The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) has been expanding its presence in Europe this year and, at the beginning of the new European Parliament mandate, we are delighted to announce that we will continue having five seats. The two new Members of European Parliament joining us are Vilis Krištopans of the Latvija Pirmajā Vietā party from Latvia and Ondřej Dostál, independent MEP from Czechia.

MEP Krištopans is a former prime-minister of Latvia (1998-1999) and member of the Latvian Saeima for several mandates. In the European Parliament he sits with the Patriots for Europe group and serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and in the delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China. Together with party Latvia First (8 seats in the Saeima) they are supporting entrepreneurship and economic growth in Latvia and freedom from EU-imposed regulations. They share ECPM’s view of a European Union of sovereign Member States where the principle of subsidiarity is respected and where the European institutions maintain a facilitator, not directive, role.  

For the first time ECPM also has a presence in Czechia. MEP Dostál, an independent politician and a lawyer from Prague joined our political family at the end of September. As a non-attached MEP, he serves on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and of the delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia (DASE). For more than twenty years MEP Dostál has been the leading voice calling for solidarity in access to healthcare in Czechia and an advocate for patients’ rights, informed consent and the implementation of the Oviedo Convention. His expertise as a lawyer includes health policy, bioethics, patients’ rights and medical law.  Dostál welcomes the partnership with ECPM and the other MEPs on bioethics: defending personal autonomy in healthcare, fighting corruption and demanding transparency in procurement and public/private contracts, right to privacy and anonymity. He is a strong advocate for finding a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the current international conflicts.

ECPM President Valeriu Ghilețchi met and welcomed both MEP Ondřej Dostál and MEP Vilis Krištopans during the latest EP plenary session in Strasbourg and expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter of cooperation. “The addition of MEP Dostál and MEP Krištopans to our team in the European Parliament strengthens our voice there and marks the beginning of our presence in Czechia, where we previously had no member party or representative. We look forward to fruitful cooperation and we pray for wisdom and blessings over our five representatives as we continue advocating for Christian values in Europe.”