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European Conservatives and Reformists Party

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This article is about the European political party. For the group in the European Parliament, see European Conservatives and Reformists Group.

The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party or simply ECR), 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,[18][19] soft Eurosceptic[20] European political party with a main focus on reforming the European Union (EU) on the basis of Eurorealism,[21] as opposed to total rejection of the EU (anti-EU-ism).[22][23]

European Conservatives and Reformists Party
AbbreviationECR Party
ECR
PresidentGiorgia Meloni (IT)
Secretary-GeneralAntonio Giordano (IT)
Founded1 October 2009; 15 years ago (2009-10-01)
Split fromEuropean People's Party
Union for Europe of the Nations
Preceded byMovement for European Reform[1]
HeadquartersRue du Trône 4,
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Think tankNew Direction
Youth wingEuropean Young Conservatives
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing[12] to far-right[A][16]
European Parliament groupEuropean Conservatives and Reformists Group
International affiliationInternational Democracy Union
Colours  Blue
European Parliament
70 / 720
European Council
2 / 27
European Commission
1 / 27
European
Lower Houses
1,015 / 6,312
European
Upper Houses
324 / 1,498
Website
ecrparty.eu Edit this at Wikidata
^ A: The party has historically also been described as centre-right. However, following the global rise of radical right politics after 2019, the inclusion of new far-right parties led analysts to discontinue this classification.[17]

The political movement was founded on 1 October 2009,[24] 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.[25] The executive board is composed of the President Giorgia Meloni (Prime Minister of Italy), Vicepresident Radosław Fogiel (Polish member of the Parliament) and Secretary General Antonio Giordano (Italian member of the Parliament).[26]

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.[27] 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.

History

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Foundation

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The European Conservatives and Reformists Party was founded as the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists on 1 October 2009,[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] In November 2015, the Conservatives and Reformists of Italy were admitted as ECR Party members,[31] followed by the Alliance for Progress and Renewal (ALFA) of Germany and M10 party of Romania in March 2016.[32] 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.[33]

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.[34]

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 the Sweden Democrats as members in 2019.[35][36] On 11 April 2023, the Finns Party joined as the most recent member of the ECR's European Parliament group.[37]

Values

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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.[38]

Leadership

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The ECR Party has had two Presidents:

No. Image Name Tenure Party Member state
1
Jan Zahradil
(born 1963) 		2009–2020 Civic Democratic Party   Czech Republic
2   Giorgia Meloni
(born 1977) 		2020– Brothers of Italy   Italy

Membership

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Full members

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Country Party name Abbr. Legislature lower house seats Legislature upper house Seats Status
  Bulgaria IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement
ВМРО – Българско Национално Движение
VMRO – Balgarsko Natsionalno Dvizhenie 		VMRO
0 / 240
 Extra-parliamentary
  Croatia Croatian Sovereignists
Hrvatski suverenisti 		HS
1 / 151
 Opposition
  Czech Republic Civic Democratic Party
Občanská demokratická strana 		ODS
34 / 200
23 / 81
 Government
  Germany We Citizens
Wir Bürger 		WB
0 / 735
0 / 69
 Extra-parliamentary
  Italy Brothers of Italy
Fratelli d'Italia 		FdI
118 / 400
66 / 200
 Government
  Latvia National Alliance
Nacionālā apvienība 		NA
13 / 100
 Opposition
  Lithuania Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance
Lietuvos lenkų rinkimų akcija – Krikščioniškų šeimų sąjunga 		LLRA–KŠS
3 / 141
 Opposition
  Luxembourg Alternative Democratic Reform Party
Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei
Parti réformiste d'alternative démocratique
Alternative Demokratische Reformpartei 		ADR
5 / 60
 Opposition
  Poland Law and Justice
Prawo i Sprawiedliwość 		PiS
189 / 460
34 / 100
 Opposition
  Romania The Right Alternative
Alternativa Dreaptă 		AD
3 / 330
1 / 136
 Opposition
  Slovakia Freedom and Solidarity
Sloboda a Solidarita 		SaS
19 / 150
 Opposition
  Sweden Sweden Democrats
Sverigedemokraterna 		SD
73 / 349
 Confidence and supply

Global partners

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Country Party name Abbr. Legislature lower house seats Legislature upper house Seats Status
  Albania Republican Party of Albania PR
2 / 140
 Opposition
  Belarus BPF Party BPF
0 / 110
0 / 64
 Banned
  Israel Likud – National Liberal Movement Likud
32 / 120
 Government
  North Macedonia VMRO – People's Party VMRO–NP
0 / 120
 Extra-parliamentary
  Serbia Enough is Enough DJB
0 / 250
 Extra-parliamentary
  United Kingdom
(  Northern Ireland) 		Ulster Unionist Party UUP
1 / 18
(House of Commons
(NI Seats))
2 / 784
(House of Lords) 		Opposition
9 / 90
(Northern Ireland Assembly) 		Government
  United States Republican Party GOP
220 / 435
49 / 100
 Opposition
(majority in the House of Representatives)

Former members

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ECR Party member parties in 2019. Composed of members from 29 European nations (shown in dark blue) and regional partners from 10 non-European nations (shown in light blue).

Former regional partners

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Elected representatives of member parties

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European institutions

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Organisation Institution Number of seats
  European Union European Parliament
70 / 720
European Commission
1 / 27
European Council
(Heads of Government)
2 / 27
Council of the EU
(Participation in Government)
3 / 27
Committee of the Regions
  Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
22 / 306

ECR affiliate groupings

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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.

European Parliament

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Main article: European Conservatives and Reformists Group

The ECR group is the sixth-largest group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2009, the ECR brings together 64 MEPs from 15 countries.[39] 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.[40]

Committee of the Regions

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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 European party 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

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

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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:[41]

Country Party name Members Other affiliations
European party EU Parliament International
  Armenia Prosperous Armenia 2 ACRE N/A None
  Armenia Republican Party of Armenia [A] 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 [B] 13 ACRE N/A None
  Turkey Nationalist Movement Party[C] 1 None N/A None
  Ukraine Party of Regions [D] 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
^A 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.
^B 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.
^C One of the two members of the Nationalist Movement Party sits with the EC Group. The other member sits with the Socialist Group.
^D 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.

Congress of the Council of Europe

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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
European party 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

Youth organisation

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European Young Conservatives

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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.

Country Organisation Mother party
  Armenia Prosperous Armenia Youth Prosperous Armenia
  Belarus BPF Youth BPF Party
  Belgium Jong N-VA N-VA
  Czech Republic Young Conservatives Civic Democratic Party
  Denmark Young Conservatives Conservative People's Party
  Faroe Islands Huxa People's Party
  Finland Finns Party Youth Finns Party
  Georgia Young Conservatives Conservative Party of Georgia
  Italy Youth for Freedom Forza Italia
  Latvia For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK Youth Club For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK
  Liechtenstein Junge FBP Progressive Citizens' Party
  Lithuania Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania Youth Organisation Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania
  Luxembourg ADRenalin Alternative Democratic Reform Party
  Netherlands Youth Forum for Democracy Forum for Democracy
  Norway Progress Party's Youth Progress Party
  Poland Law and Justice Youth Forum Law and Justice
  Portugal People's Youth Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party
  Romania New Republic Youth New Republic
   Switzerland Young SVP Swiss People's Party
  Turkey AKP Youth Justice and Development Party
  United Kingdom Young Conservatives (UK) Conservative Party
  United Kingdom Young Unionists Ulster Unionist Party

Principles

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ECRP adopted the Reykjavík Declaration at its Council Meeting on 21 March 2014. The declaration defines the principles that underpin ECR.[42]

The Reykjavík Declaration

  • The European Conservatives and Reformists Party brings together parties committed to individual liberty, national sovereignty, parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, private property, low taxes, sound money, free trade, open competition, and the devolution of power.
  • ECRP believes in a Europe of independent nations, working together for mutual gain while each retaining its identity and integrity.
  • ECRP is committed to the equality of all European democracies, whatever their size, and regardless of which international associations they join.
  • ECRP favors the exercise of power at the lowest practicable level—by the individual where possible, by local or national authorities in preference to supranational bodies.
  • ECRP understands that open societies rest upon the dignity and autonomy of the individual, who should be as free as possible from state coercion. The liberty of the individual includes freedom of religion and worship, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of movement and association, freedom of contract and employment, and freedom from oppressive, arbitrary or punitive taxation.
  • ECRP recognizes the equality of all citizens before the law, regardless of ethnicity, sex or social class. It rejects all forms of extremism, authoritarianism and racism.
  • ECRP cherishes the important role of civil associations, families and other bodies that fill the space between the individual and the government.
  • ECRP acknowledges the unique democratic legitimacy of the nation-state.
  • ECRP is committed to the spread of free commerce and open competition, in Europe and globally.
  • ECRP supports the principles of the Prague Declaration of March 2009 and the work of the European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament and allied groups on the other European assemblies.

Election results

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European Parliament

Year Lead Candidate Seats % Seats Status Ref
2024 None 9.2 (#3)
66 / 720
[a] 		Opposition [43][44]


See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Including 4 individual members

References

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  1. ^ "William Hague gives a reply (if not an answer) to the question: "What does 'We will not let matters rest there' actually mean in practice?"". ConservativeHome. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  2. ^ Alan Siaroff (2019). Comparative European Party Systems: An Analysis of Parliamentary Elections Since 1945. Taylor & Francis. p. 469. ISBN 978-1-317-49876-6.
  3. ^ Healey, Euan (13 June 2019). "European right will widen gap with rivals after Brexit, projection shows". Euronews. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  4. ^ [2][3]
  5. ^ Baker, David; Schnapper, Pauline (2015). Britain and the Crisis of the European Union. Springer. p. 87. ISBN 9781137005205.
  6. ^ Ripoll Servent, Ariadna; Panning, Lara (2021). "Engaging the disengaged? Explaining the participation of Eurosceptic MEPs in trilogue negotiations". Journal of European Public Policy. 28 (1): 77. doi:10.1080/13501763.2020.1859596. S2CID 231636889.
  7. ^ Brack, Nathalie; Startin, Nicholas (2015). "Introduction: Euroscepticism, from the margins to the mainstream". International Political Science Review. 36 (3). SAGE: 240. doi:10.1177/0192512115577231. S2CID 145663358.
  8. ^ [6][7]
  9. ^
  10. ^ "Ursula von der Leyen makes final pledges to secure EU's top job". The Guardian. 15 July 2019. Von der Leyen says in her letters that she hopes the "snapshot" on her positions, some of which are retreads of previous proposals from the commission, will reassure her critics, although there is a risk of putting off MEPs within the more Eurosceptic and rightwing European Conservatives and Reformists group, in which Poland's Law and Justice is the largest party.
  11. ^ "Explainer: Von der Leyen's rocky path to confirmation as EU Commission chief". Reuters. 12 July 2019. The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), will decide just ahead of the vote whether to support von der Leyen, but officials say the group is divided over the issue.
  12. ^ [9][10][11]
  13. ^ "Dutch and Greek far-right parties join ECR Group". European Interest. 6 June 2019.
  14. ^ McDonnell, Duncan; Werner, Annika (4 May 2018). "Respectable radicals: why some radical right parties in the European Parliament forsake policy congruence". Journal of European Public Policy. 25 (5): 747–763. doi:10.1080/13501763.2017.1298659. ISSN 1350-1763. S2CID 157162610.
  15. ^ Falkner, Gerda; Plattner, Georg (2018). "Populist Radical Right Parties and EU Policies: How coherent are their claims?" (PDF). EUI Working Paper RSCAS (38): 5.
  16. ^ [13][14][15]
  17. ^ Akbaba, Sertan. "a critical assessment of a Eurosceptic party Group on European integration: a case Study of the European conservatives and reformists Group". Baltic Journal of European Studies. 4 (1): 104. doi:10.2478/bjes-2014-000. "The ECR group is centre-right to right-wing and a Euroskeptic party.
  18. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "European Union". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  19. ^ Zalan, Eszter (19 January 2022). "Metsola becomes youngest EU Parliament president". EUObserver. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  20. ^ John McCormick (2015). European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-137-45340-2.
  21. ^ Reformists, European Conservatives and. "ECR Group - European Conservatives and Reformists Group". ecrgroup.eu. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  22. ^ Erkanor Saka (2009). Mediating the EU: Deciphering the Transformation of Turkish Elites (PhD Thesis). p. 202. ISBN 978-1-109-21663-9. Retrieved 9 March 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ Matthew (26 October 2011). "Why anti-EUism is not left-wing". Workers' Liberty. Alliance for Workers Liberty. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  24. ^ "ECR Trans-National Party Set for EU Funding – But is it legal?". New Europe. 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Organisation". Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists. 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  26. ^ "About - ECR Party". ECR Party. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  27. ^ "ACRE – EUROPE'S FASTEST GROWING POLITICAL MOVEMENT". ACRE – OUR FAMILY. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  28. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram. "News 2009". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  29. ^ "Prosperous Armenia joins AECR". Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  30. ^ "AECR welcomes two new members from Slovakia and Georgia". Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists. 1 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  31. ^ "Fitto: Conservatori e Riformisti entrano ufficialmente nell'Aecr, l'alleanza dei partiti e movimenti conservatori europei" [Lease: ECR officially entered in ecr, the alliance of European conservative parties and movements]. conservatorieriformisti.it (in Italian). 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015.
  32. ^ "AECR welcomes M10 and ALFA as new members". aecr.eu. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  33. ^ "AECR to change its name to ACRE | ACRE". AECR to change its name to ACRE | ACRE. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  34. ^ "Daniel Hannan's MEP group told to repay €535,000 in EU funds". The Guardian. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  35. ^ Fortuna, Gerardo (25 February 2019). "Italy's far-right hopes to form new broad Conservative alliance in Europe".
  36. ^ "ECR Party". ECR Party.
  37. ^ "European Conservatives group admits Finns Party as new member". 11 April 2023.
  38. ^ "About - ECR Party". 4 August 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  39. ^ "MEPs". European Parliament. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  40. ^ "About". ECR Group. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  41. ^ "European Conservatives Group". Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  42. ^ "About". ECR Party. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  43. ^ "Provisional list of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as of 19 July 2024". Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  44. ^ "Projected composition: Members of the European Parliament". Europe Elects. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
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