Welcome back to the newsletter of the European Democratic Party, or rather ‘Democrats‘ as we have decided to call ourselves from now on. And yes, because we are starting with this very first piece of news: we have decided to change the logo, the colour, the brand identity, and we have also decided to use a simpler name to call ourselves by, in addition to the ‘formal’ name of the European Democratic Party. But this is just one of the many stories we want to tell you before wishing you all the best for the New Year.
CONGRATULATIONS, PRIME MINISTER!
The first is some of the best news for us European Democrats. Our President and co-founder of the European Democratic Party, Francois Bayrou, has been appointed Prime Minister of France. We all wish him well in his work. ‘The appointment is a wise and far-sighted decision,’ commented Sandro Gozi, Secretary General of the European Democratic Party: ‘Throughout his long career, he has shown himself to be a man of dialogue, balance and vision, qualities that are essential for tackling the complex challenges facing France today.’ Read our Secretary General’s full statement here.
THE CONGRESS AND CONFERENCE ON 6 DECEMBER
In the beautiful setting of the Autoworld Museum in Brussels, we held our Annual Congress and International Conference. We appointed the new Presidency, adopted a new logo, welcomed a new member party (Independent Ireland) and adopted a position paper on migration and a statement on the crisis in Georgia.
After the Congress, the focus shifted to the international conference ‘The Centre is the Answer’, where thought leaders, politicians and EDP founders reflected on the challenges and opportunities of centrist politics in a polarised world. Read the details of the speeches here and watch them here on our YouTube playlist. They are all very interesting!
THE NEW LOGO
Being neither socialist red nor liberal yellow, it is no coincidence that orange is the colour of choice for us European Democrats. A colour associated with energy, innovation and openness. At the heart of the new logo is the name ‘Democrats’, a key element of our political identity everywhere in the world. The 12 stars are a clear tribute to European values. More than just a new visual identity, the new logo is a statement of intent. It is a clear expression of who we are and what we want to build: a united, strong and inclusive Europe.
TIME FOR A BREAKTHROUGH IN GERMANY!
On 16 November, the European Democratic Party (EDP) had the honour of attending the congress of the Freie Wähler (FW) party in the charming town of Geiselwind in Bavaria (read the article here). The congress demonstrated the FW’s commitment to grassroots politics and innovative solutions for the future of the country. In this spirit, our German member party, which has 3 MEPs, will participate in the early elections, which are expected to be held on 23 February next year. And we will wholeheartedly support their inidividual candidates to bring the pragmatic, sensible, centrist voice of the European Democrats to the Bundestag.
5 NEW MPS IN IRELAND
On the other hand, elections took place in Ireland on 29th November, where no less than 5 MPs were elected to bolster the ranks of the European Democratic Party: best wishes therefore to the 4 new MPs (Teachta Dála) from Independent Ireland (Michael Fitzmaurice, Ken O’Flynn, Michael Collins, Richard O’Donoghue) and to Marian Harkin, who was re-elected as an independent. The voice of the European Democrats will also be strong in Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament.
BEST WISHES, DEMOCRATS!
We conclude with our best wishes for the New Year. May 2025 bring more peace, more rights, more freedom, more democracy and more Europe: this can only be our hopeful wish, while the winds of international politics unfortunately blow in a very different direction.
See you in February!
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