Editing European Democratic Party (section)

== 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 [[Democratic Party (United States)|United States Democratic Party]] and the [[Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats]], co-founded the [[Alliance of Democrats (political international)|Alliance of Democrats]] international.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-02-22 |title=Presentation - EDP – European Democratic Party |url=http://www.pde-edp.eu/en/alliance-of-democrats/presentation |access-date=2024-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222134852/http://www.pde-edp.eu/en/alliance-of-democrats/presentation |archive-date=22 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-16 |title=Towards a new Alliance of Democrats |url=http://www.allianceofdemocrats.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=70 |url-status= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120216013217/http://www.allianceofdemocrats.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=70|access-date=2024-06-22 |archive-date=16 February 2012 }}</ref>

[[François Bayrou]] of the [[Union for French Democracy]] and later the [[Democratic Movement (France)|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 [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]] parties within European institutions.  It drew [[Pro-Europeanism|pro-European]] centrist parties from the [[European People's Party (European Parliament group)|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 [[Sixth European Parliament|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 Group|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 [[Federalisation of the European Union|federalist]].<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yHD-DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22volt+europa%22+liberal+social&pg=PA237 | title = European Society | author = Alberto Martinelli & Alessandro Cavalli | publisher = Brill | volume = 133 | year = 2020 | page = 237 | isbn = 9789004351776 | quote = ''The European Democratic Party'' (EDP) is a centrist, social-liberal, and federalist party that stands for a more democratic, integrated EU closer to its citizens. Between 2004 and now (end of 2019) the EDP has formed a joint European parliamentary group with ALDE.}}</ref> Some major members and affiliated parties like [[Basque Nationalist Party|EAJ-PNV]], [[Free Voters]], [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]], [[Mouvement des Citoyens pour le Changement|MCC]], [[Canarian Coalition]] and the disbanded [[Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy]] follow a [[christian democracy|Christian democratic]] or [[liberal conservatism|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’.