European Young Conservatives Explained

European Young Conservatives
Chairman: Alexander Redpath
Deputy Chairman: Alexios Karamanolas
Secretary General: Michał Szpądrowski
Treasurer: Mo Metcalf Fisher
Vice-Chairman: Gabriel Kroon
Jan Smitka
Raz Granot
Nathan Redmond
Berenika Grabowska
Frederik Jansen
Khatia Lachashvili
Lukhani Rogol
Fabio Roscani
Founded:August 1993
Split From:Democrat Youth Community of Europe
Headquarters:Margaret Thatcher House, 85 Western Road, Romford, London, RM1 3LS
United Kingdom
Ideology:Conservatism
Euroscepticism
International:International Young Democrat Union

The European Young Conservatives (EYC) is a grouping of youth wings of conservative and centre-right political parties in Europe.

As of 2014, the group has a membership of 25 political youth organisations from 22 countries and territories, in addition to four associated members. The EYC is independent and not affiliated with any European political party, but maintains a non-exclusive relationship with the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (formerly known as the European Conservatives and Reformists).

The EYC is a full member of the International Young Democrat Union.

History

The EYC was founded in August 1993 by the youth wings of the British Conservative Party, Danish Conservative People's Party, and Icelandic Independence Party, under the leadership of Andrew Rosindell, then-chairman of the UK's Young Conservatives.[1]

It emerged from a split in the centre-right Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC), which separated into two factions: the larger part, following a broadly Christian democratic philosophy; and the smaller part, led by Rosindell, following a broadly conservative philosophy. Two crucial points of disagreement were the scope of economic liberalisation and the desirability of a federal Europe.

From 1993 to 1997, the group was led by Rosindell.[2] The group gave training to newly established democratic political parties in Russia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.[3] It was refounded much later by Oliver Cooper.[4]

The EYC generally holds three conference events per year, with the largest being the autumn Freedom Summit.

Freedom Summit

Summer Camp

Annual Congress

Since 2016, an internal conflict between civic and ethnic nationalists has emerged within the EYC. The ethnic nationalists were opposed to the membership of Turkish and Israeli parties and claimed the EYC has "replaced anti-immigration politics with free market capitalism". Resulting from the dispute, the Finns Party Youth announced its withdrawal on May 18, 2017, with its leader Samuli Voutila saying: "We cannot be members in the same organization as the new Turkish sultan’s youth wing, when it acts against European values."[5] On June 12, the Estonian movement Blue Awakening sent a letter to the EYC demanding the expulsion of the Turkish AK Party Youth within seven days. The letter was later published on Richard B. Spencer's website Altright.com.[6] [7]

Membership

The EYC has twenty-five member organisations:[8]

CountryOrganisationMother partyEuropean party
ArmeniaProsperous Armenia YouthProsperous ArmeniaACRE
BelarusBPF YouthBPF PartyACRE
BelgiumJong N-VAN-VAEFA
BulgariaYBWC-None
Czech RepublicYoung ConservativesCivic Democratic PartyACRE
Faroe IslandsHuxaPeople's PartyACRE
Young ConservativesConservative Party of GeorgiaACRE
GermanyYoung ReformerAlliance for Progress and RenewalACRE
IcelandYoung IndependentsIndependence PartyACRE
ItalyConservatives and ReformistsConservatives and ReformistsACRE
ItalyNational YouthBrothers of ItalyACRE
ItalyYouth for Freedom-None
IsraelLikud YouthLikudACRE (regional partner)
LatviaFor Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK Youth ClubFor Fatherland and Freedom/LNNKNone
LiechtensteinJunge FBPProgressive Citizens' PartyNone
LithuaniaElectoral Action of Poles in Lithuania Youth OrganisationElectoral Action of Poles in LithuaniaACRE
Luxembourgadrenalin, déi jonk adrAlternative Democratic Reform PartyACRE
Jongerenorganisatie Forum voor DemocratieForum for DemocracyNone
NorwayProgress Party's YouthProgress PartyNone
PolandLaw and Justice Youth ForumLaw and JusticeACRE
PortugalPeople's YouthDemocratic and Social Centre – People's PartyEPP
RomaniaNew Republic YouthNew RepublicACRE
SwedenYoung Swedes SDUSweden DemocratsNone
SwitzerlandYoung SVPSwiss People's PartyNone
Young ConservativesConservative PartyACRE
United Kingdom Conservative Future ScotlandScottish Conservative PartyACRE
United KingdomYoung UnionistsUlster Unionist PartyACRE

Associate members

CountryOrganisationMother party
AustraliaYoung LiberalsLiberal Party of Australia
CanadaYoung ConservativesConservative Party of Canada
New ZealandNew Zealand Young NationalsNew Zealand National Party
United StatesYoung RepublicansRepublican Party
United Youth for MacedoniaUnited for Macedonia[9] [10]

Former members

CountryOrganisationMother party
EstoniaBlue AwakeningConservative People's Party of Estonia
FinlandFinns Party YouthFinns Party
TurkeyAK Party YouthJustice and Development Party

Notes and References

  1. Book: Mercer, Paul . Directory of British Political Organisations . 1994 . Longman . London . 978-0-582-23729-2 . 133 .
  2. Web site: Andrew Rosindell. Parliament. 26 August 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100609123221/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/andrew-rosindell/25356. 9 June 2010.
  3. News: After the Campaign Rush . . 7 June 2001 .
  4. Web site: BBC Three - Free Speech, Series 2 - Oliver Cooper. BBC.
  5. https://www.ps-nuoret.fi/uutiset/the-finns-party-youth-leaves-european-young-conservatives/ The Finns Party Youth leaves European Young Conservatives
  6. News: Lyons . Charles . 12 June 2017 . Estonian Blue Awakening Gives European Young Conservatives 7 Days To Stop Their Cuckish Ways . . 13 June 2017 .
  7. News: 19 June 2017 . EKRE's youth organization thrown out of European Young Conservatives . 14 June 2018 .
  8. Web site: Members . European Young Conservatives . May 21, 2012 . May 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120526004059/http://www.eyconservatives.org/page/members . dead .
  9. Web site: ОММ стана придружен член на Европските млади конзервативци . 20 March 2021 .
  10. Web site: Никола Дујовски .