EPP Congress in Valencia on 29-30 April – List of Speakers
28. April 2025
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The European People’s Party (EPP) will hold its Statutory Congress on 29-30 April at Feria de Valencia in Valencia, Spain.
Co-hosted by Partido Popular (PP), EPP President Manfred WEBER and EPP Secretary General Thanasis BAKOLAS, the Congress will bring together our political family to reaffirm our political values and principles, elect the members of the EPP Presidency, adopt a party reform and chart our party’s course in the years to come and in an era of global uncertainty.
Approximately 1.700 delegates and guests will participate.
For more details on the Congress, please visit the dedicated website https://www.eppcongress2025.eu/.
EPP Congress Day I
The first day, Tuesday 29 April, will open with a welcome address from the President of Partido Popular Alberto NÚÑEZ FEIJÓO.
The next section of Day I features the first part of speeches of our leaders from non-EU countries and like-minded leaders. The list of speakers includes Erna SOLBERG (Norway), Petro POROSHENKO (Ukraine), Yulia TIMOSHENKO (Ukraine), Vitali KLITSCHKO (Mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine), Lumir ABDIXHIKU (Kosovo), Tina BOKUCHAVA (Georgia), Gian Carlo VENTURINI (San Marino) and Sali BERISHA (Albania).
After this section ends, the vote for the EPP President will start. It will last from 15.00 to 17.30.
The focus will then turn to the address of the EPP’s Secretary General Thanasis BAKOLAS to the Congress. It will be followed by the ratification of the EPP Treasurer and the vote on statutory modifications. The session will continue with the report of the outcoming EPP Presidency on the “Project 2024”. The list of speakers includes Vice-Presidents Esther DE LANGE (CDA, The Netherlands), Mariya GABRIEL (GERB, Bulgaria), Andrezj HALICKI (Civic Platform, Poland), David McALLISTER (CDU, Germany), Dubravka ŠUICA (HDZ, Croatia), Johannes HAHN (ÖVP, Austria), Siegfried MUREŞAN (PNL, Romania), Petteri ORPO (Kokoomus, Finland), Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS (Partido Popular, Spain), Antonio TAJANI (Forza Italia, Italy), and François-Xavier BELLAMY (Les Républicains, France).
When this section ends, the Panel I discussion entitled “United for Defense: strengthening democracy and Europe’s future” will take place. The participants are Nuno MELO (Minister of National Defense of Portugal), Theodoros ROUSSOPOULOS (President of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Council of Europe – PACE), Ivan KRULKO (Co-President of EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly) and Mikuláš DZURINDA (President of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies).
After Panel I, the second part of the speeches of our leaders from non-EU countries and like-minded leaders will take place, featuring Deputy Prime Minister Ervin IBRAHIMOVIČ (Montenegro), Chairwoman Borjana KRIŠTO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Prime Minister Hristijan MICKOSKI (North Macedonia), Nizar BARAKA (Morocco) and President Maia SANDU (Moldova).
A Panel II will follow entitled “Enhancing Europe’s Competitiveness: securing economic growth and creating quality jobs”. The participants are Jörgen WARBORN (President of SME Europe), Sari RAUTIO (President of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions), Dennis RADTKE (President of EUCDW) and Lidia PEREIRA (President of YEPP).
The plenary session will continue with the first part of speeches from our EU opposition leaders Urmas REINSALU (Estonia), Laurynas KASČIŪNAS (Lithuania), Janez JANŠA (Slovenia), Annita DEMETRIOU (Cyprus), Bernard GRECH (Malta), Henri BONTENBAL (Netherlands), François-Xavier BELLAMY (France), Boyko BORISSOV (Bulgaria).
Panel III will follow entitled “Future at Stake: How to shape demography and balance a fair way of life?”. The participants are Sofia ZACHARAKI (Minister of Education of Greece), Gudrun KUGLER (President of EPP OSCE Parliamentary Assembly), Francesco SISMONDINI (EDS Chairman), Rozália BIRÓ (EPP Women President) and Stefaan VERCAMER (ESU President).
After this panel, speeches will follow from the Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian STOCKER and the Candidate Chancellor of Germany Friedrich MERZ.
Then we will hear interventions from the President of the European Commission Ursula VON DER LEYEN and the President of the European Parliament Roberta METSOLA. This will be followed by the presentation and speech of the candidate for EPP President, Manfred WEBER.
The first day will conclude with the announcement of the results for the EPP President. The newly elected EPP President will formally nominate the new Secretary General, to be voted on Day 2.
EPP Congress Day II
The second day, Wednesday 30 April, will start with the announcement of candidates for Vice-Presidents and Treasurer and the opening of the votes for i) EPP Secretary General, ii) EPP Vice-Presidents and iii) EPP Treasurer. Delegates will then discuss and approve the EPP Party Reform Document, presented by Siegfried MUREŞAN and François-Xavier BELLAMY, as well as a series of ordinary and emergency resolutions.
Our Heads of State of Government and EPP Deputy Prime Ministers will also take centre stage delivering high-level interventions.
The list of EPP Deputy Prime Ministers includes Vincent VAN PETEGHEM (CD&V, Belgium), Simon HARRIS (Fine Gael, Ireland), Marek VÝBORNÝ (KDU-ČSL, Czechia), Antonio TAJANI (Forza Italia, Italy), Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA (Opposition Leader, Belarus).
The list of Heads of State or Government includes Luis MONTENEGRO (Prime Minister, Portugal), Nikos CHRISTODOULIDES (President, Cyprus), Petteri ORPO (Prime Minister, Finland), Ulf KRISTERSSON (Prime Minister, Sweden), Andrej PLENKOVIČ (Prime Minister, Croatia), Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (Prime Minister, Greece).
Keynote speeches on “EPP’s Fight for Freedom and Democracy in the World” will be delivered by the former Prime Minister of Spain José Maria AZNAR LÓPEZ and the elected President of Venezuela Edmundo GONZÁLEZ URRUTIA.
The second day will conclude with the announcement of the election results for Secretary General, the 10 Vice-Presidents and the Treasurer, before Partido Popular President Alberto NÚÑEZ FEIJÓO delivers his closing remarks and the leaders gather for a family photo.
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For more information contact:
Alexandra Henman
Deputy Spokesperson
+32 471 90 76 84
alh@epp.eu
Angelos Athanasopoulos
National and Regional Press Director
+32 471 90 76 35aa@epp.eu
Manifesto 2024
The EPP Manifesto outlines the basic principles of the Party summary.
The EPP Manifesto outlines the basic principles of the Party summarising who we are, what our values are, what challenges are we facing and what vision we have for the future. The Manifesto was developed in parallel to the EPP Platform document within the EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy”.
Download:
Platform
The EPP Platform is the core programme of our party outlining our main values, explaining the challenges our society is facing and presenting our vision for the future of European Union.
The EPP Platform is the core programme of our party outlining our main values, explaining the challenges our society is facing and presenting our vision for the future of European Union.
The Party Platform was developed in EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy” chaired by EPP President Wilfried MARTENS ?and EPP Vice President Peter HINTZE. The Working Group consists of delegates of EPP member parties who prepared and worked?on this document for more than two years and received input?from the drafting committee as well as senior and young experts. The document was adopted at the 2012 EPP Congress in Bucharest, thus replacing the Basic Programme of Athens from 1992.
