The President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, congratulated today Mart Laar for his re-election as the President of the Estonian EPP member-party Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL). At the successful Congress of more than 2 000 participants held yesterday in Tallinn, Mart Laar received vast support from the IRL delegates (90 per cent).

“I would like to warmly congratulate IRL for its successful Congress and my good friend Mart Laar for his re-election as IRL President. Under Mart Laar’s leadership, the IRL has proven to be a strong and reliable partner in the current centre-right government of Estonia and I am a convinced that the party will achieve even greater successes in the 2011 March elections,” underlined the EPP President.

Mart Laar and his party belong to the largest and most influential European political family – the European People’s Party - which currently includes 72 member-parties from 39 countries, 13 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government, the Presidents of the Council, Commission and Parliament, as well as the largest Group in the European Parliament.

For more information:

Kostas Sasmatzoglou, EPP Spokesman, Tel. +32-2-2854147

Javier Jiménez, EPP Press Officer, Tel: +32-47548044