European political parties and European political foundations: statute and funding

2012/0237(COD)

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs adopted the report by Marietta GIANNAKOU (EPP, EL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations.

The committee recommends that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading, following the ordinary legislative procedure, should amend the Commission’s proposal as follows:

European political party: the definition is clarified to make sure that only parties which are legally correct, also with regard to their internal democratic order, can be taken into account for the registration conditions.

Recognition: the report proposes that only national or regional parties should be entitled to set up a European party. The possibility of recognition of regional elected representatives should therefore be retained for the purpose of forming parties but only in the case of regions with legislative powers notified as such to the European Parliament.

Registration: a political alliance, which observes the values on which the European Union is founded, as referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, shall be entitled to apply to register its statutes as a European political party with the European Parliament.

Whenever requested to do so by one quarter of its members, representing at least three political groups in the European Parliament, by the Commission or by the Council, the European Parliament shall decide whether a European political party or a European political foundation continues to respect the values on which the European Union is founded referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.

If the European Parliament finds that a European political party or a European political foundation has failed to respect the values on which the Union is founded, it may be censured or fined, or may be removed from the Registry.

Governance and democracy within the European political parties: Members are opposed to the Commission’s proposal which states that legal construction means that, before a "political alliance" can apply for being registered in order to obtain legal personality under Union-law. This was not the intention of the promoters of a statute for the European political parties as formulated by Parliament in its resolution of 6 April 2011. Parliament believes that authentic legal status for the European political parties and a legal personality of their own, based directly on the law of the European Union, will enable the European political parties and their foundations to act as representative agents of the European public interest.

The statutes of a European political party shall include rules on internal party democracy covering at least the following : (i) the democratic selection of the candidate supported by the party for the post of President of the European Commission or any other Union political office; (ii) the democratic standards to be met by affiliated member parties in the interest of internal party democracy at all political levels, in particular when lists of candidates are being drawn up; (iii) promotion of gender balance in its general assembly, in its governing bodies and in the composition of electoral lists.

The statutes of a European political foundation shall include the powers and democratic decision-making procedures of the foundation’s bodies and their composition.

Financing: Members state that European political parties and European political foundations may use any unused part of the EU contribution or grant awarded within the following two financial years after its award. Amounts unused following those two financial years shall be recovered in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

For the purposes of allocating the appropriations, a Member of the European Parliament may be considered as belonging to only one European political party, which shall, where relevant, be the party to which his or her national or regional party is affiliated on the final date for the submission of applications.

The definition of ‘donation’ is clarified. It shall mean a payment or benefit in kind (goods or services) constituting an economic or financial advantage for the European political party or European political foundation concerned, with the exception of contributions to the organisation of joint events. Membership of a European political party and participation in its political activities on a voluntary basis should not be considered as a payment or benefit in kind, but as an act of voluntary dedication.

Members consider that European political parties should be able to finance campaigns conducted in the context of referenda in one or several Member States which directly concern matters relating to the European Union. On the other hand, the funding of European political parties and European political foundations shall not be used to finance national, regional or local referenda campaigns in the context where the issues are do not concern EU- related matters.

Transparency: the European Parliament shall publish on an annual lists of all Members of the European Parliament, of national parliaments, and of regional parliaments or assemblies who are members of European political parties, along with their respective party affiliation.