Today marked Day-1 of the XXVI Congress of the European People’s Party in Zagreb, co-hosted by Prime Minister of Croatia and Hrvatska demokratska zajednica (HDZ) leader, Andrej Plenković, and EPP President Joseph Daul and EPP Secretary General Antonio López-Istúriz. The first plenary session featured addresses by EPP’s non-EU and EU heads of state and government, as well as party and opposition leaders and European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen and President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. Today marked the end of EPP President Joseph Daul’s mandate. Party delegates paid a heartfelt tribute to him and his inspiring work. Throughout his presidency, Joseph Daul maintained the unity and strength of the EPP, while upholding Christian Democratic values. After 15 years in the European Parliament, including 7 and a half years as EPP Group Chairman, as well as 6 years at the helm of the EPP, he has profoundly influenced and shaped our political family. Donald Tusk has been elected as the next President of the EPP. The EPP Merit Award was given to President of the German Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble for his outstanding contribution to Germany’s unity and his staunch defence of European political and economic integration. He is counted among the great Europeans, alongside fellow countryman Helmut Kohl. Congress delegates discussed the future of Europe ​by address​ing current and future challenges and ​also debated the European​ path of the Western Balkans region. The Congress adopted 10 resolutions today which can be found here:

• Resolution on closing the VAT Gap
• Resolution on improving vaccination rates and tackling disinformation
• Resolution on Albania
• Resolution on the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership and its future
• Resolution on the ongoing crisis in Venezuela
• Resolution on the necessity to reinvigorate European accession perspective for the Western Balkans
• Resolution on supporting European farmers in the face of US tariffs
• Resolution on female visions for a better Europe
• Resolution on demographic challenge in the EU’s rural areas: leaving nobody behind
• Resolution on negotiations for the Cyprus problem and Turkey's illegal actions in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean

The plenary also featured speeches by the President of the Wilfried Martens Centre, the President of the OSCE PA and the Presidents of the EPP Groups in the Committee of the Regions, Council of Europe PA, NATO PA and Euronest, as well as the Presidents of EPP Member Associations. In EPPtalks, a side-line event at the Congress, EPP Vice President and Treasurer candidates presented their pitches. The vote on the rest of the EPP leadership will take place tomorrow. The event also featured debates on how to involve the younger generations and a compilation of youth pledges. All the information regarding the first day of the EPP Congress in Zagreb is available on the EPP’s social media channels or on its dedicated website: zagreb2019.epp.eu