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Abstract

The European People's Party (EPP) has recently reviewed its values. The result of this reassessment, the Bucharest Party Platform of 2012, affirmed six core values of the EPP: the dignity of human life in every stage of its existence, freedom and responsibility, equality and justice, truth, solidarity and subsidiarity. After an exploration of the foundation of the EPP, this paper examines the party's core values, tracing their origins to religious writings. The paper outlines how these values translate into practical policies of the EPP: the party's response to Europe's economic crisis and addressing issues around free movement and access to social benefits in the EU.

Footnotes

Barend Tensen was an intern at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (Martens Centre), focusing on ethics and values. He holds a master's degree in political science and international relations from the University of Amsterdam.

Vít Novotný is Senior Research Officer at the Martens Centre. He holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland and master's degrees in public administration, European studies and clinical pharmacy.

Federico Ottavio Reho was formerly an intern at the Martens Centre. He earned a Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance (Berlin).

Steven Van Hecke is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Leuven, where he teaches European and comparative politics. He holds a doctorate in social sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven.

The Christian Democratic Origins of the European People's Party: Values and Relevance for Policies

Abstract

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