EPP Political Assembly convenes in Vilnius
17. October 2025
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The European People’s Party (EPP) held its Political Assembly in Vilnius on 16–17 October 2025, co- hosted by its Lithuanian member party, the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) and chaired by the Secretary General Dolors Montserrat.
Leaders from across Europe gathered in the Lithuanian capital to discuss key priorities for Europe’s future — including strengthening European security and defence and reinforcing NATO’s Eastern flank.
The opening day featured addresses by EPP President Manfred Weber, President of TS-LKD Laurynas Kasčiūnas and former Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė.
In his remarks, EPP President Manfred Weber underscored the urgency of building a stronger, more autonomous Europe:
“There is no better place to discuss security and defence than in the Baltic region. We will remember this Assembly for what is happening on our Eastern border, while standing in solidarity with our friends in Ukraine. We must become sovereign and independent as Europeans. This is why we need to build a European cyber brigade and invest together in a drone wall, a common air defence shield and increased cybersecurity capacity. The European people know they can count on EPP to protect them and defend our values.”
Welcoming participants to Vilnius, TS-LKD President Laurynas Kasčiūnas emphasized the EPP’s leadership role in strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities:
“Europe has awoken. As the largest political family in Europe, the European People’s Party must lead this transformation from words to power. We must be the driving force that ensures real commitments, streamlined procurement across borders, and a political will that matches the scale of the threat. Strengthening our defence is the surest way to preserve peace.”
Ingrida Šimonytė, former Prime Minister of Lithuania, stressed EUs renewed effort to reinforce Europe's security:
“Only the sense of ultimate urgency, an understanding that literally everything is at stake and mobilises people to act. This is why Ukraine has not and could not have fallen – not in three days, or three months, or three years. This sense of ultimate urgency leads to decisions, individual and collective, which make all the difference between muddling through and turning tables.”
On the second day the Assembly adopted an emergency resolution about Georgia, responding to the authoritarian escalation taking place under the current regime. The European People’s Party reaffirms its solidarity with the Georgian people in their pursuit of democracy and a European future. The resolution condemns the Georgian Dream’s drift toward authoritarianism, calls for the release of political prisoners, urges accountability for state violence and corruption, and advocates for new parliamentary elections to restore democratic governance.
Following the decisions of the EPP Congress to establish working groups reflecting the party’s priorities, the EPP political assembly adopted five working and their chairmen:
- Standing WG Security & Defence – TS-LKD Chairman Laurynas Kasciunas.
- WG Competitiveness – EPP Vice-President Kostis Hatzidakis.
- WG Migration & Home Affairs – EPP Vice-President Magnus Brunner.
- Ad hoc WG Electoral interference – EPP Vice-Presidents FX Bellamy and Andrzej Halicki in charge as co-chairs
- Ad hoc WG MFF: EPP Vice-President Siegfried Muresan.
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For more information contact:
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”.
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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.
