European political parties to adopt fresh guidelines, as agreed upon by the EU
The European Parliament and Council have reached a preliminary agreement on changes to the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (EUPPFs). The revision aims to enhance transparency, bolster the funding framework, and counter the risks of foreign interference and manipulation.
Under the agreement, the risk of foreign interference will be limited by applying restrictions to newly created categories of 'associated member parties' and 'associated member organisations'. EUPPFs will be prohibited from accepting membership fees or contributions from parties or organisations outside the EU. However, the exact dates when these restrictions will enter into force are not specified in the available search results.
The regulation introduces an appropriate monitoring system for the new accounting category of 'self-generated resources' for EUPPFs, with a limit of 3% of their annual budget for European political parties and 5% for European political foundations.
To ensure transparency, EUPPFs will be required to submit a written declaration on their compliance and their members' compliance with EU values, with a new declaration to be produced following any change in membership. Most provisions are expected to start being applicable as of 1 January 2026.
The regulation also ensures strong measures on gender balance in parties and on candidate lists for European Parliament elections. It also introduces safeguards to ensure that members of EUPPFs parties are not under restrictive measures.
Several amendments have been introduced to strengthen the transparency of the European political environment. The prohibition for EUPPFs to finance national referendum campaigns remains in place. The regulation contributes to the formation of European political awareness.
The provisional deal needs formal endorsement by both the Parliament and Council to enter into force. The regulation does not repeat earlier facts about the co-financing rate for EUPPFs being aligned and set at 5% for both, the specification of the type of activities that European political parties may organize jointly with their member parties, and the introduction of safeguards to ensure that members of EUPPFs parties are not under restrictive measures.
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