The French Gaullists split from the Liberal Group on 21 January 1965[3] and created a new Group called the "European Democratic Union",[1][2] (not to be confused with the association of Conservative and Christian Democrat parties founded in 1978 called the "European Democrat Union" or "EDU", nor the Conservative Group called the "European Democratic Group" founded in 1979). The Group was renamed on 16 January 1973[3] to the "Group of European Progressive Democrats"[4] when the Gaullists were joined by the Irish Fianna Fáil.