Epp?s Way to Number 1 : The Rise to Europe's Leading Political Force and Lessons Ahead

In 1999, the European People's Party (EPP) emerged as the largest political group in the European Parliament, maintaining its dominance for more than 25 years and influencing the direction of the EU through five consecutive Presidencies of the European Commission.

In this Open Access book, the EPP's official think-tank, the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, presents memories from Prime Ministers, Presidents of EU institutions, Party Presidents and EPP officials. The book traces the pivotal moments in EU politics, from the EPP's expansion to include conservative, liberal, and like-minded parties, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, to the actual management of the new enlarged party.

This book sheds light on the EPP's evolution, successes, and controversies through firsthand accounts, offering a comprehensive view of its impact on the European Union over the past quarter-century.

Klaus Welle has chaired the Martens Centre’s Academic Council since April 2023. He previously served as chair of DEMYC (1991–4), before going on to serve as secretary general of the EUCD (1994–9), of the EPP (1994–9), of the EPP Group in the European Parliament (1999–2004) and of the European Parliament (2009–22). He is a Guest Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics, a Visiting Professor at KU Leuven and a Leader in Residence at the Moynihan Center of the Colin Powell School for Global Leadership in New York.

Sara Pini is a Senior Research Officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies and the Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the Centre’s policy journal European View. Between 2014 and 2023, she was deputy head of office of the president of the EPP. She studied International and Diplomatic Sciences at the University of Bologna and European Studies at Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, and she completed a Master’s in Politics and Societies in Europe at Sciences Po Paris.