History UsefulNotes / StandardEuropeanPoliticalLandscape

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties in order to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, though still with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE (or at least its Classical Liberal wing) or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it could also be considered the main Conservative party by default. Depending on the country, it includes both Christian Democratic member parties of the more humanistic kind and very conservative parties bordering on Right-wing Populism.

* Regionalists: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''. Its left-leaning member parties sit with the Greens in the EU Parliament (that is, everyone of them except for the conservative N-VA, which sits with the ECR). It has members that are even more right-wing, but they aren't represented here.
* Social Democrats: ''Party of European Socialists (PES)''. The second largest party after the EPP. Given its size, it's almost as diverse ideologically, ranging from centrist, third-way or Progressive Liberal types to groups that border on Left-wing Populism (or just plain populism, in some cases).

* Social Democrats: ''Party of European Socialists (PES)''. The second largest party after the EPP. Given its size, it's almost as diverse ideologically, ranging from centrist, third-way or Progressive Liberal types to groups that border on left-wing populism (or just plain populism, in some cases).

* Social Democrats: ''Party of European Socialists (PES)''.
* Greens: ''European Green Party (EGP)''. In the EU Parliament, the Green group has also attracted socially liberal parties that are too small to have their own group, such as the aforementioned left-leaning Regionalists from the EFA, Pirates or Volt Europa, a minor Euro-federalist party.

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, but still with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE (or at least its Classical Liberal wing) or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it could also be considered the main Conservative party by default. Depending on the country, it includes both Christian Democratic members of the more humanistic kind and very conservative parties bordering on Right-wing Populism.
* Liberals: ''Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)''. Overall, it is more economically liberal than the PES but more socially liberal than the EPP. Progressive Liberals, emphasizing social issues, could be considered the left-wing of the party, while Classical Liberals, emphasizing economic issues, would be its right-wing. It also includes some Nordic Agrarian parties.
* Just Plain Centrist: ''European Democratic Party (EDP)''. Their stance on electoral reform, Europe, and economic issues make them close to being Progressive Liberals, but they are more moderate on social issues. Neverthelees, they sit with the ALDE in the centrist-liberal Renew Group, due to both parties being caught inbetween the EPP-PES duopoly.

* Just Plain Centrist: ''European Democratic Party (EDP)''. Sits with the ALDE in the centrist-liberal Renew Group, due to both parties being caught inbetween the EPP-PES duopoly. Their stance on electoral reform, Europe, and economic issues make them close to being Progressive Liberals, but they are more moderate on social issues.

* Just Plain Centrist: ''European Democratic Party (EDP)''. Sits with the ALDE in the centrist-liberal Renew Group, due to both parties being caught inbetween the EPP-PES duopoly.

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, but with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it could also be considered the main Conservative party by default. Depending on the country, it includes both Christian Democratic members of the more humanistic kind and very conservative parties bordering on Right-wing Populism.

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, but with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it can also be considered the main Conservative party by default. Depending on the country, it includes both Christian Democratic members of the more humanistic kind and very conservative parties bordering on Right-wing Populism.

* Regionalists: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''. Its left-leaning member parties sit with the Greens in the EU Parliament (that is, everyone of them except for the conservative N-VA, which sits with the ECR).

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, but with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it can also be considered the main Conservative party by default.

* Liberals: ''Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)''. Progressive Liberals could be considered the left-wing of the party, while Classical Liberals would be its right-wing. It also includes some Nordic Agrarian parties.

* Christian Democrats/Social Conservatives: ''European Christian Political Movement (ECPM)''. Their views on abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia tend to be taken straight from Catholic/Evangelical doctrine. Most sit with the ECR in the EU Parliament, on the logic that both are euroskeptical and conservative on at least some social issues, though the ECPM is often more moderate on some other issues.

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament. At the European level, the party is moderately conservative, pro-law-and-order, more economically liberal than the PES and the Greens, but with less of an ideological commitment to economic liberalism than either the ALDE or the ECR. However, given its size and role in the EU Parliament, it can be considered the main Conservative party by default.

* Far Right/Right-wing Populists: ''Identity and Democracy (ID)''. At the EU level, the party has a dismal reputation among more moderate groups due to being seen as far-right and pro-Russian.
* Conservatives/Right-wing Populists: ''European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)''. This one has an interesting history. It was originally an alliance of euroskeptical Conservative parties, including moderates like the British Tories. When trying to expand its membership, the party was faced with a challenge, as in most European countries, the right half of the political spectrum was already dominated by established Classical Liberal, Christian Democratic, or pro-European Conservative parties, meaning that the parties most willing to join the ECR were actually Right-wing Populist parties looking for respectability. However, at the EU level, it remains more frequentable than the previous party due to being more pro-Ukrainian[[note]]European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, from the EPP (see below), did not explicitly rule out governing with them[[/note]], though in recent years, the ideological divide between the two has become wafer-thin, such that a Right-wing Populist party may join one or the other based more out of political rivalry with another pre-existing party at the national level than for ideological reasons.
* Christian Democrats/Social Conservatives: ''European Christian Political Movement (ECPM)''. Their views on abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia tend to be taken straight from Catholic/Evangelical doctrine. Most sit with the ECR in the EU Parliament, on the logic that both are euroskeptical and conservative on at least some social issues, though the ECPM is often more moderate on some other issues.
* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament.
* Liberals: ''Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)''. Progressive Liberals could be considered the left-wing of the party, while Classical Liberals would be its right-wing. It also includes some Nordic Agrarian parties.
* Just Plain Centrist: ''European Democratic Party (EDP)''. Sits with the ALDE in the centrist-liberal Renew Group, due to both parties being caught inbetween the EPP-PES duopoly.
* Regionalists: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''. Its left-leaning member parties sit with the Greens in the EU Parliament (that is, everyone of them except for the conservative N-VA, which sits with the ECR).
* Social Democrats: ''Party of European Socialists (PES)''.
* Greens: ''European Green Party (EGP)''. In the EU Parliament, the Green group has also attracted socially liberal parties that are too small to have their own group, such as the aforementioned left-leaning Regionalists from the EFA, Pirates or Volt Europa, a minor Euro-federalist party.
* Far Left/Left-wing Populists: ''Party of the European Left (PEL)''. Its allies in the GUE/NGL group in the EU Parliament also fit for the most part, though the Nordic Green Left Alliance and Animal Politics EU blend it with Green politics.

* Far Right/Right-wing Populists: ''Identity and Democracy (ID)''.

* Conservatives/Right-wing Populists: ''European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)''. This one has an interesting history. It was originally an alliance of euroskeptical Conservative parties, including moderates like the British Tories. When trying to expand its membership, the party was faced with a challenge, as in most European countries, the right half of the political spectrum was already dominated by established Classical Liberal, Christian Democratic, or pro-European Conservative parties, meaning that the parties most willing to join the ECR were actually Right-wing Populist parties looking for respectability. However, at the EU level, it remains more frequentable than the previous party due to being more pro-Ukrainian[[note]]European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, from the EPP (see below), did not explicitly rule out governing with them[[/note]], though in recent years, the ideological difference between the two has become wafer-thin, such that a Right-wing Populist party may join one or the other based more out of political rivalry with another pre-existing party at the national level than for ideological reasons.

* Christian Democrats/Social Conservatives: ''European Christian Political Movement (ECPM)''. Their views on abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia are taken straight from Catholic/Evangelical doctrine. Most sit with the ECR in the EU Parliament, on the logic that both are euroskeptical and conservative on at least some social issues, though the ECPM is often more moderate on other issues.

* Christian Democrats/Social Conservatives: ''European Christian Political Movement (ECPM)''. Their views on abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia are taken straight from Catholic/Evangelical doctrine. Most sit with the ECR in the EU Parliament, on the logic that both are euroskeptical and conservative on at least some social issues, though they are more moderate on other issues.

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]For each tendency, the European party (or parties) that matches the most is mentioned at the end of its section. Due to the nature of transnational alliances and differing standards between countries, this can't be a 100% match. That's why a party listed below as Classical Liberal could in fact be an EPP member, for instance. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor"). See also the "European Union" section for a recapitulation limited to the ten largest parties, and for more details about EU politics and why some parties fit into several categories[[/note]]:

* Far Right/Right-wing Populists: ''Identity and Democracy (ID)''.

* Conservatives/Right-wing Populists: ''European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)''. This one has an interesting history. It was originally an alliance of euroskeptical Conservative parties, including moderates like the British Tories. When trying to expand its membership, the party was faced with a challenge, as in most European countries, the right half of the political spectrum was already dominated by established Classical Liberal, Christian Democratic, or pro-European Conservative parties, meaning that the parties most willing to join the ECR were actually Right-wing Populist parties looking for respectability. However, at the EU level, it remains more frequentable than the previous party due to being more pro-Ukrainian[[note]]European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, from the EPP (see below), did not explicitly rule out governing with them[[/note]], though in recent years, the ideological difference between the two has become wafer-thin, such that a Right-wing Populist party may join one or the other based more out of political rivalry with another pre-existing party at the national level than for ideological reasons.

* Christian Democrats/Social Conservatives: ''European Christian Political Movement (ECPM)''. Their views on abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia are taken straight from Catholic/Evangelical doctrine. Most sit with the ECR in the EU Parliament, on the logic that both are euroskeptical and conservative on at least some social issues, though they are more moderate on other issues.

* Christian Democrats/Conservatives : ''European People's Party (EPP)''. This party was once a purely Christian Democratic party, but it then included pro-European Conservative parties to get stronger against the PES in the EU Parliament.

* Liberals: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Progressive Liberals could be considered the left-wing of the party, while Classical Liberals would be its right-wing. It also includes some Nordic Agrarian parties.

* Just Plain Centrist: ''European Democratic Party (EDP)''. Sits with the ALDE in the centrist-liberal Renew Group, due to both parties being caught inbetween the EPP-PES duopoly.

* Regionalists: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''. Its left-leaning member parties sit with the Greens in the EU Parliament (that is, everyone of them except for the conservative N-VA, which sits with the ECR).

* Social Democrats: ''Party of European Socialists (PES)''.

* Greens: ''European Green Party (EGP)''. In the EU Parliament, the Green group has also attracted socially liberal parties that are too small to have their own group, such as the aforementioned left-leaning Regionalists from the EFA, Pirates or Volt Europa, a minor Euro-federalist party.

Far Left/Left-wing Populists: ''Party of the European Left (PEL)''. Its allies in the GUE/NGL group in the EU Parliament also fit for the most part, though the Nordic Green Left Alliance and Animal Politics EU blend it with Green politics.

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]For each tendency, the European party (or parties) that matches the most is mentioned at the end of its section. Due to the nature of transnational alliances and differing standards between countries, this can't be a 100% match. That's why a party listed below as Classical Liberal could in fact be an EPP member, for instance. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor")[[/note]]:

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]For each tendency, the European party (or parties) that matches the most is mentioned at the end of its section. Given the nature of transnational alliances and differing standards between countries, this can't be a 100% match. That's why a party listed below as Classical Liberal could in fact be an EPP member, for instance. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor")[[/note]]:

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]The European party (or parties) that matches the most with each tendency is mentioned at the end of its section. Given the nature of transnational alliances and differing standards between countries, this can't be a 100% match. That's why a party listed below as Classical Liberal could in fact be an EPP member, for example. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor")[[/note]]:

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]The European party (or parties) that matches the most with each tendency is mentioned at the end of its section. Given the nature of transnational alliances and differing standards between countries, this can't be a 100% match. That's why a party listed below as Classical Liberal could in fact be an EPP member, for example. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor").[[/note]]:

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left[[note]]The European party (or parties) that matches the most with each tendency is mentioned at the end of its section. All European parties that are represented in the EU Parliament are listed (those with no EU funding are considered "minor").[[/note]]:

Most European nations have a multi-party political system, as a result of proportional representation; and even those countries which have a district system (such as Britain and France) tend to have more than two "significant" parties. And in just about all of them, you'll find several (and often all) of the following parties, in ''approximate'' order from Right to Left:

** At the European level: ''Party of the European Left (PEL)'' and its allies in the EU Parliament: ''Nordic Green Left Alliance (NGLA)''[[note]]a blend of Greens and Left-wing Populists[[/note]], ''European Anti-Capitalist Left (EACL)''[[note]]Far Left[[/note]], ''Now The People! (NTP)''[[note]]Left-Wing Populists[[/note]], also ''Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (INITIATIVE)''[[note]]Hammer-and-sickle Communists; pariahs of EU politics[[/note]]

** At the European level: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''[[note]]Sits with the Greens in the EU Parliament, except for the more conservative New Flemish Alliance, which sits with the ECR. Has a few other right-wing members, but they have no representation in the EU Parliament.[[/note]]

** At the European level: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''[[note]]Sits with the Greens in the EU Parliament, except for the more conservative New Flemish Alliance, which sits with the ECR. Has a few other right-wing members, but they have no MEPs in the EU Parliament.[[/note]]

** At the European level: ''European Free Alliance (EFA)''[[note]]Sits with the Greens in the EU Parliament, except for the more conservative New Flemish Alliance that sits with the ECR. Doesn't include right-populist or far-right parties.[[/note]]