Political groups of the European Parliament Group" (which eventually became the S&D group), the "Christian Democrat Group" (later EPP group) and the "Liberals and Allies Group" (later ALDE group). As the Parliament developed, other Groups emerged. Gaullists from France founded the European Democratic Union Group. When Conservatives from Denmark and the United Kingdom joined, they created the European Conservatives Group, which (after some name changes) eventually merged with the Group of the European People's Party. The 1979 first direct election established further groups and the establishment of European political parties such as the European People's Party. A full breakdown of Groups by complexion and timeline is
Political groups of the European Parliament dealt with at the plenary session of the European Parliament. Groups can table motions for resolutions and table amendments to reports. This is a summary of the standing of existing European Parliament groups, although these are subject to change. The first sitting of the new parliament was on 1 July 2014. Major changes compared to the period 2004–2009 are: The mandate of previous European Parliament ran from 2004 and 2009. It was composed of the following political groups. The Parliament does not form a government in the traditional sense and its politics have developed over consensual rather than adversarial lines.