BRUSSELS (Chatnewstv.com) — The Council of the European Union on Monday gave its final approval to a revised regulation governing the statute and funding of European political parties and foundations (EUPPFs). The new rules are designed to significantly enhance transparency and strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in the bloc’s political environment.
The legislative overhaul seeks to make the funding of pan-European political entities more visible to citizens and reinforce the EU’s capacity to counter the risks of manipulation from outside the Union.
“The revised regulation strengthens the transparency of the European political environment… and reinforces the EU’s capacity to prevent the risk of foreign interference,” the Council stated in a press release.
Key Measures Against Foreign Influence
The regulation introduces several new requirements aimed directly at limiting external influence:
Ban on Non-EU Contributions: European political parties and foundations are now prohibited from receiving membership fees or contributions from parties or organizations based outside the European Union. While cooperation with political partners beyond EU borders remains possible, the financial link is severed.
Compliance with EU Values: EUPPFs are required to submit a written declaration confirming their and their members’ compliance with fundamental EU values. A new declaration must be produced following any change in membership.
Limitations on ‘Associated Members’: The new rules limit the risk of foreign interference by applying restrictions to the newly created categories of ‘associated member parties’ and ‘associated member organisations,’ though the specific restrictions were not fully detailed in the release.
Sanctions Safeguard: New safeguards are introduced to ensure that members of EUPPFs are not under restrictive measures, such as EU sanctions.
Increased Transparency and Financial Stability
The revised regulation also includes measures to improve financial viability, transparency, and internal organization:
Harmonized Co-Financing: The co-financing rate required to obtain European subsidies has been lowered and harmonized to 5% for both European political parties and foundations, down from the previous rates, to improve their financial stability.
Self-Generated Income Caps: A new accounting category for “self-generated resources” (like conference fees) will be limited to 3% of the annual budget for parties and 5% for foundations, ensuring oversight of their revenue diversification.
Gender Balance: The regulation includes strong new measures focusing on gender balance within the parties.
Joint Activities Clarified: The new law specifies the type of activities that European political parties may organize jointly with their member parties to help form European political awareness. However, the existing prohibition for EUPPFs to finance national referendum campaigns remains in place.
The legislative act is expected to be published in the EU’s Official Journal in the coming days and will enter into force on the twentieth day after its publication.
