The Europe-Zone conference of the Eritrean People's Democratic Party (EPPD), held in Frankfurt between 24 and 26 March 2017, urged the party leadership to take new initiatives that can help realize the creating of an effective umbrella of the forces struggling for democratic change in Eritrea. The conference also  called for working towards improving EPDP's relations with neighbhouring countries based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and advised the ruling authorities both in Eritrea and Ethiopia to be responsible enough to avoid any return to armed hostilities.

Organized and led by the EPDP Executive Committee,  the Europe-Zone conference discussed three papers entitled: 1. Democracy, rule of law and institutional work within the EPDP; 2. Principles and Policies of the Party with neighbouring countries and the Eritrean opposition camp; and 3. Party Renewal: what we want to do and can do.

Availed at the conference to make presentations and give clarification to queries on the pre-distributed conference papers were Mr. Menghesteab Asmerom, EPDP Chairman; Mr.  Woldeyesus Ammar, head of Foreign Relations; Mr. Rezene Tesfazion, head of Finance Office, and Mr. Medhanie Habtezghi, head of Youth Office.

Contents of the three papers were thoroughly discussed and enriched in the three-day conference. Finalized documents are expected to be shared with party members in all the five continents.

Conference participants gave unanimous vote of confidence to party leadership and urged all elements within this party in diaspora to respect without fail democratic principles and abide by party rules and regulations so that the common objective of brining positive change in Eritrea could be realized without further delay.

The urgency of effectively mobilizing the Eritrean youth and women to play their central roles in the current struggle was emphasized as part of the discussion in the conference on party renewal from now till the third party congress in mid-2019 and beyond.

The conference apparently renewed the existing steadfastness of party members. Some energized conference participants took the initiative of making extra contributions to the party by collecting over  5,000 at the spot, and promised to double and treble that amount through the possible contributions from the branch members they represented at the conference.

The EPDP Europe Conference on the third day, Sunday 26 March, met at a different venue and listed its recommendations for action, and closed discussions by issuing a final statement for the public.