A report by MEP Marietta Giannakou on the proposal for a regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations was adopted today by the majority of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Regulation recognises the legal status of European political parties and their institutions under EU law. This means in practice that European political parties are governed by the provisions of this Regulation whichever Member State their headquarters are in, while national legislation will only apply to issues that are not specifically regulated by the new proposal.

Under the new rules:

- For a European political party to be recognised as such, it must respect the principles and values ​​of the European Union and fundamental rights. The criteria for recognition are, however, different from the criteria for funding.

- A political party should elect at least one MEP in order to receive funding.

- €18 000 is the maximum donation that can be received from natural or legal entities, but political parties and their political institutions will be able to transfer unused funds to the following year.

- The Regulation does not allow for any increase in the share of the EU budget distributed to European political parties. Thus, the rate of co-financing from the EU budget will remain unchanged at 85%.

- The European Parliament and an independent authority will be responsible for compliance with these rules and may impose penalties for the misuse of EU funds, e.g. in cases of non-compliance with reporting requirements and transparency or in cases of criminal conviction.

Apart from the practical changes, the Statute for European political parties has a political and symbolic role. It Increases the visibility, effectiveness and transparency of European political parties. Individuals can become members of European political parties directly and participate in European politics more actively. In short, the Regulation is a tool for increased democratic legitimacy and aims to bridge the gap between national and European political parties.

Rapporteur Marietta Giannakou said after the vote that: "The adoption of the Regulation is the result of a difficult and time-consuming negotiation process with the Commission and the Council, which lasted over one and a half years. It is a very useful legislative tool at European and national level. It represents a significant step forward in the organisation and functioning of European political parties. At the same time it stimulates citizens to get involved actively and directly."