The European Democratic Party (EDP; French: Parti démocrate européen, PDE), also known as the European Democrats, is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. Within the European Parliament, its MEPs form the Renew Europe group, together with those of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party and the French Renaissance party. The President is François Bayrou.
The youth wing of the EDP is the Young Democrats for Europe (YDE).
As of 2026, EDP members participate in the national government of two EU member states: Les Engagés in Belgium, which participates in the government of Prime Minister Bart De Wever and, EDP individual member Marian Harkin, who participates in the government of Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Two European regions are also led by an EDP politician, with Spain's Basque Country being led by Imanol Pradales of the Basque Nationalist Party and with Spain's Canary Islands being led by Fernando Clavijo Batlle of the Canarian Coalition; EDP member Free Voters participates as a junior coalition partner in the state government of Bavaria in Germany, as does Italia Viva in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Campania and Basilicata and Les Engagés in Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
The European Democratic Party is also a member of the European Movement International and was a member of the World Alliance of Democrats until its dissolution in 2012.
History The European Democratic Party was initiated on 16 April 2004 and formally founded on 9 December 2004 in Brussels.
In 2005, the European Democratic Party, together with the United States Democratic Party and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, co-founded the Alliance of Democrats international.
François Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy and later the Democratic Movement (MoDem) and Francesco Rutelli, former leader of the Democracy is Freedom and Alliance for Italy parties, served as the two co-presidents until 2019. Now, François Bayrou serves as the only president.
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 (EPP) group to form a new centrist multinational bloc. Its co-founder François Bayrou described it as a party for people being neither conservative nor socialist."
Since the beginning of the 6th European Parliament of 2004–2009, the EDP has formed a joint European parliamentary group with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party called the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group. This parliamentary group was renamed in 2019 as Renew Europe.
The European Democratic Party is ideologically centrist and federalist. Some major members and affiliated parties like EAJ-PNV, Free Voters, MoDem, MCC, Canarian Coalition and the disbanded Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy follow a Christian democratic or liberal conservative line.
At its 20th anniversary congress in Brussels in December 2024, the party adopted a new orange brand identity and logo, taking on the short name ‘Democrats’.
Political positions Beyond internal party matters, the EDP has taken public positions on rule-of-law and democratic backsliding in EU candidate countries. In August 2026, the party and Secretary-General Sandro Gozi questioned the "necessity and proportionality" of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj's prolonged pre-trial detention, while Gozi also met with Albanian civil society figures amid anti-corruption protests calling for stronger democratic safeguards. The party has taken a similar stance toward Turkey, where the authorities have held Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. The EDP has described pressure on opposition politicians, universities and journalists there as a "systematic" pattern of democratic backsliding.
Membership Members are national and regional political parties as well as members of the European Parliament, national and regional parliaments.
Current members Country or Region Party Leader MEPs National lower houses National upper houses Position in national legislatureCitizens' Forum Austria (FRITZ)Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider---Les Engagés (LE)Yvan VerougstraeteMarie-Christine Marghem(MR and MCC; Individual member)---People's Party – Reformists (NS-R)Radimir Čačić---ALMA – Citizens for CyprusOdysseas Michaelides--SEN 21Václav Láska-Democratic Movement (MoDem)François Bayrou Sandro Gozi(MoDem / IV; individual member) - - - Free Voters (FW)Hubert AiwangerParty of Progress (PdF)Lukas SieperMichelle KahlichDemocrats – Progressive CentreΔημοκράτες – Προοδευτικό ΚέντροStefanos Kasselakis--Everybody's Hungary People's Party (MMN)Péter Márki-Zay---Italia Viva (IV)Matteo Renzi-Public SpacePina Picierno--New Times – United PopularsGiuseppe Fioroni---Independent Ireland (II)Michael CollinsMarian Harkin (Independent; Individual member)---Momentum (M)Arnold Cassola---50PLUS (50+)Martin van Rooijen-Alliance of DemocratsPaweł Piskorski---Together for the People (JPP)Élvio Sousa--Future Republic (RF)Mario VenturiniNot in EU-Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ) (PNV)Aitor EstebanTogether for Catalonia (Junts)Carles PuigdemontCanarian Coalition (CC)Fernando Clavijo Batlle-Commitment to Galicia (CxG)Juan Carlos Piñeiro---
Former members
: National Forum (), joined EDP in 2014, disbanded in 2015
European Party Citizens' Alliance
Party for the Open Society Way to Change, founding member of EDP, disbanded in 2009 : Union for French Democracy, founding member of EDP, disbanded in 2007, succeeded by MoDem Union of Democrats and Independents joined the ALDE party on 2 December 2016 : New Start dissolved in 24 February 2025
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, founding member of EDP, merged into the Democratic Party in 2007, MEPs Mario Pirillo, Silvia Costa and Vittorio Prodi stayed as individual members until 2014, now member of PES Alliance for Italy, party disbanded by the end of 2016 European Democratic Party Italy (Partito Democratico Europeo Italia) disbanded in 2021. Action, left in September 2023 L'Italia c'è, left in 2025 : Labour Party, left in 2012 to join the ALDE party
Democratic Republican Party, joined EDP in 2015, succeeded by National Democratic Alternative in 2021 National Democratic Alternative, left EDP in 2022, due to ideological divergencies regarding the LGBT community
PRO Romania (PRO România), left in 2022 to join Party of European Socialists Association of Italians of Romania, left in 2022
People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, joined EDP in 2009, disbanded in 2014, succeeded by Democratic Slovakia Party Democratic Slovakia Party ('Strana Demokratického Slovenska') and European Democratic Party () in 2019 Alena Bašistová (Independent), not reelected in 2020 : Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia, joined EDP in 2019, succeeded by Party of Generations in 2024
Individual members
The EDP 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 EDP since 2019.
Funding
As a registered European political party, the EDP is entitled to European public funding, which it has received continuously since 2004.
Below is the evolution of European public funding received by the EDP.
In line with the Regulation on European political parties and European political foundations, the EDP 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 EDP.
Elected representatives of member parties European institutions Organisation Institution Number of seats European Parliament European Commission European Council(Heads of Government) Council of the European Union(Participation in Government) Committee of the Regions Parliamentary Assembly
See also European political party Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations European political foundation
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