5.

Articles 6, 7 and 8 shall be replaced by the following: ‘Article 6 Obligations linked to funding 1. A political party at European level as well as a political foundation at European level shall: (a) publish its revenue and expenditure and a statement of its assets and liabilities annually; (b) declare its sources of funding by providing a list specifying the donors and the donations received from each donor, with the exception of donations not exceeding EUR 500 per year and per donor. 2. A political party at European level as well as a political foundation at European level shall not accept: (a) anonymous donations; (b) donations from the budgets of political groups in the European Parliament; (c) donations from any undertaking over which the public authorities may exercise directly or indirectly a dominant influence by virtue of their ownership of it, their financial participation therein, or the rules which govern it; (d) donations exceeding EUR 12 000 per year and per donor from any natural or legal person other than the undertakings referred to in point (c) and without prejudice to paragraphs 3 and 4; (e) donations from any public authority from a third country, including from any undertaking over which the public authorities may exercise directly or indirectly a dominant influence by virtue of their ownership of it, their financial participation therein, or the rules which govern it. 3. Contributions to a political party at European level from national political parties which are members of a political party at European level or from a natural person who is a member of a political party at European level shall be admissible. Contributions to a political party at European level from national political parties or from a natural person shall not exceed 40 % of the annual budget of that political party at European level. 4. Contributions to a political foundation at European level from national political foundations, which are members of a political foundation at European level, as well as from political parties at European level, shall be admissible. Those contributions shall not exceed 40 % of the annual budget of that political foundation at European level and may not derive from funds received by a political party at European level pursuant to this Regulation from the general budget of the European Union. The burden of proof shall rest with the political party at European level concerned. Article 7 Prohibition of funding 1. The funding of political parties at European level from the general budget of the European Union or from any other source may not be used for the direct or indirect funding of other political parties, and in particular national parties or candidates. These national political parties and candidates shall continue to be governed by national rules. 2. The funding of political foundations at European level from the general budget of the European Union or from any other source shall not be used for the direct or indirect funding of political parties or candidates either at European or national level or foundations at national level. Article 8 Nature of expenditure Without prejudice to the funding of political foundations, appropriations received from the general budget of the European Union in accordance with this Regulation may only be used to meet expenditure directly linked to the objectives set out in the political programme referred to in Article 4(2)(b). Such expenditure shall include administrative expenditure and expenditure linked to technical assistance, meetings, research, cross-border events, studies, information and publications. The expenditure of political parties at European level may also include financing campaigns conducted by the political parties at European level in the context of the elections to the European Parliament, in which they participate as required in Article 3(1)(d). In accordance with Article 7, these appropriations shall not be used for the direct or indirect funding of national political parties or candidates. Such expenditure shall not be used to finance referenda campaigns. However, in accordance with Article 8 of the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, the funding of and limitation of election expenses for all parties and candidates at European Parliament elections is governed in each Member State by national provision.’;