternative Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Alternativa Dreaptă | AD | |||||
| Freedom and Solidarity Slovak: Sloboda a Solidarita | SaS | |||||
| Sweden Democrats Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna | ||||||
| Vox Spanish; Castilian: Vox | Vox | |||||
| Country | Party name | Abbr. | Legislature lower house seats | Legislature upper house Seats | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | Republican Party of Albania | PR | ||||
 Belarus | BPF Party | BPF | ||||
 Israel | Likud – National Liberal Movement | Likud | ||||
| VMRO – People's Party | VMRO–NP | |||||
 Serbia | Enough is Enough | DJB | ||||
 United Kingdom | Ulster Unionist Party | UUP | (House of Commons (NI Seats)) | (House of Lords) | ||
| (Northern Ireland Assembly) | ||||||
 United States | Republican Party | GOP | ||||
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: Direction Italy (2017–2022; merged into fellow ECR member Brothers of Italy in 2019)
Latvia: For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (2009–11; merged in 2011 into National Alliance, which became a member in 2014)
Morocco: Istiqlal Party (2014–18)
Montenegro: Movement for Changes (until 2022)
Netherlands: Forum for Democracy (until 2020) Netherlands: JA21 (until 2023)
Poland: Poland Comes First (2010–13; dissolved)
Romania: New Republic (2013–18)
Slovakia: Civic Conservative Party (2009–22) Slovakia: New Majority (until 2021)
Turkey: Justice and Development Party (2013–18) United Kingdom: Conservative Party (2009–21)
Australia: Liberal Party (until 2022)
Canada: Conservative Party (until 2022)
Colombia: Democratic Center (until 2022)
Kenya: Jubilee Party (until 2022)
Maldives: Progressive Party of Maldives (until 2022)
New Zealand: National Party (until 2022)
Tunisia: Afek Tounes (until 2019)| Organisation | Institution | Number of seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Parliament | |||
| European Commission | |||
| European Council (Heads of Government) | |||
| Council of the EU (Participation in Government) | |||
| Parliamentary Assembly |
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.
See main article: European Conservatives and Reformists. The ECR group is the sixth-largest group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2009, the ECR brings together 64 MEPs from 15 countries.[24] 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.[25]
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).
| Country | Party name | Members | Other affiliations | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Affiliate | Europarty | EU Parliament | International | ||
| Czech Republic | Civic Democratic Party | 3 | 1 | ACRE | ECR | IDU |
 Denmark | Danish People's Party | 0 | 2 | MELD | ECR | None |
| Finland | Finns Party | 1 | 1 | ACRE | ECR | None |
 Lithuania | Independent | 1 | 3 | None | None | None |
| Netherlands | Christian Union | 1 | 1 | ECPM | ECR | None |
| Poland | Law and Justice | 1 | 4 | ACRE | ECR | None |
| Slovakia | Independent politician | 1 | 0 | None | None | None |
| United Kingdom | Conservative Party | 7 | 8 | ACRE | None | IDU |
| United Kingdom | Ulster Unionist Party | 0 | 1 | ACRE | None | IDU |
See 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:[26]
| Country | Party name | Members | Other affiliations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europarty | EU Parliament | International | ||||||
| Armenia | Prosperous Armenia | 2 | ACRE | N/A | None | |||
| Armenia | Republican Party of Armenia | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Azerbaijan | New Azerbaijan Party | 4 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Azerbaijan | Independent | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Czech Republic | Civic Democratic Party | 2 | ACRE | ECR | IDU | |||
| Denmark | Danish People's Party | 1 | None | ECR | None | |||
 Greece | Independent Greeks | 1 | None | ECR | None | |||
 Norway | Progress Party | 2 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Poland | Law and Justice | 7 | ECRP | ECR | None | |||
| Poland | United Poland | 1 | MELD | No MEPs | None | |||
| Turkey | Justice and Development Party | 13 | ACRE | N/A | None | |||
| Turkey | Nationalist Movement Party | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
 Ukraine | Party of Regions | 4 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Ukraine | Sovereign European Ukraine | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
| Ukraine | Independent | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
| United Kingdom | Conservative Party | 17 | ACRE | N/A | IDU | |||
| United Kingdom | Democratic Unionist Party | 1 | None | N/A | None | |||
| One of the three members of the Republican Party of Armenia sit with the EC Group. The other two members sit with the European People's Party. Eleven of the thirteen members of the Justice and Development Party sit with the EC Group. One sits with the European People's Party and one sits with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. One of the two members of the Nationalist Movement Party sits with the EC Group. The other member sits with the Socialist Group. Four of the seven members of Party of Regions sit with the EC Group. Two sit with the Socialist Group and one sits with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for 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.
| Country | Party name | Members | Other affiliations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europarty | EU Parliament | International | |||
| Armenia | Prosperous Armenia | 1 | ACRE | N/A | None |
| Czech Republic | Civic Democratic Party | 3 | ACRE | ECR | IDU |
| Czech Republic | Independent | 2 | None | N/A | None |
| Denmark | Danish People's Party | 1 | None | ECR | None |
| Norway | Progress Party | 2 | None | N/A | None |
| Poland | Law and Justice | 1 | ACRE | ECR | None |
| Poland | Independent | 1 | None | N/A | None |
| Turkey | Nationalist Movement Party | 5 | None | N/A | None |
| Ukraine | People's Party | 1 | None | N/A | None |
| United Kingdom | Conservative Party | 11 | ACRE | ECR | IDU |
| United Kingdom | Ulster Unionist Party | 1 | ACRE | ECR | None |
See main article: European Young Conservatives. The European Young Conservatives (EYC) is ECR Party's youth wing. It brings together conservative and political parties from across Europe. As of 2020, the group has a membership of 30 political youth organisations from 30 countries and territories. Its patron was Margaret Thatcher until her death in 2013.
ECRP adopted the Reykjavík Declaration at its Council Meeting on 21 March 2014. The declaration defines the principles that underpin ECR.[27]
The Reykjavík Declaration
European Parliament
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Portugal
Switzerland