The Italian declining in the metamorphosis of the European People’s Party

On the eve of the European People’s Party (EPP) 50th anniversary, reflections on its evolution entail first and foremost a closer analysis of its metamorphosis and the gradual decline of its Italian forces, especially at the turn of the 1990s. Drawing on primary sources from Andreotti’s fund in the Historical Archives of the Institute «Luigi Sturzo» (ASILS), this paper outlines the major political aspirations of the EPP’s founding members from its origins to the latest parliamentary elections, to further explore its ideological and programmatic metamorphosis and the progressive decline of its Italian components. Starting from considerations of the EPP’s Christian tradition underpinned by the paralleled development of Catholic Social Teaching in the second half of the last century, the paper probes into the questions of why and to what extent the Italian leadership and membership of the popular party has declined over the years, with specific reference to the turn of events in Europe, as in much of the world, in the 1990s. Combining historical documents of its main exponents with electoral data over the period 1979-2019, this paper sheds further light on the decisive, yet, fading role played by Italian Christian Democrats on the continental level.