European Conservatives and Reformists
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The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a Eurosceptic and anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) European political party (formerly known as the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists), but also includes MEPs from four other European parties and thirteen MEPs without European party affiliation. The group focuses on reforming the European Union (EU) on the basis of Eurorealism as opposed to total rejection of the EU (anti-EU-ism).
The ECR was founded around the Movement for European Reform after the 2009 European elections at the behest of British Conservative Party leader David Cameron. During the Seventh European Parliament (2009–14), the ECR had 55 MEPs, making it the joint fourth-largest group. After the 2014 European elections, the party accepted thirteen new member parties, increasing the group membership to 75 MEPs (by May 2017) and making it the current third-largest group in the European Parliament.
The group is considered centre-right to right-wing. The largest parties in the group by number of MEPs are the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom and Law and Justice (PiS) of Poland.
See also
- European Conservatives, an earlier political group of Conservatives in the European Parliament
- European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive
- Movement for European Reform
