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
Intergroups in the European Parliament Intergroups in the European Parliament Intergroups are formed of Members of the European Parliament from any political group and any committee, with a view to holding informal exchanges of views on particular subjects and promoting contact between Members and civil society. Intergroups are not Parliament bodies and may not express Parliament’s opinion. Intergroups are subject to internal rules adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 16 December 1999 (last updated on 14 February 2008), which set out the conditions under which intergroups may be established at the beginning of each parliamentary term and their operating rules. Chairs of intergroups are