Eurogroup
Organisation -- Members
Table:
Member	Representing	Political party	Member since

Mário Centeno	Portugal President	None	26 November 2015 President since 13 January 2018

Gernot Blümel	Austria	European People 's Party National : Austrian People 's Party	7 January 2020

Alexander De Croo	Belgium	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party National : Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats	9 December 2018

Harris Georgiades	Cyprus	European People 's Party National : Democratic Rally	3 April 2013

Martin Helme	Estonia	Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom National : Conservative People 's Party of Estonia	29 April 2019

Katri Kulmuni	Finland	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe National : Centre Party of Finland	10 December 2019

Bruno Le Maire	France	None National : La République En Marche !	17 May 2017

Olaf Scholz	Germany	Party of European Socialists National : Social Democratic Party	14 March 2018

Christos Staikouras	Greece	European People 's Party National : New Democracy	9 July 2019

Paschal Donohoe	Ireland	European People 's Party National : Fine Gael	14 June 2017

Roberto Gualtieri	Italy	Party of European Socialists National : Democratic Party	5 September 2019

Jānis Reirs	Latvia	European People 's Party National : Unity	23 January 2019

Vilius Šapoka	Lithuania	None	13 December 2016

Pierre Gramegna	Luxembourg	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party National : Democratic Party	4 December 2013

Edward Scicluna	Malta	Party of European Socialists National : Labour Party	13 March 2013

Wopke Hoekstra	Netherlands	European People 's Party National : Christian Democratic Appeal	26 October 2017

Ladislav Kamenický	Slovakia	Party of European Socialists National : Direction - Social Democracy	7 May 2019

Andrej Bertoncelj	Slovenia	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party National : List of Marjan Šarec	13 September 2018

María Jesús Montero	Spain	Party of European Socialists National : Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party	13 January 2020

Considering the following table plus the relevant paragraphs provided.

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Mário José Gomes de Freitas Centeno ( born 9 December 1966 ) is a Portuguese economist , university professor , and politician . Since 2015 , he has been Minister of Finance in the government of Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal . Since 2018 , he has been president of the Eurogroup and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism . Previously , he was a board member economist of the Bank of Portugal .
Portugal ( Portuguese : [ puɾtuˈɣal ] ) , officially the Portuguese Republic ( Portuguese : República Portuguesa [ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ puɾtuˈɣezɐ ] ) , [ note 5 ] is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula , in southwestern Europe . It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe , being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain . Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira , both autonomous regions with their own regional governments . Portugal is the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe and the world , its territory having been continuously settled , invaded and fought over since prehistoric times . The pre-Celtic people , Iberians , Celts , Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and Suebi Germanic peoples . After the Muslim conquests of the Iberian Peninsula , most of the territory was part of Al-Andalus until their expulsion . Portugal as a country was established during the early Christian Reconquista . Founded in 868 , the County of Portugal gained prominence after the Battle of São Mamede in 1128 . The Kingdom of Portugal was later proclaimed following the Battle of Ourique in 1139 , and independence from León was recognised by the Treaty of Zamora in 1143 . On 12 December 2017 , the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal . Tracing its origins back to the 12th century , it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world . In the 15th and 16th centuries , Portugal established the first global empire , becoming one of the world 's major economic , political and military powers .
Gernot Blümel ( born 24 October 1981 ) is an Austrian politician who has been serving as Minister of Finance in the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz since 2020 . From 2017 until 2019 , he was the Chancellery 's Minister for European Affairs , Art , Culture and Media .
Austria ( /ˈɒstriə/ ( listen ) , /ˈɔːs-/ ; German : Österreich [ ˈøːstɐʁaɪ̯ç ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Austria ( German : Republik Österreich , listen ( help·info ) ) , is a landlocked East Alpine country in the southern part of Central Europe . It is composed of nine federated states ( Bundesländer ) , one of which is Vienna , Austria 's capital and its largest city . It is bordered by Germany to the northwest , Czech Republic to the north , Slovakia to the northeast , Hungary to the east , Slovenia and Italy to the south , and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west . Austria occupies an area of 83,879 km2 ( 32,386 sq mi ) and has a population of nearly 9 million people . While German is the country 's official language , many Austrians communicate informally in a variety of Bavarian dialects . Austria initially emerged as a margraviate around 976 and developed into a duchy and archduchy . In the 16th century , Austria started serving as the heart of the Habsburg Monarchy and the junior branch of the House of Habsburg - one of the most influential royal dynasties in history . As an archduchy , it was a major component and administrative centre of the Holy Roman Empire . Early in the 19th century , Austria established its own empire , which became a great power and the leading force of the German Confederation but pursued its own course independently of the other German states . Following the Austro-Prussian War and the compromise with Hungary , the Dual Monarchy was established . Austria was involved in World War I under Emperor Franz Joseph following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand , the presumptive successor to the Austro-Hungarian throne . After the defeat and the dissolution of the Monarchy , the Republic of German-Austria was proclaimed with the intent of the union with Germany , which eventually failed because of the Allied Powers and the state remained unrecognized .
The European People 's Party ( EPP ) is a European political party with conservative and liberal-conservative member parties . A transnational organisation , it is composed of other political parties , not individuals . Founded by primarily Christian democratic parties in 1976 , it has since broadened its membership to include liberal-conservative parties and parties with other centre-right political perspectives . On 20 November 2019 the party elected as its President , the former Prime Minister of Poland and President of the European Council , Donald Tusk . The EPP has been the largest party in the European Parliament since 1999 and in the European Council since 2002 . It is also the largest party in the current European Commission . The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is from the EPP . Many of the founding fathers of the European Union were also from parties that later formed the EPP . Outside the EU the party also controls a majority in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe . The EPP includes major centre-right parties such as the CDU/CSU of Germany , The Republicans of France , CD & V of Belgium , PNL of Romania , Fine Gael of Ireland , Kokoomus of Finland , New Democracy of Greece , Forza Italia of Italy , the People 's Party ( PP ) of Spain , and the Civic Platform of Poland .
The Austrian People 's Party ( German : Österreichische Volkspartei ; ÖVP ) is a conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Austria . A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries , it was founded immediately following the reestablishment of the Republic of Austria in 1945 and since then has been one of the two largest Austrian political parties with the Social Democratic Party of Austria ( SPÖ ) . In federal governance , the ÖVP has spent most of the postwar era in a grand coalition with the SPÖ . However , the ÖVP won the 2017 election , having the greatest number of seats and formed a coalition with the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria ( FPÖ ) . Its chairman Sebastian Kurz is the youngest Chancellor in Austrian history and currently the world 's youngest leader .
Alexander De Croo ( born 3 November 1975 ) is a Flemish liberal politician , economist and businessman . [ non-primary source needed ] He currently holds the office of Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Finance and Development Cooperation . From 2009 until 2012 , he was party leader of ( Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats ( Open VLD ) .
Belgium , [ A ] officially the Kingdom of Belgium , is a country in Western Europe . It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north , Germany to the east , Luxembourg to the southeast , France to the southwest , and the North Sea to the northwest . It covers an area of 30,689 km2 ( 11,849 sq mi ) and has a population of more than 11.5 million , making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe , with a density of 376 per square kilometre ( 970/sq mi ) . The capital and largest city is Brussels ; other major cities are Antwerp , Ghent , Charleroi and Liège . The sovereign state is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds . It is divided into three highly autonomous regions : the Flemish Region in the north , Wallonia in the south , and the Brussels-Capital Region . Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region , as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita . Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities : the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community , which constitutes about 60 percent of the population , and the French-speaking Community , which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians . A small German-speaking Community , numbering around one percent , exists in the East Cantons . The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual ( French and Dutch ) , although French is the dominant language . Belgium 's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance , made up of six different governments .
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party ( ALDE Party ) is a European political party composed of 60 national-level liberal parties from across Europe , mainly active in the European Union . On 26 March 1976 , it was founded in Stuttgart as a confederation of national political parties under the name Federation of Liberal and Democrat Parties in Europe and renamed European Liberals and Democrats ( ELD ) in 1977 and European Liberal Democrats and Reformists ( ELDR ) in 1986 . On 30 April 2004 , the ELDR was reformed as an official European party , the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party ( ELDR Party ) . The ALDE Party is affiliated with the Liberal International and a recognised European political party , incorporated as a non-profit association under Belgian law . On 10 November 2012 , the party chose its current name of ALDE Party , taken from its then-European Parliament group , the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( ALDE ) , which had been formed on 20 July 2004 in conjunction with the European Democratic Party ( EDP ) . Prior to the 2004 European election the European party had been represented through its own group , the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party ( ELDR ) Group . In June 2019 , the ALDE group was succeeded by Renew Europe . As of 2019 [ update ] , ALDE is represented in European Union institutions , with 81 MEPs and four members of the European Commission . Of the 27 EU member states , there are five with ALDE-affiliated Prime Ministers : Mark Rutte ( VVD ) in the Netherlands , Xavier Bettel ( DP ) in Luxembourg , Jüri Ratas ( Estonian Centre Party ) in Estonia , Marjan Šarec ( LMS ) in Slovenia , and Andrej Babiš ( ANO ) in the Czech Republic . Liberals are also in government in three other EU member states : France , Croatia , Latvia and Lithuania . ALDE 's think tank is the European Liberal Forum . The youth wing of ALDE is the European Liberal Youth ( LYMEC ) , which is predominantly based upon youth and student liberal organisations but contains also a small number of individual members .
Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats ( Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten ) , commonly known as Open VLD or simply as the VLD , is a conservative-liberal Flemish political party in Belgium . The party was created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress ( PVV ) and politicians from other parties . The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 until March 2008 . Open VLD most recently formed the Federal Government ( the so-called Swedish government ) with N-VA , CD & V and the Francophone Reformist Movement ( MR ) . In the Flemish Parliament , the VLD formed a coalition government with sp.a-Spirit and Christian Democratic and Flemish ( CD & V ) from after the 2004 regional election until the 2009 regional election . Open VLD has been a member of the Leterme I Government formed on 22 March 2008 , the Van Rompuy I Government formed on 2 January 2009 , the Leterme II Government formed on 24 November 2009 and the Di Rupo Government formed on 6 December 2011 . Ideologically , Open VLD started as an economically liberal , somewhat Thatcherite party under its founder , Guy Verhofstadt . The VLD rapidly became more centrist and gave up much of its free market approach , partly under the influence of Verhofstadt 's political scientist brother Dirk Verhofstadt . Party chairman Bart Somers called in November 2006 for a revolution within the party , saying that a liberal party , like the VLD , can be only progressive and social . From 2000 to 2004 , during the second period of its participation in the Belgian federal government and under Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt , the VLD allegedly lost most of its ideological appeal . Several of its thinkers such as ( former member ) Boudewijn Bouckaert , president of Nova Civitas , heavily criticised the party . Many others resented the priority it placed on the 'Belgian compromise ' , which enabled the French Community 's Socialist Party to gain a dominant position in the formulation of Belgian federal government policy .
Harris Georgiades ( Greek : Χάρης Γεωργιάδης ; born 9 April 1972 ) is a Greek Cypriot economist and politician . He was pivotal in the successful implementation of the economic reform plan for Cyprus and its successful conclusion in 2016 . He participates in the Eurogroup and the ECOFIN .
Cyprus ( /ˈsaɪprəs/ ( listen ) ; Greek : Κύπρος [ ˈcipros ] ; Turkish : Kıbrıs [ ˈkɯbɾɯs ] ) , officially the Republic of Cyprus ( Greek : Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία , lit . Cypriot Republic ; Turkish : Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti , lit . Republic of Cyprus ) , is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third-largest and third-most populous island in the Mediterranean , located south of Turkey , west of Syria and Lebanon , north of Israel , the Gaza Strip ( Palestinian region ) and Egypt , and southeast of Greece . The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC . Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia , and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world . Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC . As a strategic location in the Middle East , it was subsequently occupied by several major powers , including the empires of the Assyrians , Egyptians and Persians , from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great . Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt , the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire , Arab caliphates for a short period , the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians , was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 ( de jure until 1914 ) . Cyprus was placed under the UK 's administration based on the Cyprus Convention in 1878 and was formally annexed by the UK in 1914 . While Turkish Cypriots made up 18% of the population , the partition of Cyprus and creation of a Turkish state in the north became a policy of Turkish Cypriot leaders and Turkey in the 1950s . Turkish leaders for a period advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as Cyprus was considered an extension of Anatolia by them ; while , since the 19th century , the majority Greek Cypriot population and its Orthodox church had been pursuing union with Greece , which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s . Following nationalist violence in the 1950s , Cyprus was granted independence in 1960 .
The Democratic Rally ( Greek : Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός ( ΔΗΣΥ ) , Dimokratikós Sinagermós ( DISY ) ) , is a liberal-conservative , Christian-democratic political party in Cyprus led by Averof Neofytou . The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafcos Clerides . Clerides served as the president of Cyprus from 1993 until 2003 . The current President of Cyprus , Nicos Anastasiades ( in office since 2013 ) , is a member and former leader of the party .
Martin Helme ( born 24 April 1976 ) is an Estonian politician and the Minister of Finance since 29 April 2019 . From March 2015 to April 2019 , he served as the leader of the parliamentary group of Conservative People 's Party of Estonia , officially a national-conservative party , but in the media , often referred to as far-right . He is the son of the founder and leader of the party , Mart Helme . After EKRE 's inclusion in the governing coalition after the 2019 electoral vote , Helme was appointed to Jüri Ratas ' second cabinet as Estonia 's finance minister .
Estonia ( Estonian : Eesti [ ˈeːsʲti ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Estonia ( Estonian : Eesti Vabariik ) , is a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe . It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland with Finland on the other side , to the west by the Baltic Sea with Sweden on the other side , to the south by Latvia ( 343 km ) , and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia ( 338.6 km ) . The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland and of 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea , covering a total area of 45,227 km2 ( 17,462 sq mi ) , water 2,839 km2 ( 1,096 sq mi ) , land area 42,388 km2 ( 16,366 sq mi ) , and is influenced by a humid continental climate . The official language of the country , Estonian , is the second-most-spoken Finnic language . The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 9,000 BC . Ancient Estonians became some of the last European pagans to adopt Christianity - following the Livonian Crusade in the 13th century . After centuries of successive rule by Germans , Danes , Swedes , Poles and Russians , a distinct Estonian national identity began to emerge in the 19th and early 20th centuries . This culminated in independence from Russia in 1920 after a brief War of Independence at the end of World War I . Initially democratic prior to the Great Depression , Estonia experienced authoritarian rule from 1934 during the Era of Silence . During World War II ( 1939-1945 ) , Estonia was repeatedly contested and occupied by the Soviet Union and Germany , ultimately being incorporated into the former . After the loss of its de facto independence , Estonia 's de jure state continuity was preserved by diplomatic representatives and the government-in-exile . In 1987 the peaceful Singing Revolution began against Soviet rule , resulting in the restoration of de facto independence on 20 August 1991 .
The Identity and Democracy Party ( French : Parti Identité et Démocratie , Italian : Partito Identità e Democrazia , German : Identität und Demokratie Partei ) , abbreviated to ID Party and formerly known as the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom ( MENF ) , is an alliance of nationalist , right-wing populist and eurosceptic European political parties founded in 2014 . The party has been described as both right-wing and far-right . Its political group in the European Parliament was Europe of Nations and Freedom , which was succeeded in 2019 by Identity and Democracy .
The Conservative People 's Party of Estonia ( Estonian : Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond , EKRE ) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Estonia . It has been described in the mainstream media as belonging to the far-right . Since 2013 , its chairman has been Mart Helme , the former Estonian ambassador to Russia . The head of the parliamentary group is Martin Helme . The party 's identitarian youth wing , Blue Awakening , organizes frequent nationalist torchlight marches in Estonia . Ideologically , the party is a descendant of the Estonian ethno-nationalist camp . Political commentators often place the EKRE on the right to far-right of the political spectrum , but party representatives reject this and suggest other ways of looking at the left-right axis . In the period after the 2015 parliamentary election , EKRE 's popularity surged significantly and in the 2019 Estonian parliamentary election the party gained 17.8% of the votes and increased its number of seats to 19 . The party sees the preservation of Estonian ethnicity as its main objective , and many of its policies are directed towards providing support to young Estonian families , lowering emigration of Estonians and preventing immigration from outside of the European Union . It is Eurosceptic , critical of LGBT rights and homosexuality , supporting the transition of the public schools of Estonia 's Russian-speaking minority from the current Russian language to Estonian language education , and wishes to implement Swiss-style direct democracy . It has also been described by critics as xenophobic and racist .
Katri Briitta Ilona Kulmuni ( born 4 September 1987 in Tornio ) is a Finnish politician and the current leader of the Centre Party of Finland .
Finland ( Finnish : Suomi [ ˈsuo̯mi ] ( listen ) ; Swedish : Finland [ ˈfɪ̌nland ] ( listen ) , Finland Swedish : [ ˈfinlɑnd ] ) , officially the Republic of Finland ( Finnish : Suomen tasavalta , Swedish : Republiken Finland ( listen to all ) ) , [ note 1 ] is a Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea , Gulf of Bothnia , and Gulf of Finland , between Sweden to the west , Russia to the east , Estonia to the south , and north-eastern Norway to the north . The capital and largest city is Helsinki . Other major cities are Espoo , Tampere , Vantaa , Oulu , Turku , Jyväskylä , Lahti and Kuopio . Finland 's population is 5.52 million as of July 2019 , the majority of whom live in the central and south of the country and speak Finnish , a Finnic language from the Uralic language family , unrelated to the Scandinavian languages . Finland is the eighth-largest country in Europe and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union . It is a parliamentary republic of 310 municipalities , and includes an autonomous region , the Åland Islands . Over 1.4 million people live in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area , which produces one third of the country 's GDP . Swedish is the second official language of Finland , which is mainly spoken in certain coastal areas and on Åland . A large majority of Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church . Finland was inhabited when the last ice age ended , approximately 9000 BC . Comb Ceramic culture introduced pottery 5200 BC and Corded Ware culture coincided with the start of agriculture between 3000 and 2500 BC . The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in the Fennoscandian and Baltic regions .
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( ALDE ; French : Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe , ADLE ) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties , the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the European Democratic Party . ALDE has political groups in the European Parliament , the EU Committee of the Regions , the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly . There are assorted independents in these groups as well as national-level affiliate parties of the European-level parties . The pro-European platform of ALDE espouses liberal economics , and support for European integration and the European single market .
The Centre Party of Finland ( Finnish : Suomen Keskusta , Kesk ; Swedish : Centern i Finland ) is a centrist , liberal-conservative , agrarian political party in Finland . Founded in 1906 as the Agrarian League , the party represented rural communities and supported decentralisation of political power from Helsinki . In the 1920s , the party emerged as the main rival to the Social Democratic Party ( SDP ) , and the party 's first prime minister , Kyösti Kallio , held the office four times between 1922 and 1937 . After World War II , the party settled as one of the four major political parties in Finland , alongside the National Coalition Party , the Social Democrats , and , until the 1980s , the Communist SKDL . Urho Kekkonen served as President of Finland from 1956 to 1982 : by far the longest period of any president . The name 'Centre Party ' was adopted in 1965 , and 'Centre of Finland ' in 1988 . The Centre Party was the largest party in Parliament from 2003 to 2011 , during which time Matti Vanhanen was prime minister for seven years . Following the 2011 election , the party was reduced in parliamentary representation from the largest party to the fourth largest , but in 2015 it reclaimed its status as the largest party . In 2019 , it suffered a considerable defeat , losing 18 of 49 seats . As a Nordic agrarian party , the Centre Party 's political influence is greatest in small and rural municipalities , where it often holds a majority of the seats in the municipal councils . Decentralisation is the policy that is most characteristic of the Centre Party . The Centre has been the ruling party in Finland a number of times since Finnish independence .
Bruno Le Maire ( born 15 April 1969 ) is a French politician and former diplomat serving as Minister of the Economy and Finance since 2017 . He previously served as Secretary of State for European Affairs from 2008 to 2009 and Minister of Food , Agriculture and Fishing from 2009 to 2012 .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
La République En Marche ! [ a ] ( frequently abbreviated REM , LRM or LREM , officially LaREM ; possible translation : The Republic that works ! ) , sometimes called En Marche ! ( French : [ ɑ̃ maʁʃ ] ; English translation : Forward ! , Onward ! , Working ! or On The Move ! ) , is a centrist and liberal political party in France . It was founded on 6 April 2016 by Emmanuel Macron , a former Minister of Economy , Industry and Digital Affairs , who was later elected President of the French Republic in the 2017 election with 66.1% of the second-round vote . Macron considers La République En Marche ! to be a progressive movement , uniting both the left and the right . The party ran candidates in the 2017 legislative elections including dissidents from the Socialist Party ( PS ) , The Republicans ( LR ) , as well as minor parties . It won an absolute majority in the National Assembly , securing 308 seats . Its ally , the Democratic Movement ( MoDem ) , secured 42 .
Olaf Scholz ( German pronunciation : [ ˈoːlaf ˈʃɔlts ] ; born ( 1958-06-14 ) 14 June 1958 ) is a German politician serving as Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor under Chancellor Angela Merkel from the CDU since 14 March 2018 . He served as First Mayor of Hamburg from 7 March 2011 to 13 March 2018 and Acting Leader of the Social Democratic Party ( SPD ) from 13 February to 22 April 2018 . A member of the Bundestag from 1998 to 2001 and again from 2002 to 2011 , Scholz was Minister of the Interior of Hamburg under First Mayor Ortwin Runde from May to October 2001 and general secretary of his party under chairman and chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 2002 to 2004 . He served as Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in Merkel 's first Grand Coalition from 2007 to 2009 and leader of the SPD in Hamburg from 2000 to 2004 and again from 2009 to 2018 . In a team with the former state representative Klara Geywitz , he received most votes in the first round of the 2019 SPD leader election , but lost in the ensuing run-off to the winners Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
The Party of European Socialists ( PES ) is a social-democratic European political party . The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union ( EU ) plus Norway and the United Kingdom . This includes major parties such as the Italian Democratic Party , the British Labour Party , the French Socialist Party , Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party . Parties from a number of other European countries are also admitted to the PES as associate or observer parties . Most member , associate and observer parties are members of the wider Progressive Alliance or Socialist International . The PES is currently led by its president Sergei Stanishev , a former Prime Minister of Bulgaria . Its political group in the European Parliament is the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats ( S & D ) . The PES also operates in the Committee of the Regions ( in the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions ) and the European Council .
The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( German : Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands , SPD ; [ zoˈtsi̯aːldemoˌkʁaːtɪʃə paʁˌtaɪ ˈdɔʏtʃlants ] ) is a social-democratic political party in Germany . Led by Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans since 2019 , the party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Germany along with the Christian Democratic Union ( CDU ) . The Social Democrats have governed at the federal level in Germany as part of a grand coalition with the CDU and the Christian Social Union ( CSU ) since December 2013 following the results of the 2013 and 2017 federal elections . The party participates in 11 of 16 state governments and 7 of them are governed by SPD Minister-Presidents . The SPD is a member of the Party of European Socialists and initiated the founding of the international Progressive Alliance of social-democratic parties on 22 May 2013 after criticising the Socialist International for its acceptance of authoritarian parties . Established in 1863 , the SPD is by far the oldest existing political party represented in the German Parliament and was one of the first Marxist-influenced parties in the world . It was illegal under the Anti-Socialist Laws from 1878 to 1890 . During the First World War , the party split into a pro-war mainstream and the pacifist Independent Social Democratic Party , a part of which went on to form the Communist Party of Germany . The social democrats came to power during the 1918-19 revolution . During the Weimar Republic , the SPD was the strongest party until 1932 and Friedrich Ebert served as the first President of Germany . During the Nazi era ( 1933-45 ) , the SPD was banned , and social democrats offered resistance against Hitler 's dictatorship . After the Second World War , the party was re-established .
Christos Staikouras ( pronounced [ ˌxristos stai̯ˈkuras ] ; born 12 August 1973 ) is a Greek economist and politician who is currently New Democracy 's Coordinator of Economic Affairs . Since the 2007 legislative election , he has been a Member of the Hellenic Parliament ( MP ) for Phthiotis . After the 2019 election , he was appointed Minister for Finance in the Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis . Staikouras was born in Lamia , Phthiotis , and studied mechanical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens . He went on to complete an MBA at Imperial College London and a PhD in banking at City University London . He worked as an analyst for the Bank of England and then Eurobank Ergasias before becoming a lecturer at the Athens University of Economics and Business in 2002 . He continued in this role whilst taking on additional responsibilities , including at the University of Thessaly and the Hellenic Open University . In 2006 , he was made an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Athens University of Economics and Business , going on leave in 2007 . He was first elected as a New Democracy MP for Phthiotis at the 2007 election . He has been re-elected in all elections since , and in June 2012 was appointed as an Alternate Minister for Finance , serving until January 2015 .
Greece ( Greek : Ελλάδα ) , officially the Hellenic Republic ( Greek : Ελληνική Δημοκρατία ) , historically also known as Hellas , is a country located in Southeast Europe . Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018 ; Athens , the nation 's capital , is its largest city , followed by Thessaloniki . Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula , Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe , Asia , and Africa . It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest , North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north , and Turkey to the northeast . The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland , the Ionian Sea to the west , the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km ( 8,498 mi ) in length , featuring many islands , of which 227 are inhabited . Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous , with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres ( 9,573 ft ) . The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions : Macedonia , Central Greece , the Peloponnese , Thessaly , Epirus , the Aegean Islands ( including the Dodecanese and Cyclades ) , Thrace , Crete , and the Ionian Islands . Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilisation , being the birthplace of democracy , Western philosophy , Western literature , historiography , political science , major scientific and mathematical principles , Western drama and the Olympic Games . From the eighth century B.C. , the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states , known as poleis ( singular polis ) , which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea . Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC , with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world , from the eastern Mediterranean to India . Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century B.C. , becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor , the Byzantine Empire , which adopted the Greek language and culture .
The New Democracy ( ND ; Greek : Νέα Δημοκρατία , Nea Dimokratia , IPA : [ ˈnea ðimokraˈtia ] ) is a liberal-conservative political party in Greece . In modern Greek politics , New Democracy has been the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties along with its historic rival , the Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( PASOK ) . New Democracy , alongside PASOK , were created in the wake of the toppling of the military junta in 1974 , which ruled Greece alternately for the previous four decades . Following the electoral decline of PASOK , New Democracy remained one of the two major parties in Greece , the other being the Coalition of the Radical Left ( SYRIZA ) . Having spent four and a half years in opposition to SYRIZA 's government , New Democracy regained its majority in the Hellenic Parliament and returned to government under Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the 2019 legislative election . The traditional support of New Democracy comes from an electorate leaning to the right and conservatives . From a geographical perspective , its main support base is in the rural areas of Greece as well as the city centers of Athens and Thessaloniki . Its support is generally weak in areas like West Greece , Attica , Crete and the Aegean Islands . The party was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and in the same year it formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic . New Democracy is a member of the European People 's Party , the Centrist Democrat International and the International Democrat Union .
Paschal Donohoe ( born 19 September 1974 ) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Finance since June 2017 and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform since May 2016 . He has been a Teachta Dála ( TD ) for the Dublin Central constituency since 2011 . He previously served as Minister for Transport , Tourism and Sport from 2014 to 2016 and Minister of State for European Affairs from 2013 to 2014 . Donohoe is originally from Blanchardstown . He studied Politics and Economics at Trinity College Dublin . From 1997 , he worked with Procter & Gamble in the UK , before returning to Ireland and taking up a position with them . In 2004 , Donohoe was elected to Dublin City Council and served on a number of committees before his election to Seanad Éireann in 2007 and his eventual election to Dáil Éireann in 2011 . After an initial period on the backbenches , Donohoe was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs , following the resignation of Lucinda Creighton in July 2013 . A year later he was promoted to cabinet as Minister for Transport , Tourism and Sport . Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in May 2016 , Donohoe was appointed Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform . In June 2017 , after Leo Varadkar succeeded Enda Kenny as Taoiseach , Varadkar appointed Donohoe as Minister for Finance .
Ireland ( Irish : Éire [ ˈeːɾʲə ] ( listen ) ) , also known as the Republic of Ireland ( Poblacht na hÉireann ) , is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland . The capital and largest city is Dublin , which is located on the eastern side of the island . Around a third of the country 's population of 4.9 million people resides in the greater Dublin area . The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland , a part of the United Kingdom . It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the Celtic Sea to the south , St George 's Channel to the south-east , and the Irish Sea to the east . It is a unitary , parliamentary republic . The legislature , the Oireachtas , consists of a lower house , Dáil Éireann , an upper house , Seanad Éireann , and an elected President ( Uachtarán ) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state , but with some important powers and duties . The head of government is the Taoiseach ( Prime Minister , literally 'Chief ' , a title not used in English ) , who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President ; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers . The state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty . It had the status of Dominion until 1937 when a new constitution was adopted , in which the state was named Ireland and effectively became a republic , with an elected non-executive president as head of state . It was officially declared a republic in 1949 , following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 . Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955 .
Fine Gael ( /ˌfiːnə ˈɡeɪl , ˌfɪn-/ FEE-nə GAYL , FIN-ə -⁠ , Irish : [ ˌfʲɪnʲə ˈɡeːl̪ˠ ] ; English : Family ( or Tribe ) of the Irish ) is a liberal-conservative political party in Ireland . Fine Gael is currently the governing and largest party in Ireland in terms of members of the Oireachtas and Irish members of the European Parliament . The party has a membership of 21,000 and is the senior partner governing in a minority coalition with several independent politicians , with party leader Leo Varadkar serving as Taoiseach . Varadkar succeeded Enda Kenny as party leader on 2 June 2017 and as Taoiseach on 14 June ; Kenny had been leader since 2002 , and Taoiseach since 2011 . Fine Gael was founded on 8 September 1933 following the merger of its parent party Cumann na nGaedheal , the National Centre Party and the National Guard . Its origins lie in the struggle for Irish independence and the pro-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War and Michael Collins , in particular , is often identified as the founder of the movement . Fine Gael is generally considered to be more of a proponent of market liberalism than its traditional rival , Fianna Fáil . Apart from brief minority governments ( as in 1987 ) , Fine Gael has rarely governed Ireland without a coalition that also included the Labour Party , a social-democratic , centre-left party . Fine Gael describes itself as a party of the progressive centre which it defines as acting in a way that is right for Ireland , regardless of dogma or ideology . It lists its core values as equality of opportunity , free enterprise and reward , security , integrity and hope . It is strongly in favour of the European Union and opposed to physical force Irish republicanism . The party 's youth wing , Young Fine Gael , was formed in 1977 , and has approximately four thousand members .
Roberto Gualtieri ( born 19 July 1966 ) is an Italian university professor and politician of the Democratic Party ( PD ) . Since 5 September 2019 , he has been serving as Minister of Economy and Finances in the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . He previously was a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019 , where he chaired the influential Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee within the Parliament from 2014 until 2019 .
Italy ( Italian : Italia [ iˈtaːlja ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Italian Republic ( Italian : Repubblica Italiana [ reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna ] ) , is a European country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands . Italy is located in south-central Europe , and it is also considered a part of Western Europe . The country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 ( 116,350 sq mi ) and shares land borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino . Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland ( Campione ) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea ( Lampedusa ) . With around 60 million inhabitants , Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union . The capital and largest city is Rome ; other major cities are Milan , Naples , Turin , Palermo , Genoa , Bologna , Florence and Venice . Due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean , Italy has historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures . In addition to the various ancient peoples dispersed throughout what is now modern-day Italy , the most predominant being the Indo-European Italic peoples who gave the peninsula its name , beginning from the classical era , Phoenicians and Carthaginians founded colonies mostly in insular Italy , Greeks established settlements in the so-called Magna Graecia of Southern Italy , while Etruscans and Celts inhabited central and northern Italy respectively . An Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC , which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People . The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian peninsula , eventually expanding and conquering parts of Europe , North Africa and Asia . By the first century BC , the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became a leading cultural , political and religious centre , inaugurating the Pax Romana , a period of more than 200 years during which Italy 's law , technology , economy , art , and literature developed . Italy remained the homeland of the Romans and the metropole of the empire , whose legacy can also be observed in the global distribution of culture , governments , Christianity and the Latin script .
The Democratic Party ( Italian : Partito Democratico , PD ) is a social-democratic political party in Italy . The party 's secretary is Nicola Zingaretti , who was elected in March 2019 , while its president is Paolo Gentiloni . The PD was founded on 14 October 2007 upon the merger of various centre-left parties which had been part of The Olive Tree list and The Union coalition in the 2006 general election . They notably included the social-democratic Democrats of the Left ( DS ) , successors of the Italian Communist Party and the Democratic Party of the Left which was folded with several social-democratic parties ( Labour Federation and Social Christians , among others ) in 1998 ; and the largely Catholic-inspired Democracy is Freedom - The Daisy ( DL ) , merger of the Italian People 's Party ( heir of the Christian Democracy party 's left-wing ) , The Democrats and Italian Renewal in 2002 . Thus , the party 's main ideological trends are social democracy and the Italian Christian leftist tradition . The PD has been also influenced by social liberalism which was already present in some of the founding components of the DS and DL and more generally by a Third Way progressivism . The PD was the second-largest party in Italy in the 2018 general election , the third-largest in the Chamber of Deputies and the fourth-largest in the Senate . Between 2013 and 2018 , the Italian government was led by three successive Democratic Prime Ministers , namely Enrico Letta ( 2013-2014 ) , Matteo Renzi ( 2014-2016 ) and Gentiloni ( 2016-2018 ) . Since September 2019 the party has been part of the Conte II Cabinet , in a coalition with the Five Star Movement . The party also heads seven regional governments . Prominent Democrats include Walter Veltroni ( secretary , 2007-2009 ) , Dario Franceschini ( secretary , 2009 ) , Maurizio Martina ( secretary , 2018 ) , David Sassoli , Piero Fassino , Marco Minniti , Graziano Delrio , Pier Carlo Padoan , Federica Mogherini , Debora Serracchiani , Lorenzo Guerini , Matteo Orfini , Luigi Zanda , Stefano Bonaccini , Sergio Chiamparino , Vincenzo De Luca , Michele Emiliano , Giuseppe Sala , Leoluca Orlando , Virginio Merola and Dario Nardella . Former members include Giorgio Napolitano ( President of Italy , 2006-2015 ) , Sergio Mattarella ( President of Italy , 2015-present ) , Romano Prodi , Giuliano Amato , Massimo D'Alema , Pier Luigi Bersani ( secretary , 2009-2013 ) , Guglielmo Epifani ( secretary , 2013 ) , Francesco Rutelli , Pietro Grasso , Carlo Calenda and Matteo Renzi ( secretary , 2013-2018 ) .
Jānis Reirs ( born 23 September 1961 in Riga ) is a Latvian politician who has been serving as Minister of Finance in the government of Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš since 2019 . He previously serves as Minister for Welfare in the Kučinskis cabinet from 2016 to 2019 and Minister for Finance in the second Straujuma cabinet .
Latvia ( /ˈlɑːtviə/ or /ˈlætviə/ ( listen ) ; Latvian : Latvija [ ˈlatvija ] , Livonian : Lețmō ) , officially known as the Republic of Latvia ( Latvian : Latvijas Republika , Livonian : Lețmō Vabāmō ) , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe . Since its independence , Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states . It is bordered by Estonia to the north , Lithuania to the south , Russia to the east , Belarus to the southeast , and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west . Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 ( 24,938 sq mi ) . The country has a temperate seasonal climate . The Baltic Sea moderates climate , although it has four distinct seasons and snowy winters . After centuries of Swedish , Polish and Russian rule , a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy , the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I . However , by the 1930s the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis . The country 's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II , beginning with Latvia 's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union , followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 , and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944 ( Courland Pocket in 1945 ) to form the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years . The peaceful Singing Revolution , starting in 1987 , called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the Communist regime 's illegal takeover . It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990 and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991 . Latvia is a democratic sovereign state , parliamentary republic and a very highly developed country according to the United Nations Human Development Index .
Unity ( Latvian : Vienotība ) is a liberal-conservative political party in Latvia . It is currently the largest party of the centre-right in Latvian politics and was the leading party in the Dombrovskis and Straujuma cabinets from its inception in 2010 until February 2016 and is a member of the current coalition since January 2019 with its member Krišjānis Kariņš as Prime Minister . Unity is a member of the European People 's Party ( EPP ) .
Vilius Šapoka ( born 14 December 1978 ) is the current Minister of Finance in the Republic of Lithuania and Governor of the European Investment Bank for the Republic of Lithuania .
The first known record of the name of Lithuania ( Lithuanian : Lietuva ) is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno in the Quedlinburg Chronicle . The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva : Litua ( pronounced [ litua ] ) . Due to the lack of reliable evidence , the true meaning of the name is unknown . Nowadays , scholars still debate the meaning of the word and there are a few plausible versions . Since Lietuva has a suffix ( -uva ) , the original word should have no suffix . [ citation needed ] A likely candidate is Lietā . Because many Baltic ethnonyms originated from hydronyms , linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms . Usually , such names evolved through the following process : hydronym → toponym → ethnonym . Lietava , a small river not far from Kernavė , the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the eventual Grand Duchy of Lithuania , is usually credited as the source of the name . However , the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation . On the other hand , such naming is not unprecedented in world history . Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis , that Lietuva relates to the word leičiai ( plural of leitis ) .
Pierre Gramegna ( born 22 April 1958 ) is a career diplomat and former lobbyist who is currently the Minister for Finances in the Bettel-Schneider ministry .
Luxembourg ( /ˈlʌksəmbɜːrɡ/ ( listen ) LUK-səm-burg ; Luxembourgish : Lëtzebuerg [ ˈlətsəbuə̯ɕ ] ( listen ) ; French : Luxembourg ; German : Luxemburg ) , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , [ c ] is a landlocked country in western Europe . It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north , Germany to the east , and France to the south . Its capital , Luxembourg City , is one of the four official capitals of the European Union ( together with Brussels , Frankfurt , and Strasbourg ) and the seat of the European Court of Justice , the highest judicial authority in the EU . Its culture , people , and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours , making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures , as evident by the nation 's three official languages : French , German , and the national language of Luxembourgish . The repeated invasions by Germany , especially in World War II , resulted in the country 's strong will for mediation between France and Germany and , among other things , led to the foundation of the European Union . With an area of 2,586 square kilometres ( 998 sq mi ) , it is one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe . In 2019 , Luxembourg had a population of 613,894 , which makes it one of the least-populous countries in Europe , but by far the one with the highest population growth rate . Foreigners account for nearly half of Luxembourg 's population . As a representative democracy with a constitutional monarch , it is headed by Grand Duke Henri and is the world 's only remaining sovereign grand duchy . Luxembourg is a developed country , with an advanced economy and one of the world 's highest GDP ( PPP ) per capita . The City of Luxembourg with its old quarters and fortifications was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the exceptional preservation of the vast fortifications and the old city . The history of Luxembourg is considered to begin in 963 , when count Siegfried acquired a rocky promontory and its Roman-era fortifications known as Lucilinburhuc , little castle , and the surrounding area from the Imperial Abbey of St. Maximin in nearby Trier .
The Democratic Party ( Luxembourgish : Demokratesch Partei , French : Parti Démocratique , German : Demokratische Partei ) , abbreviated to DP , is the major liberal political party in Luxembourg . One of the three major parties , the DP sits on the centre to centre-right , holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties , human rights , and internationalism . Founded in 1955 , the party is currently led by Corinne Cahen . Its former president , Xavier Bettel , has been the Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 2013 , leading the Bettel-Schneider government in coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers ' Party ( LSAP ) and The Greens . It is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies , with twelve seats out of sixty , having won 17% of the vote at the 2018 general election , and has two seats in the European Parliament out of six . The party 's stronghold is around Luxembourg City ; it has provided the city 's Mayor since 1970 . The party has often played the minor coalition partner to the Christian Social People 's Party ( CSV ) . In Gaston Thorn and Xavier Bettel , the DP has provided the only Prime Ministers of Luxembourg since 1945 not to be affiliated with the CSV ( 1974-79 and 2013-present ) . The party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( ALDE ) and the Liberal International . The party has been one of the most influential liberal parties in Europe , due to its strength , its regular involvement in government , its role in international institutions , and Thorn 's leadership .
Edward Scicluna ( born October 12 , 1946 in Rabat , Malta ) is an economist and Finance Minister of Malta . He is a Member of Parliament elected on behalf of the Maltese Labour Party .
The origin of the name Malta is uncertain , and the modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language . The most common etymology is that the word Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι , meli , honey . The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη ( Melitē ) meaning honey-sweet , possibly for Malta 's unique production of honey ; an endemic subspecies of bees live on the island . The Romans called the island Melita , which can be considered either a latinisation of the Greek Μελίτη or the adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation of the same word Μελίτα . In 1525 William Tyndale used the transliteration Melite in Acts 28:1 for Καὶ διασωθέντες τότε ἐπέγνωμεν ὅτι Μελίτη ἡ νῆσος καλεῖται as found in his translation of The New Testament that relied on Greek texts instead of Latin . Melita is the spelling used in the Authorized ( King James ) Version of 1611 and in the American Standard Version of 1901 . Malta is widely used in more recent versions , such as The Revised Standard Version of 1946 and The New International Version of 1973 . Another conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth , a haven , or 'port ' in reference to Malta 's many bays and coves . Few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature , with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary ( Itin . Marit . p. 518 ; Sil . Ital .
The Labour Party ( Maltese : Partit Laburista , PL ) , formerly known as the Malta Labour Party ( MLP ) , is a social-democratic political party in Malta . Along with the Nationalist Party ( PN ) , the Labour Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta . Since the March 2013 general election , the party has been the governing party in the Maltese House of Representatives . The Labour Party is a member of the Party of European Socialists , and was a member of the Socialist International until December 2014 .
Wopke Bastiaan Hoekstra ( born 30 September 1975 ) is a Dutch politician serving as Minister of Finance in the Third Rutte cabinet since 26 October 2017 . He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA ) .
The Netherlands ( Dutch : Nederland , [ ˈneːdərlɑnt ] ( listen ) ) , informally Holland , is a country in Northwestern Europe with some overseas territories in the Caribbean . In Europe , it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east , Belgium to the south , and the North Sea to the northwest , with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the United Kingdom . Together with the Caribbean Netherlands - Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba - it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The official language is Dutch and a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian . In the north and east of the country , Low Saxon is also spoken , and in the southeast , Limburgish . In the Caribbean Netherlands English and Papiamento are recognised languages . The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven . Amsterdam is the country 's most populous city and nominal capital , while The Hague holds the seat of the States General , Cabinet and Supreme Court . The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe , and the busiest in any country outside Asia . Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands , and the third busiest in Europe . The country is a founding member of the EU , Eurozone , G10 , NATO , OECD and WTO , as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union . It hosts several intergovernmental organisations and international courts , many of which are centered in The Hague , which is consequently dubbed 'the world 's legal capital ' .
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( Dutch : Christen-Democratisch Appèl , pronounced [ krɪstə ( n ) deːmoːkraːtis ɑˈpɛl ] ; CDA ) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands . The CDA was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People 's Party , the Anti-Revolutionary Party and the Christian Historical Union , and has participated in all but three governments since then . Sybrand van Haersma Buma has been the Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal since 18 May 2012 . The party suffered severe losses in the 2010 general election , losing half of its seats and falling to fourth place in the House of Representatives . From 2010 to 2012 consequently , the CDA was a junior coalition partner in a right-wing minority First Rutte cabinet with the People 's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( VVD ) , supported in the States General by the Party for Freedom ( PVV ) . Subsequently , the CDA again lost a considerable number of seats in the 2012 general election , dropping to fifth place . During the 2017 general election , the party won 19 seats ( third place ) and is part of the current centre-right Third Rutte cabinet with the VVD , D66 and CU .
Slovakia ( /sloʊˈvækiə , -ˈvɑːk-/ ( listen ) ; Slovak : Slovensko [ ˈslɔʋɛnskɔ ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Slovak Republic ( Slovak : Slovenská republika , listen ( help·info ) ) , is a landlocked country in the eastern part of Central Europe . It is bordered by Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east , Hungary to the south , Austria to the southwest , and the Czech Republic to the northwest . Slovakia 's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres ( 19,000 sq mi ) and is mostly mountainous . The population is over 5.6 million and consists mostly of Slovaks . The capital and largest city is Bratislava , and the second-largest city is Košice . The official language is Slovak . The Slavs arrived in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries . In the 7th century they played a significant role in the creation of Samo 's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra , which was later conquered by the Principality of Moravia to establish Great Moravia . In the 10th century , after the dissolution of Great Moravia , the territory was integrated into the Principality of Hungary , which would become the Kingdom of Hungary in 1000 . In 1241 and 1242 , much of the territory was destroyed by the Mongols during their invasion of Central and Eastern Europe . The area was recovered largely thanks to Béla IV of Hungary who also settled Germans who became an important ethnic group in the area , especially in what are today parts of central and eastern Slovakia . After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the Czechoslovak National Council established Czechoslovakia ( 1918-1939 ) .
Direction - Social Democracy ( Slovak : Smer - sociálna demokracia , Smer - SD ) is a social-democratic and left-wing populist political party in Slovakia . It is led by former Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico . Smer-SD is the largest party in the National Council , with a plurality of 49 seats ( out of 150 ) following the parliamentary Election held on 5 March 2016 .
Slovenia ( /sloʊˈviːniə , slə-/ ( listen ) sloh-VEE-nee-ə ; Slovene : Slovenija [ slɔˈʋèːnija ] ) , officially the Republic of Slovenia ( Slovene : Republika Slovenija ( help·info ) , abbr . : RS ) , is a country located in Europe at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes . It is bordered by Italy to the west , Austria to the north , Hungary to the northeast , Croatia to the southeast , and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest . Slovenia covers 20,273 square kilometers ( 7,827 sq mi ) and has a population of 2.084 million . One of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia , Slovenia is now a parliamentary republic and member nation of the European Union , United Nations , and NATO . The capital and largest city is Ljubljana . Slovenia has a mostly mountainous terrain with a mainly continental climate , with the exception of the Slovene Littoral , which has a sub-Mediterranean climate , and of the Julian Alps in the northwest , which have an Alpine climate . Additionally , the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia . The country , marked by a significant biological diversity , is one of the most water-rich in Europe , with a dense river network , a rich aquifer system , and significant karst underground watercourses . Over half of the territory is covered by forest . The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven . Slovenia has historically been the crossroads of Slavic , Germanic , and Romance languages and cultures .
The List of Marjan Šarec ( Slovene : Lista Marjana Šarca , LMŠ ) is a political party in Slovenia led by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec .
María Jesús Montero Cuadrado ( born 4 February 1966 ) , is a Spanish politician and hospital administrator . In June 2018 , she was appointed Minister of Finance in the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez .
Spain ( Spanish : España [ esˈpaɲa ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( Spanish : Reino de España ) , [ a ] [ b ] is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of Spanish territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean . Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula . Its territory also includes two archipelagoes : the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa , and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea . The African enclaves of Ceuta , Melilla , and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country ( Morocco ) . [ h ] Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory . The country 's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar ; to the north and northeast by France , Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay ; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean . With an area of 505,990 km2 ( 195,360 sq mi ) , Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe , the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union , and the fourth largest country in the European continent . By population ( about 47 million ) , Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Zaragoza , Málaga and Bilbao . Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago . Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician , Greek , Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE , after which the region was named Hispania , based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp ( a ) n or Spania . At the end of the Western Roman Empire the Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe , invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces , including the Suebi , Alans and Vandals .
The Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party ( Spanish : Partido Socialista Obrero Español [ paɾˈtiðo soθjaˈlista oβɾeɾo espaˈɲol ] ( listen ) ; PSOE [ peˈsoe ] ( listen ) ) is a social-democratic political party in Spain . The PSOE has been in government for a longer time than any other political party in modern democratic Spain , namely from 1982 to 1996 under Felipe González ; from 2004 to 2011 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero ; and currently since 2018 under Pedro Sánchez . The PSOE was founded in 1879 , making it the oldest party currently active in Spain . The PSOE played a key role during the Second Spanish Republic , being part of coalition government from 1931 to 1933 and from 1936 to 1939 , when the Republic was defeated by Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War . Historically a Marxist party , it abandoned Marxism in 1979 . The PSOE has historically had strong ties with the General Union of Workers ( UGT ) , a Spanish trade union . For a couple of decades , UGT membership was a requirement for PSOE membership . However , since the 1980s UGT has frequently criticized the economic policies of PSOE , even calling for a general strike against the PSOE government on 14 December 1988 . The PSOE is a member of the Party of European Socialists , Progressive Alliance and the Socialist International . In the European Parliament , PSOE 's 20 Members of the European Parliament ( MEPs ) sit in the Socialists and Democrats ( S & D ) European parliamentary group .