In this chapter Andreas Khol recounts the origins, mission and legacy of the European Democrat Union (EDU), a political alliance founded in 1978 to bridge the divides between Christian Democrats, conservatives and other centre–right parties across Europe. Khol offers a detailed narrative of the EDU’s creation, driven by leaders such as Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher and Jacques Chirac in response to the dominance of socialist parties and the rising influence of Eurocommunism during the Cold War. He describes the EDU’s ambitious goals: to challenge the left in the European Parliament, support anti-Communist forces in Central and Eastern Europe, promote EU enlargement and foster international cooperation among ideologically aligned parties. The EDU operated alongside and, at times, in tension with the European People’s Party, eventually merging with it after the 1999 European elections. Through detailed accounts of its founding moments, internal dynamics and geopolitical engagement, Khol positions the EDU as a crucial—if under-recognised—stepping stone toward the European People’s Party’s current status as Europe’s leading political force.