Movement for European Reform

Movement for European Reform Bewegung für europäische Reform Mouvement pour la réforme européenne Movimento per la riforma europea Movimiento para la reforma europea
President	none appointed
Founded	July 13 2006
Headquarters	25 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0DL
Ideology	Economic liberalism, Euroscepticism, Atlanticism, Environmentalism
European Parliament group	none established, all members presently within EPP-ED
International affiliation	none
Colours	dark blue
Website
www.europeanreform.eu
Politics of the European Union Political parties Elections

The Movement for European Reform (MER) founded on 13 July, 2006, is an attempted effort to create a eurosceptic pan-European alliance of centre-right national political parties.

Members

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, but with withdrew 6 months later.

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."

In mid April 2007, the UDF backtracked on its decision, stating that it remains loyal to the EPP and that it will never leave the EPP section of the EPP-ED Group to join another Group. A month later, in the first-ever elections for the European Parliament in Bulgaria (May 20, 2007) the UDF failed to elect any seats. As a result, Petar Stoyanov - who was accused by his critics of making poor decisions during the campaign, including the MER choice - resigned as UDF leader. In Septermber 2007, the UDF formally withdrew from the MER and re-affirmed its membership with the EPP.

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.

Goals, form and function

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 Topolánek (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) [1]. In June 21, 2007, Mirek Topolánek also attended the Summit of heads of state and government of the European People's Party, adding speculation about the fragility of the MER project.

See also

• Alliance for an Open Europe
• European Democrats
• European People's Party

External links

• Notes from the Conservative Party on the MER (PDF)
• Speech by David Cameron on founding of MER
• EUObserver article