Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs
The statute and funding of European Political Parties and European Political Foundations
Opinion factsheet
På denna sida
- Constitutional and Institutional Affairs
- Principle of proportionality
Opinion number:
CDR-2244-2012
Status:
Antagna
Objective
Contribute to the shaping of the legislative proposal that bears the potential to raise the visibility of the European affiliation of its members at the local and regional level;
Reiterate the CoR's commitment to promoting EU citizenship;
Welcome the proposal as a means to facilitate transnational public debates across Europe and the emergence of a European public sphere. The proposal can also contribute to increasing citizens' interest and voter turnout in European elections and to reinforcing the democratic legitimacy of the European Union;
Ask for an involvement of the CoR in the procedure verifying that a European political party or foundation still observes the values on which the EU is founded. The CoR should be involved at least in those cases where the party in question is represented in the CoR.
Reiterate the CoR's commitment to promoting EU citizenship;
Welcome the proposal as a means to facilitate transnational public debates across Europe and the emergence of a European public sphere. The proposal can also contribute to increasing citizens' interest and voter turnout in European elections and to reinforcing the democratic legitimacy of the European Union;
Ask for an involvement of the CoR in the procedure verifying that a European political party or foundation still observes the values on which the EU is founded. The CoR should be involved at least in those cases where the party in question is represented in the CoR.
Impact
One of the opinions elaborated in the course of 2013 and seen in the context of the CoR contribution to the 2013 as the European Year of Citizens. Along with the other opinions elaborated as part of the same work-stream (see immediately above and below) this opinion succeeded in raising awareness about the role of local and regional authorities in safeguarding and strengthening the rights of EU citizens.
The opinion contains a few amendments that the CoR suggested tabling to the European Parliament AFCO committee's report voted on 15 April 2013. One of the compromise amendments adopted in AFCO is partly in line with the proposed CoR amendment which suggested that support from European political parties and European political foundations to campaigns relating to European citizens' initiatives shall not be affected by the prohibition on funding. The compromise reached in AFCO was to allow the use of funding in the case of European political parties "when the subject of the referendum in question is Union legislation, the functioning of a Union institution or the ratification of changes to treaties related to the European Union". The final European Parliament's report has not yet been voted by the plenary assembly.
The European Commission's follow-up report on the CoR opinions states:
In its resolution of 6 April 2011 (report by Ms Giannakou), Parliament considered that members sitting in regional parliaments or assemblies should be taken into account only if the Parliament or the assembly in question was endowed with legislative powers. The Commission did not wish to follow this limitative approach. It nevertheless considered it appropriate to clarify the definition of a "regional parliament" or a "regional assembly" based on Article 300 TFEU.
The opinion contains a few amendments that the CoR suggested tabling to the European Parliament AFCO committee's report voted on 15 April 2013. One of the compromise amendments adopted in AFCO is partly in line with the proposed CoR amendment which suggested that support from European political parties and European political foundations to campaigns relating to European citizens' initiatives shall not be affected by the prohibition on funding. The compromise reached in AFCO was to allow the use of funding in the case of European political parties "when the subject of the referendum in question is Union legislation, the functioning of a Union institution or the ratification of changes to treaties related to the European Union". The final European Parliament's report has not yet been voted by the plenary assembly.
The European Commission's follow-up report on the CoR opinions states:
In its resolution of 6 April 2011 (report by Ms Giannakou), Parliament considered that members sitting in regional parliaments or assemblies should be taken into account only if the Parliament or the assembly in question was endowed with legislative powers. The Commission did not wish to follow this limitative approach. It nevertheless considered it appropriate to clarify the definition of a "regional parliament" or a "regional assembly" based on Article 300 TFEU.
Essential points
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- is convinced that this proposal can help make it easier for debates to take place at European and transnational level, and can help European-level public opinion to emerge;
- agrees that obtaining European legal status should be subject to compliance with high standards of governance, accountability and transparency;
- supports the fact that representation at the level of regional parliaments is taken into account in the regulation alongside the European and national levels at the point when political parties and the foundations affiliated to them apply to the European Parliament for registration as European political parties or foundations;
- calls on the Council and the European Parliament to involve the CoR in this process of verifying compliance with the fundamental values of the EU;
- considers the proposed allocation of EU funding to be acceptable, but proposes that the distribution also take into account the number of representatives in the CoR;
- recommends that it should be allowed for European funds to be used for referendum campaigns or popular initiatives at European level.