The European Democratic Party (EDP) is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels. François Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) and Francesco Rutelli of Italy's Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy serve as the first two co-presidents.
The EDP was founded in reaction to the rising influence of eurosceptic parties within European institutions. It drew pro-European centrist parties from the European People's Party to form a new centrist multinational bloc.
Its cofounder François Bayrou described it as a party for people being neither conservative nor socialist, like the United States Democratic Party.
Read more about European Democratic Party: Former Parties, Cooperation With ELDR
Famous quotes containing the words democratic party, european, democratic and/or party:
“The Democratic Party is like a mule. It has neither pride of ancestry nor hope of posterity.”
—Ignatius Donnelly (1831–1901)
“So in Jamaica it is the aim of everybody to talk English, act English and look English. And that last specification is where the greatest difficulties arise. It is not so difficult to put a coat of European culture over African culture, but it is next to impossible to lay a European face over an African face in the same generation.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“The democratic youth ... lives along day by day, gratifying the desire that occurs to him, at one time drinking and listening to the flute, at another downing water and reducing, now practising gymnastic, and again idling and neglecting everything; and sometimes spending his time as though he were occupied in philosophy.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“[John] Brough’s majority is “glorious to behold.” It is worth a big victory in the field. It is decisive as to the disposition of the people to prosecute the war to the end. My regiment and brigade were both unanimous for Brough [the Union party candidate for governor of Ohio].”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)