(16 April 2014) – The creation of truly European political parties is set to come a step closer today, as the European Parliament approves a Commission proposal to increase the visibility, recognition, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of European political parties.
The vote follows 18 months of intense negotiations, and means European political parties and their affiliated foundations will finally get European-level legal status. This will remove the most important obstacles they face when operating in and across Member States.
In return, parties will have to meet high standards on internal governance, accountability, transparency, and respect for the values on which the Union is founded. All aspects of party funding will be subject to a comprehensive set of rules, including strict reporting and control requirements.
A regime of administrative sanctions will be introduced in case of infringements. European political parties would have to publish the names of donors contributing more than €3,000/year, while the annual limit on individual donations would rise from €12,000 to €18,000.