In the first chapter, Jos J. A. M. van Gennip revisits the EPP’s 1992 Athens Programme, which was a foundational moment for the party’s modern identity. Against the backdrop of Christian Democracy’s perceived decline in post–Cold War Europe, the chapter recounts how internal tensions and external pressures were channeled into a unifying, values-driven project that combined Christian Democratic, conservative and liberal elements. Van Gennip narrates the strategic compromise that led to the Programme’s creation, highlighting its emphasis on human dignity; subsidiarity; solidarity; environmental responsibility; and a principled stance on migration, globalisation and economic inequality—many of which remain strikingly prescient. The chapter underlines how Athens laid the groundwork for a coherent, forward-looking vision of the European People’s Party, later reaffirmed in the Bucharest Platform. And it argues for a renewed engagement with these enduring values in turbulent times.