Former EPP secretary general Antonio López-Istúriz White looks back in this chapter on his decade-long collaboration with Wilfried Martens and their shared effort to transform the EPP into Europe’s leading political force. He outlines key ambitions: securing the party’s political and financial independence, deepening its internal network as a true ‘party of parties’ and embedding a shared political culture rooted in Christian Democratic values. He recounts the introduction of the Spitzenkandidaten system, which boosted the EPP’s influence in EU leadership, culminating in Jean-Claude Juncker’s election as Commission president. He concludes by emphasising the need to preserve Martens's legacy to ensure the EPP’s continued dominance in European politics despite the shifting political landscape.