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Movement for European Reform
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Movement for European Reform | |
|---|---|
| Bewegung für europäische Reform Mouvement pour la réforme européenne Movimento per la riforma europea Movimiento para la reforma europea |
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| President | none appointed |
| Founded | July 13, 2006 |
| Headquarters | 25 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0DL |
| Political Ideology | Conservatism, Euroscepticism, Atlanticism |
| International Affiliation | none |
| European Parliament Group | none established, all members presently within EPP-ED |
| Colours | dark blue |
| Website | www.europeanreform.eu |
| See also | Politics of the EU |
The Movement for European Reform (MER) is a pan-European alliance of national political parties founded on 13 July 2006, intended to group forces of the centre-right in favour of free market policies and critical of further European integration.
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The founding members are the British Conservative Party and the Czech Civic Democratic Party (ODS). In the first week of March 2007, under Petar Stoyanov, the Bulgarian Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) also joined in.
A day after the UDF's announcement, the Presidency of the European People's Party (EPP) has recommended the suspension of the membership of the Bulgarian UDF in the EPP group. The President of the EPP Wilfried Martens justified the decision, arguing that “It is not compatible for a member party of the EPP to join such an initiative and at the same time remain in our party. The EPP is committed to reforming the European Union (EU) and we are open for constructive dialogue with our non-EPP allies but, at the same time, we expect UDF to be loyal and committed to its membership obligations" [1] [2].
Sir Reg Empey, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, has also publicly indicated support for the new group, and suggested that the UUP may also move from the ED to an MER group after the 2009 election (Belfast Newsletter, 14 July 2006). It is unclear whether the UUP, which has 1 MEP, will formalise a relationship with MER before then.
Since its launch, it is unclear as to whether the MER will function akin to (and/or qualify for EU funding like) other European-level political movements such as the European People's Party and Party of European Socialists. The body's founding statement does expressly offer membership to parties from non-EU member states, a characteristic in common with other pan-European political parties, and its commitment to fight the 2009 election together suggests an appetite for recognition under the Parties Directive.
The MER is to be the basis of a new political group in the European Parliament, which its members have now committed to intitiate after the 2009 European election. Until then, both the Conservatives and ODS will continue as members of the ED subgroup within the broader EPP-ED group.
"The new group will be established immediately after the 2009 elections", the UK conservative party chief David Cameron said in March 2007. Yet, at the same time, his Czech counterpart Mirek Topolanek (ODS) “has not ruled out the possibility of staying in the European People's Party and European Democrats" (EPP-ED, the Parliament's most powerful political grouping) [3].
- Notes from the Conservative Party on the MER (PDF)
- Speech by David Cameron on founding of MER
- EUObserver article
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