Statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations: membership, co-financing

The European Parliament adopted by 561 votes to 89, with 36 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal as follows:

Conditions for registration: it is specified that a political alliance could apply to be registered as a European political party provided that its member parties are not members of another European political party.

The European Parliament, acting on its own initiative or at the reasoned request of a group of citizens, could ask the Authority to verify compliance by a European political party or a specific European political foundation with the conditions and requirements for registration.

Respect for the values ​​of the Union: European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations shall respect, in particular in their programme and in their activities, the values on which the Union is founded, namely respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

Application for funding: to receive funding, a European political party shall include in its application evidence demonstrating that its EU member parties have, as a rule, published on their websites, in a clearly visible and user-friendly manner, throughout the 12 months preceding the final date for submission of applications, the political programme and logo of the European political party. The inclusion of information on gender balance in relation to each of the member parties of the European political party shall be encouraged.

Breakdown of appropriations: Members proposed that the respective appropriations available to those European political parties and European political foundations which have been awarded contributions or grants shall be distributed annually on the basis of the following distribution key:

• 10 % shall be distributed among the beneficiary European political parties in equal shares;
• 90 % shall be distributed among the beneficiary European political parties in proportion to their share of elected members of the European Parliament.

Sanctions: a European political party or European political foundation may be removed from the Register within a reasonable period where the party or foundation has provided false or incomplete information on the basis of which a decision has been made to register that party or foundation.

With a view to protecting the financial interests of the Union, the text would make it possible, in the event of an infringement, to recover the funds from the general budget of the European Union through the recovery of amounts unduly paid from natural persons responsible for the infringement in question, taking into account, where applicable, exceptional circumstances relating to those natural persons.

Transparency: Parliament shall publish an updated list of Members of the European Parliament who are members of a European political party.

Information from the European Public Prosecutor's Office: the obligation under Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 to inform the European Public Prosecutor's Office of any conduct that may constitute an offence falling within the remit of the European Public Prosecutor's Office shall also apply to Authority for European political parties and European political foundations.