Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations
Date: 2012-09-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: foundation, freedom of association, freedom of expression, legal status, party financing

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 12.9.2012  
COM(2012) 499 final 

2012/0237 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political 
foundations  

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

1.1. 

General context 

The Treaty on European Union states in its Article 10 that "political parties at European level 
contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of 
the  Union".  Article  12(2)  of  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  European  Union 
expresses the same principle. 

The right to freedom of association at all levels, for example in political and civic matters, and 
the right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to hold opinions and to receive 
and  impart  information  and  ideas  without  interference  by  public  authority  and  regardless  of 
frontiers, are fundamental rights of every citizen of the Union. 

It  is  therefore  in  the  interests  of  the  citizens  of  the  European  Union  that  a  European 
representative  democracy  can  flourish.  Truly  transnational  European  political  parties  and 
political foundations are key to articulating the voices of the citizens at European level. 

European political parties – and their affiliated political foundations – have an important role 
to  play  in  bridging  the  gap  between  national  and  EU  politics,  and  they  fulfil  important 
communicative  functions  by  supporting  the  interaction  between  all  levels  of  the  Union's 
multi-tier governance system. Greater and more effective involvement of European political 
parties  and  foundations  can  serve  to  promote  citizens'  understanding  of  the  connection 
between  the  political  processes  at  the  national  and  European  levels  and  is  one  way  of 
generating  transnational  public  debates  across  Europe  and  encouraging  the  emergence  of  a 
European public sphere. 

Furthermore, European political parties should be helped to develop their capacity to express 
and  channel  the  will  of  citizens  with  respect  to  elected  offices  and  other  representative 
functions at the European level which are crucial for European representative democracy as a 
whole;  they  should  therefore  be  encouraged,  in  the  context  of  elections  to  the  European 
Parliament,  to  raise  citizens'  awareness  of  the  affiliations  between  them  and  their  national 
political parties and candidates. This is particularly relevant following the entry into force of 
the  Lisbon  Treaty,  which  has  consolidated  the  role  of  the  European  Parliament  as  full  co-
legislator  alongside  the  Council.  It  is  also  an  important  contribution  to  increasing  citizens' 
interest and voter turnout in European elections and to reinforcing the democratic legitimacy 
of the European Union.  

1.2. 

Grounds for and objectives of the proposal 

Nine  years  after  the  entry  into  force  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003  on  the  regulations 
governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding1, and five 
years after its revision in 20072, which, inter alia, introduced affiliated political foundations at 
European  level  within  the  scope  of  the  Regulation,  the  Commission  has  conducted  a 

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OJ L 297, 15.11.2003, p. 1 
OJ L 343, 27.12.2007, p. 5. 

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comprehensive  assessment  of  the  current  financing  and  regulatory  framework  of  European 
political parties and foundations. 

It has done so following the adoption, on the one hand, of a report by the Secretary General of 
the European Parliament (EP) on party funding at European level3, and, on the other hand, of 
the  EP's  resolution  of  6  April  2011  on  the  application  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003 
(hereafter referred to as "the Giannakou report")4. 

The Giannakou report, which represents the EP's evaluation report pursuant to Article 12 of 
Regulation (EC) No 2004/20035, covers two main areas by: 

• 

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calling  on  the  Commission  to  propose  a  statute  for  European  political  parties  and 
political foundations, referring also to related issues of internal party democracy; and 

suggesting  a  number  of  changes  linked  to  the  funding  regime  applicable  to  the 
political  parties  and  their  affiliated  political  foundations,  requesting  stricter 
conditions for access to funding, on the one hand, and a more flexible system, on the 
other. 

As part of its assessment of the existing rules governing European-level political parties and 
political foundations, the Commission has taken due consideration of the conclusions reached 
by  the  EP  in  the  Giannakou  report.  It  shares  the  view  that  European  political  parties  and 
foundations have an important role to play to reinforce and foster representative democracy at 
EU level, and bridge the divide between EU politics and the Union's citizens. 

This proposal for a Regulation aims, therefore, to encourage and assist the European political 
parties and their affiliated political foundations by creating conditions that allow them to grow 
and pursue their endeavour to reach out to European citizens, to represent and express their 
views  and  opinions,  and  to  provide  a  stronger  link  between  European  civil  society  and  the 
European institutions, in particular the European Parliament. 

With  regard  to  political  foundations,  it  offers  a  specific  legal,  financial  and  regulatory 
framework adapted to their needs. This framework is separate from and different to the rules 
establishing  a  European  legal  form  for  European  Foundations  set  out  in  the  Commission 
proposal on the Statute for a European Foundation adopted on 8 February 20126. 

2. 

CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES 

In preparing the current proposal, the Commission has been in close dialogue and consultation 
with relevant stakeholders. It has held several meetings at various levels specifically on this 
proposal  with  representatives  of  the  political  parties  and  foundations  at  European  level,  the 

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Report  by  the  Secretary  General  on  party  funding  at  European  level  pursuant  to  Article  15  of  the 
Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament of 29 March 2004 laying down the procedures for 
implementing  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  the 
regulations  governing  political  parties  at  European  level  and  the  rules  regarding  their  funding  –  18 
October 2010. 
A7-0062/2011 
Article  12  reads:  "The  European  Parliament  shall  publish,  by  15  February  2011,  a  report  on  the 
application  of  the  Regulation  and  the  activities  funded.  The  report  shall  indicate,  where  appropriate, 
possible amendments to be made to the funding system". 
COM(2012) 35 final. 

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political  groups  in  the  EP,  national  and  academic  experts,  the  President  of  the  EP,  the  EP's 
Secretary General, and the rapporteur of the EP's evaluation report. 

All interested parties have provided important and regular input based on their experience and 
expertise  with  regard  to  the  current  rules  governing  the  political  parties  and  political 
foundations under both Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 and the Financial Regulation.7 

In particular, the European political parties and foundations were able to complement the EP's 
evaluation report by identifying the concrete difficulties they had faced over recent years and 
with  proposals  and  recommendations  for  where  improvements  could  be  achieved;  while 
national experts and academics have provided significant insight into rules pertaining to the 
status and funding of political parties at national level as well as into the likely impact on the 
Member States of the measures being considered by the Commission. 

3. 

LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

3.1. 

Legal basis  

The proposal is based on Article 224 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
which states that "the  European Parliament and the  Council, acting in accordance with the 
ordinary legislative procedure, shall lay down the regulations governing political parties at 
European level referred to in Article 10(4) of the Treaty on European Union and in particular 
the rules regarding their funding".  

This provision corresponds, in its essence, to the second subparagraph of Article 191 of the 
Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  on  which  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003  is 
based. 

3.2. 

Subsidiarity and proportionality 

The proposal fully complies with the principle of subsidiarity. The EU level is the only one 
at which rules governing the statute and funding of European political parties and European 
political  foundations  can  be  laid  down.  Although  the  existing  Regulation  governing  the 
political parties and foundations has proved to be a good platform for both entities to gain a 
foothold and establish themselves on the European political landscape, a reform of the current 
regulatory and funding systems is now needed to allow them to fully meet the challenges of 
today  (for  example  by  creating  European  actors  at  the  European  level,  or  by  allowing 
European political parties to carry over resources from one year to the next) and to adapt to 
the  challenges  of  the  future.  In  setting  out  possible  reform  measures,  the  Commission  has 
been  careful  to  reflect  the  principles  contained  in  Declaration  No  11  on  Article  191  of  the 
Treaty establishing the European Community annexed to the Final Act of the Treaty of Nice.8 

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Currently  Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  1605/2002  of  25  June  2002  on  the  Financial 
Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1). 
This text will be replaced by a new Financial Regulation, which should enter into force on 1 January 
2013. 
Declaration n° 11 of the Nice Treaty: "The Conference recalls that the provisions of Article 191 do not 
imply  any  transfer  of  powers  to  the  European  Community  and  do  not  affect  the  application  of  the 
relevant national constitutional rules. The funding for political parties at European level provided out of 
the budget of the European Communities may not be used to fund, either directly or indirectly, political 

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The  proposal  does  not  go  beyond  what  is  necessary  to  achieve  the  long-term  objective  of 
developing and strengthening European democracy and the legitimacy of the EU institutions, 
by  seeking  to  make  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations  more 
effective  and  accountable  democratic  actors.  It  therefore  complies  with  the  principle  of 
proportionality.  The  proposal  aims  to  create  a  new  European  legal  form  for  both  types  of 
entities, but they would in most aspects of their practical activities continue to operate on the 
basis of a  legal  form recognised in the legal order of the Member State in which  they  have 
their seat. 

The proposed action would tackle some of the most important obstacles the political parties 
and  political  foundations  encounter  in  their  day-to-day  activities  and  management  when 
operating in and across Member States, without, however, laying down an exhaustive set of 
rules applicable to them. For example, the proposal does not include any provisions on labour 
law or taxation (with the exception of rules related to the non-discrimination of cross-border 
donors  and  donations,  where  there  is  a  clear  European-level  dimension).  Except  where 
explicitly provided for, the European political parties and the European political foundations 
would continue to be governed by national laws. 

4. 

MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

The Commission proposes a package of complementary proposals to improve the funding and 
regulatory frameworks of the political parties and political foundations at European level: one 
proposal, the present one, intends to replace the current Regulation (EC) No 2003/2004, while 
a second, parallel proposal seeks to amend the Financial Regulation. 

In  the  present  proposal  for  a  Regulation  on  the  statute  and  funding  of  European  political 
parties  and  European  political  foundations,  the  Commission  is  proposing  a  series  of 
improvements  to  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003. Their  overarching  objective  is  to  increase 
the visibility, recognition, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of European political 
parties and foundations. 

This  proposal  introduces  a  European  legal  statute.  The  European  statute  provides  for  the 
possibility to register as a European political party or a European political foundation and thus 
obtain a legal status based on EU law. 

This  new  European  legal  personality,  which  will  succeed  any  pre-existing  national  legal 
personality, will provide the European political parties with the recognition they require, and 
help  them  to  tackle  some  of  the  long-standing  obstacles  they  have  faced.  These  include  the 
diversity of national legal forms under which they have until now existed, which are generally 
ill-suited to the very specific tasks and objectives of European-level political parties, and the 
lack of public visibility and recognition that stem from this. A uniform legal status based on 
EU law is therefore crucial, and it will enable them to better accomplish the specific mission 
attributed to them by the Treaties. 

The  similar  European  legal  statute  for  affiliated  political  foundations  represents  clear 
recognition of the crucial role they have in underpinning and complementing the activities of 
the  European  political  parties,  in  particular  by  contributing  to  debates  on  European  public 

parties  at  national  level.  The  provisions  on  the  funding  for  political  parties  shall  apply,  on  the  same 
basis, to all the political forces represented in the European Parliament." 

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policy issues and European integration and by bringing together actors from different spheres 
and different levels from across the European Union. 

Obtaining  a  European  legal  status  will  be  conditioned  on  respecting  high  standards  of 
governance,  accountability  and  transparency.  The  specific  conditions  and  requirements  for 
obtaining  a  European  legal  status  include  strict  respect  for  the  values  on  which  the  EU  is 
founded,  and,  in  the  case  of  political  parties,  satisfying  minimum  rules  on  internal  party 
democracy. 

Although it will be possible to register statutes as a European political party or as a European 
political foundation but not apply for EU funding, the opposite is not true. This means that 
recognition as a European political party or as a European political foundation, and therefore 
satisfying  the  conditions  and  requirements  on  which  this  is  dependent,  would  be  a  pre-
condition for eligibility for funding from the EU budget. 

It  is  crucial  to  ensure  that  the  conditions  to  become  a  European  political  party  are  not 
excessive but can be readily met by organised and serious transnational alliances of political 
parties and/or natural persons, thereby encouraging and supporting also the emergence of new 
European political parties. On the other hand, it is also necessary to establish objective criteria 
in order to allocate limited resources from the EU budget, and which should reflect the true 
European ambition of a European political party as well as genuine electoral support. Such a 
criterion  is  best  sought  in  the  outcome  of  elections  to  the  European  Parliament,  which  can 
provide  a  precise  indication  of  the  electoral  recognition  of  a  European  political  party,  and 
identifies those parties that are in a position to fully participate in the democratic life of the 
EU  and  therefore  to  express  the  political  will  of  the  Union's  citizens  at  the  highest  level. 
Therefore, as requested by the European Parliament in its resolution of 6 April 2011, and as 
recognition  of  the  role  the  European  Parliament  has  of  directly  representing  the  Union's 
citizens, assigned to it by Article 10(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the Commission is 
proposing that only those political parties – and, by extension, affiliated political foundations 
– that are represented in the European Parliament by at least one of their members should be 
entitled to receive EU funding.  

The  Commission  is  moreover  proposing  important  changes  to  the  mode  of  EU  funding  for 
European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations.  The  proposed  amendment  of 
the  Financial  Regulation  foresees  the  creation  of  a  separate  Title  for  the  European  political 
parties,  which  would  no  longer  receive  operating  grants  but  sui  generis  contributions.  The 
present  proposal,  together  with  the  proposed  revision  of  the  Financial  Regulation,  will 
introduce a degree of necessary flexibility with respect to the working methods and activities 
of  the  political  parties  and  political  foundations,  in  particular  by,  inter  alia,  raising  the  pre-
financing  levels,  reducing  the  co-financing  requirements,  and  allowing  the  building  up  of 
reserves  from  own  resources.  In  addition,  the  present  proposal  raises  the  level  of  donations 
permitted per year and per donor to foster the ability of the political parties and foundations to 
generate own resources. 

In  order  to  counterbalance  the  increased  flexibility,  a  comprehensive  and  transparent 
regulatory  and  control  framework  is  established,  encompassing  all  aspects  linked  to  the 
activities and financing of European political parties and their affiliated political foundations, 
covering  all  of  their  financial  operations,  irrespective  of  the  source  of  funding.  This 
framework  reinforces  reporting  and  transparency  obligations,  it  strengthens  the  accounting 
and control mechanisms, and it introduces a new regime of proportionate administrative and 

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financial sanctions for breaches of the conditions of the Regulation, including breaches of the 
values on which the EU is founded. 

5. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION 

The  EU  funding  provided  to  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations 
will continue to come from the budget of the European Parliament. The present proposal has 
no significant additional implications for the EU budget. 

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2012/0237 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political 
foundations  

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Article 224 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee9, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions10, 

After consulting the European Court of Auditors11, 

After consulting the European Data Protection Supervisor12,  

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

Article  10(4)  of  the  Treaty  on  European  Union  and  Article  12(2)  of  the  Charter  of 
Fundamental  Rights  of  the  European  Union  state  that  political  parties  at  European 
level  contribute  to  forming  European  political  awareness  and  to  expressing  the 
political will of citizens of the Union. 

Articles 11 and 12 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union state 
that the right to freedom of association at all levels, for example in political and civic 
matters,  and  the  right  to  freedom  of  expression,  which  includes  the  freedom  to  hold 
opinions  and  to  receive  and  impart  information  and  ideas  without  interference  by 
public authority and regardless of frontiers, are fundamental rights of every citizen of 
the Union. 

(3) 

European  citizens  should  be  enabled  to  use  these  rights  to  participate  fully  in  the 
democratic life of the Union. 

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OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

Truly  transnational  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European  political 
foundations have a key role to play in articulating the voices of citizens at European 
level by bridging the gap between politics at national and Union level. 

European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations should be 
encouraged and assisted in their endeavour to provide a strong link between European 
civil society and the European institutions, in particular the European Parliament. 

Experiences  acquired  by  the  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European 
political  foundations  in  applying  Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  4  November  2003  on  the  regulations  governing 
political  parties  at  European  level  and  the  rules  regarding  their  funding13,  and  the 
legislative resolution on the application of Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003, adopted by 
the  European  Parliament  on  6  April  201114,  show  the  necessity  to  improve  the  legal 
and  financial  framework  for  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European 
political foundations to enable them to become more visible and effective actors in the 
multi-level political system of the Union. 

As a recognition  of the  mission attributed  to European political  parties  in  the  Treaty 
and  in  order  to  facilitate  their  work,  a  specific  European  legal  status  should  be 
established  for  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European  political 
foundations, providing them with full legal capacity and recognition in all the Member 
States. 

The  procedures  to  be  followed  by  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated 
European  political  foundations  to  obtain  a  European  legal  status  pursuant  to  this 
Regulation should be laid down, as should the procedures and criteria to be respected 
in  arriving  at  a  decision  on  whether  to  grant  such  a  European  legal  status.  It  is  also 
necessary to lay down the procedures for cases where a European political party or a 
European political foundation may forfeit, lose or give up its European legal status. 

The  European  political  parties  and  the  European  political  foundations  should  be 
governed by the substantive rules set out in this Regulation, and by national law in the 
Member States, in particular that of the Member State where they have their respective 
seat  and  for  the  purposes  of  which  they  should  identify  the  appropriate  legal  form, 
which must correspond to a form of legal entity recognised in the legal order of that 
Member State. 

(10)  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European  political  foundations,  which 
wish  to  obtain  recognition  as  such  at  the  European  level  through  a  European  legal 
status and to receive public funding from the general budget of the European Union, 
should  respect  certain  principles  and  fulfil  certain  conditions.  In  particular,  it  is 
necessary  for  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European  political 
foundations to respect the values on which the European Union is founded, as set out 
in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights 
of the European Union. 

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OJ L 297, 15.11.2003, p. 1. 
OJ C , , p. .  

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(11)  Principles and minimum requirements for the governance and internal organisation of 
European political parties should be laid down, in particular to ensure a commitment 
to  and  respect  for  high  standards  of  internal  party  democracy.  The  statutes  of  a 
European political party or a European political foundation should also contain a series 
of basic administrative and legal provisions. 

(12)  Eligibility  for  funding  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union  should  be 
limited to European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations 
that  have  been  recognised  as  such  and  obtained  a  European  legal  status.  While  it  is 
crucial  to  ensure  that  the  conditions  to  become  a  European  political  party  are  not 
excessive  but  can  be  readily  met  by  organised  and  serious  transnational  alliances  of 
political  parties  or  natural  persons  or  both,  it  is  also  necessary  to  establish 
proportionate crtieria in order to allocate limited resources from the EU budget, which 
objectively  demonstrate  the  European  ambition  and  genuine  electoral  support  of  a 
European political party. Such a criterion is best based on the outcome of elections to 
the  European  Parliament,  in  which  the  European  political  parties  are  required  to 
participate  under  this  Regulation,  providing  a  precise  indication  of  the  electoral 
recognition  of  a  European  political  party.  It  should  reflect  the  role  the  European 
Parliament  has  of  directly  representing the Union's citizens, assigned to it by  Article 
10(2) of the Treaty on European Union, as well as the objective for European political 
parties  to  participate  fully  in  the  democratic  life  of  the  Union  and  to  become  active 
actors of Europe's representative democracy, in order to effectively express the views, 
opinions and political will of the citizens of the Union. Eligibility for funding from the 
general  budget  of  the  European  Union  should  therefore  be  limited  to  European 
political  parties  which  are  represented  in  the  European  Parliament  by  at  least  one  of 
their members and to European political foundations which apply through a European 
political  party  that  is  represented  in  the  European  Parliament  by  at  least  one  of  its 
members. 

(13)  To increase the transparency of European political party funding, and in order to avoid 
potential abuse of the funding rules, a Member of the European Parliament should, for 
the  purposes  of  funding  only,  be  considered  as  a  member  of  only  one  European 
political party, which should, where relevant, be the one to which his or her national or 
regional political party is affiliated on the final date for the submission of applications. 

(14)  The  procedures  to  be  followed  by  European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated 
European political foundations when they apply for funding from the general budget 
of  the  European  Union  should  be  laid  down,  as  well  as  the  procedures,  criteria  and 
rules to be respected in arriving at a decision on granting such funding. 

(15) 

In order to encourage a European political culture of independence, accountability and 
responsibility,  certain  types  of  donations  and  contributions  to  European  political 
parties and European political foundations from sources other than the budget of the 
European  Union  should  be  prohibited  or  subject  to  limitations  and  reinforced 
transparency requirements. 

(16)  Many  Member  States  grant  beneficial  tax  treatment  to  donations  made  to  domestic 
political parties and political foundations both for the beneficiary and for the donors. 
Given the need to encourage the development of own resources of European political 
parties  and  European  political  foundations,  it  is  important  that  this  beneficial  tax 

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treatment  is  also  automatically  available  to  European  political  parties,  European 
political foundations and their donors, for donations made within or across borders. 

(17)  European  political  parties  should  be  able  to  finance  campaigns  conducted  in  the 
context  of  elections  to  the  European  Parliament,  while  the  funding  and  limitation  of 
election expenses for parties and candidates at such elections should be governed by 
the rules applicable in each Member State. In order to help raise the European political 
awareness of citizens of the Union and to promote the transparency of the European 
electoral  process,  European  political  parties  should  be  encouraged  to  inform  citizens 
during  elections  to  the  European  Parliament  of  the  ties  between  them  and  their 
affiliated national political parties and candidates. 

(18)  European political parties should not fund, directly or indirectly, other political parties 
and in particular national parties or candidates. European political foundations should 
not  fund,  directly  or  indirectly,  European  or  national  political  parties  or  candidates. 
Moreover,  European  political  parties  and 
their  affiliated  European  political 
foundations should not finance national referenda campaigns. These principles reflect 
Declaration No 11 on Article 191 of the Treaty establishing the European Community 
annexed to the Final Act of the Treaty of Nice. 

(19)  For reasons of transparency, and in order to strengthen the scrutiny and the democratic 
accountability  of  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations, 
information  considered  to  be  of  substantial  public  interest,  related  notably  to  their 
statutes, membership, financial statements, donors and donations, [contributions] and 
grants  received  from  the  budget  of  the  Union,  as  well  as  information  related  to 
decisions  taken  by  the  European  Parliament  on  registration,  funding  and  penalties, 
should  be  published.  Establishing  a  regulatory  framework  to  ensure  that  this 
information  is  publicly  available  is  the  most  effective  means  of  promoting  a  level 
playing  field  and  fair  competition  between  political  forces,  and  of  upholding  open, 
transparent  and  democratic  legislative  and  electoral  processes,  thereby  strengthening 
the  trust  of  citizens  and  voters  in  European  representative  democracy,  and,  more 
broadly, preventing corruption and abuses of power. In compliance with the principle 
of proportionality, the obligation to publish the identity of natural persons should not 
apply to those members of a European political party who have not given their express 
consent for publication or to donations equal to or below EUR 1 000 per year and per 
donor.  Also  in  compliance  with  the  principle  of  proportionality,  information  on 
donations  should  be  published  annually,  except  during  election  campaigns  to  the 
European  Parliament  or  for  donations  exceeding  EUR  12  000  where  publication 
should take place expeditiously.  

(20)  This Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles enshrined 
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 7 
and 8 thereof which state that everyone has the right to respect for his or her private 
life  and  to  the  protection  of  personal  data  concerning  him  or  her,  and  it  must  be 
implemented in full respect of these rights and principles.  

(21)  Regulation  (EC)  No  45/2001  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18 
December  2000  on  the  protection  of  individuals  with  regard  to  the  processing  of 
personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of 

EN 

11 

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such  data15  applies  to  the  processing  of  personal  data  carried  out  by  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  committee  of  independent  eminent  persons  in  application  of  this 
Regulation. 

(22)  Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 
on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on 
the free movement of such data16 applies to the processing of personal data carried out 
in application of this Regulation. 

(23)  For the sake of legal certainty, it is appropriate to clarify that the European Parliament, 
the  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations,  the  national 
authorities  competent  for  exercising  control  over  aspects  related  to  the  financing  of 
European political parties and European political foundations, and other relevant third 
parties referred to or provided for in this Regulation are the data controllers within the 
meaning of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 or Directive 95/46/EC. It is also necessary to 
specify the maximum period for which they may retain the personal data collected for 
the  purposes  of  ensuring  the  legality,  regularity  and  transparency  of  the  funding  of 
European political parties and European political foundations and the membership of 
European  political  parties.  In  their  capacity  as  data  controllers,  the  European 
Parliament,  the  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations,  the 
competent  national  authorities  and  the  relevant  third  parties  need  to  take  all  the 
appropriate measures to comply with the obligations imposed by Regulation (EC) No 
45/2001 and  Directive  95/46/EC, in particular those relating to the lawfulness  of the 
processing, the security of the processing activities, the provision of information and 
the rights of data subjects to have access to their personal data, as well as to procure 
the correction and erasure of their personal data. 

(24)  The provisions of Chapter III of Directive 95/46/EC on judicial remedies, liability and 
sanctions  apply  as  regards  the  data  processing  carried  out  in  application  of  this 
Regulation.  The  competent  national  authorities  or  relevant  third  parties  should  be 
liable  in accordance  with  applicable national law for any damage that they cause. In 
addition,  Member  States  should  ensure  that  the  competent  national  authorities  or 
relevant  third  parties  are  subject  to  appropriate  penalties  for  infringements  of  this 
Regulation. 

(25)  Specific  rules  and  procedures  shall  be  laid  down  for  distributing  the  appropriations 
available  each  year  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union,  taking  into 
account, on the one hand, the number of beneficiaries and, on the other, the share of 
elected  members  in  the  European  Parliament  of  each  beneficiary  European  political 
party and, by extension, its respective affiliated European political foundation. These 
rules shall provide for strict transparency, accounting, auditing and financial control of 
European  political  parties  and  their  affiliated  European  political  foundations,  and 
auditing provisions by the European Parliament and the Court of Auditors as well as 
proportionate  sanctions,  including  in  the  event  of  a  breach  by  a  European  political 
party or a European political foundation of the values on which the Union is founded. 

(26)  The European Parliament should verify regularly that the conditions and requirements 
related  to  the  registration  and  funding  of  European  political  parties  or  European 

15 
16 

OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1. 
OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31. 

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political  foundations  continue  to  be  met.  This  verification  should  be  carried  out 
annually,  or  following  a  motivated  request  by  any  natural  or  legal  person.  Decisions 
related to respect for the values on which the Union is founded should only be taken in 
accordance  with  a  procedure  specifically  designed  to  this  effect,  and  in  consultation 
with a committee of independent eminent persons. 

(27)  Technical assistance to be afforded by the European Parliament to European political 
parties  should  be  guided  by  the  principle  of  equal  treatment,  should  be  supplied 
against invoice and payment and shall be subject to a regular public report. 

(28)  The application of key aspects of this Regulation should be presented on a dedicated 
website and examined in an annual report from the European Parliament which should 
be published. 

(29)  The  judicial  control  which  falls  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Court  of  Justice  of  the 
European  Union  will  help  to  ensure  the  correct  application  of  this  Regulation. 
Provisions should also be made for administrative appeal procedures. 

(30)  Given  the  need  for  significant  changes  and  additions  to  the  rules  and  procedures 
currently applicable to European political parties and European political foundations, 
Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 should be repealed, 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

CHAPTER I 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Article 1 
Subject matter 

This  Regulation  lays  down  the  conditions  governing  the  statute  and  funding  of  political 
parties at European level (hereinafter referred to as "European political parties") and political 
foundations at European level (hereinafter referred to as "European political foundations"). 

For the purposes of this Regulation: 

Article 2 
Definitions 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

‘political party’ means an association of citizens which pursues political objectives, 

‘political  alliance’  means  structured  cooperation  between  political  parties  and/or 
natural persons from different Member States, 

‘European  political  party’  means  a  ‘political  alliance’  which  pursues  political 
objectives  and  is  registered  with  the  European  Parliament  in  accordance  with  the 
conditions and procedures laid down in this Regulation, 

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(4) 

‘European  political  foundation’  means  an  entity  which  is  formally  affiliated  with  a 
European political party, has its statutes registered with the European Parliament in 
accordance  with  the  conditions  and  procedures  laid  down  in  this  Regulation,  and 
which through its activities, within the aims and fundamental values pursued by the 
European Union, underpins and complements the objectives of the European political 
party by performing one or several of the following tasks: 

(a)  observing, analysing and contributing to the debate on European public policy 

issues and on the process of European integration, 

(b)  developing  activities  linked  to  European  public  policy  issues,  such  as 
organising and supporting seminars, training, conferences and studies on such 
issues  between  relevant  stakeholders,  including  youth  organisations  and  other 
representatives of civil society, 

(c)  developing  cooperation  in  order  to  promote  democracy,  including  in  third 

countries, 

(d) 

serving as a framework for national political foundations, academics, and other 
relevant actors to work together at European level, 

‘regional  Parliament’  or  ‘regional  assembly’  means  a  body  whose  members  either 
hold  a  regional  electoral  mandate  or  are  politically  accountable  to  an  elected 
assembly,  

‘funding from the general budget of the European Union’ means a grant awarded in 
accordance with Title IV of Part One of  Council  Regulation  (EC,  EURATOM)  No 
1605/2002  of  25  June  2002  on  the  Financial  Regulation  applicable  to  the  general 
budget of the European Communities17 (hereinafter ‘the Financial Regulation’) or a 
[contribution] awarded in accordance with […]18, 

‘donation’ means cash offerings and other donations in kind (goods or services) that 
constitute  an  economic  advantage  for  the  European  political  party  or  the  European 
political foundation concerned. 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

17 

18 

OJ  L  248,  16.9.2002,  p.  1.  Reference  to  be  updated  once  the  new  Financial  Regulation  has  been 
formally adopted and published. 
At  the  date  of  adoption  of  the  present  proposal,  the  College  will  also  adopt  a  Commission  working 
document on a proposal to amend the Financial Regulation introducing a new Title on the financing of 
European political parties by means of contributions. The introduction of 'contributions' for European 
political parties will be confirmed after the latter proposal has been adopted by the co-legislators. 

EN 

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CHAPTER II 
STATUTE FOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND EUROPEAN POLITICAL 
FOUNDATIONS  

Article 3 
Conditions for registration 

1. 

A  political  alliance,  as  defined  in  Article  2  point  (2),  shall  be  entitled  to  apply  to 
register  its  statutes  as  a  European  political  party  with  the  European  Parliament 
subject to the following conditions: 

(a) 

it must have its seat in a Member State, 

(b) 

it  must  be  represented,  in  at  least  one  quarter  of  the  Member  States,  by 
Members  of  the  European  Parliament  or  in  the  national  Parliaments,  regional 
Parliaments or regional assemblies, or 

it  must  have  received,  in  at  least  one  quarter  of  the  Member  States,  at  least 
three  per  cent  of  the  votes  cast  in  each  of  those  Member  States  at  the  most 
recent elections to the European Parliament, 

(c) 

it must observe, in particular in its programme and in its activities, and through 
those  of  its  members,  the  values  on  which  the  European  Union  is  founded, 
namely  respect  for  human  dignity,  freedom,  democracy,  equality,  the  rule  of 
law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to 
minorities, 

(d) 

it  must  have  participated  in  elections  to  the  European  Parliament,  or  have 
expressed  publicly  the  intention  to  participate  in  the  next  elections  to  the 
European Parliament, 

(e) 

it must not pursue profit goals. 

2. 

A political foundation shall be entitled to apply to register its statutes as a European 
political  foundation  with  the  European  Parliament  subject  to  the  following 
conditions: 

(a) 

it must be affiliated  with  a European political party  recognised in accordance 
with the conditions and procedures laid down in this Regulation, as certified by 
the registered statutes of that party, 

(b) 

it must have its seat in a Member State, 

(c) 

it must observe, in particular in its programme and in its activities, the values 
on  which  the  European  Union  is  founded,  namely  respect  for  human  dignity, 
freedom,  democracy,  equality,  the  rule  of  law  and  respect  for  human  rights, 
including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, 

(d) 

its  objectives  must  complement  the  objectives  of  the  European  political  party 
with which it is formally affiliated, 

EN 

15 

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(e) 

its governing body must be composed of members from at least one quarter of 
the Member States, 

(f) 

it must not pursue profit goals. 

3. 

A European political party can have only one formally affiliated European political 
foundation.  The  formal  relationship  between  a  European  political  party  and  its 
affiliated  European  political  foundation  must  be  stated  in  the  statutes  of  both,  in 
accordance  with  Articles  4(1)  and  5.  Each  European  political  party  and  affiliated 
European  political  foundation  must  ensure  a  separation  between  the  daily 
management  and  governing  structures  and  the  financial  accounts  of  the  European 
political party, on the one hand, and of its European political foundation, on the other 
hand. 

Article 4 
Governance and internal democracy of European political parties 

1. 

The  statutes  of  a  European  political  party  shall  include  administrative  and  legal 
provisions covering at least the following: 

(a) 

the name of the party, which must be clearly distinguishable, also in its short 
form, from that of any existing European political party, 

(b) 

the address of its seat, which must be in one of the Member States, 

(c) 

(d) 

the legal form of the party, as recognised in the legal order of the Member State 
in which it has its seat, 

a  written  political  programme  setting  out  the  purpose  and  objectives  of  the 
party, 

(e) 

its adherence to the no-profit principle, without prejudice to Article 12(4), 

(f) 

(g) 

the name of its affiliated political foundation, where relevant, and a description 
of the formal relationship between them, 

information  on  the  party's  representation  with  respect  to  all  acts  of  daily 
management, including legal representation, 

(h) 

the administration and financial management of the party, 

(i) 

the bodies or natural persons holding, in each of the Member States concerned, 
the  power  of  legal  representation,  in  particular  for  the  purposes  of  the 
acquisition  or  disposal  of  movable  and  immovable  property  and  of  being  a 
party to legal proceedings, 

(j) 

the dissolution of the entity as a recognised European political party. 

2. 

The  statutes  of  a  European  political  party  shall  include  rules  on  internal  party 
democracy covering at least the following: 

EN 

16 

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(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

the admission, resignation and exclusion of the party's members, with the list of 
members annexed to it, 

the  rights  and  duties  associated  with  all  types  of  membership,  including  the 
rules guaranteeing the representation rights of all members, be they natural or 
legal persons, and the relevant voting rights, 

the  functioning  of  a  general  assembly,  at  which  the  representation  of  all 
members must be ensured, 

the  democratic  election  of  and  democratic  decision-making  processes  for  all 
other  governing  bodies,  specifying  for  each  its  powers,  responsibilities  and 
composition, and including the modalities for the appointment and dismissal of 
its  members  and  clear  and  transparent  criteria  for  the  selection  of  candidates 
and the election of office-holders, whose mandate must be limited in time but 
may be renewable, 

the  party's  internal  decision-making  processes,  in  particular  the  voting 
procedures and quorum requirements, 

its  approach  to  transparency,  notably  on  books,  accounts  and  donations, 
privacy and the protection of personal data,  

(g) 

the procedure for amending the statutes. 

Article 5 
Governance of European political foundations 

The statutes of a European political foundation shall include provisions covering at least the 
following: 

(a) 

the name of the foundation, which must be clearly distinguishable, also in its 
short form, from that of any existing European political foundation, 

(b) 

the address of its seat, which must be in one of the Member States, 

(c) 

(d) 

the  legal  form  of  the  foundation,  as  recognised  in  the  legal  order  of  the 
Member State in which it has its seat, 

a  description  of  the  purpose  and  objectives  of  the  foundation,  which  must  be 
compatible with the tasks listed in Article 2 point (4), 

(e) 

its adherence to the no-profit principle,  

(f) 

(g) 

the name of the European political party with which it is directly affiliated, and 
a description of the formal relationship between them, 

a list of the foundation's bodies, specifying for each its powers, responsibilities 
and  composition,  and  including  the  modalities  for  the  appointment  and 
dismissal of its members and managers, 

(h) 

the administration and financial management of the foundation, 

EN 

17 

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(i) 

the bodies or natural persons holding, in each of the Member States concerned, 
the  power  of  legal  representation,  in  particular  for  the  purposes  of  the 
acquisition  or  disposal  of  movable  and  immovable  property  and  of  being  a 
party to legal proceedings, 

(j) 

the procedure for amending the statutes, 

(k) 

the dissolution of the entity as a recognised European political foundation. 

Article 6 
Registration 

1. 

2. 

The  European  Parliament  shall  establish  a  registry  (hereinafter  referred  to  as  'the 
Registry')  for  the  purposes  of  the  registration  of  a  European  political  party  and  a 
European political foundation. 

In order to register its statutes, the political alliance, as defined in Article 2 point (2), 
or  the  political  foundation  affiliated  with  a  European  political  party  shall  file  an 
application with the European Parliament. 

3. 

The application shall be accompanied by: 

(a)  documents  proving  that  the  applicant  satisfies  the  conditions  laid  down  in 

Article 3, 

(b) 

the party or foundation statutes, which shall include, as required by Articles 4 
and  5,  the  written  political  programme  of  the  party  or  a  description  of  the 
purpose  and  objectives  of  the  foundation  as  well  as  the  respective  rules  and 
provisions on governance and internal party democracy. 

A  political  foundation  may  register  its  statutes  with  the  Registry  only  through  the 
European political party with which it is affiliated. 

Within  three  months  following  the  reception  of  the  application  for  registration,  the 
European  Parliament  shall  adopt  a  decision,  which  it  shall  publish  in  the  Official 
Journal  of  the  European  Union,  together  with  the  party  or  foundation  statutes  or, 
where an application has not been approved, the grounds for rejection. 

Any amendments to the documents or statutes submitted as part of the application for 
registration  in  accordance  with  paragraph  3  shall  be  notified  to  the  European 
Parliament within four weeks. 

The  updated  list  of  members  of  a  European  political  party,  annexed  to  the  party 
statutes in accordance with Article 4(2), shall be sent to the European Parliament on 
a yearly basis, but within four weeks of any changes following which the European 
political party may no longer satisfy the requirement in Article 3(1)(b). 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

EN 

18 

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1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Article 7 
Verification of registration 

The European Parliament shall verify annually that the conditions and requirements 
set out in Articles 3, 4 and 5 continue to be met by the European political parties and 
the European political foundations. 

Where  relevant,  the  timing  of  the  annual  verification  referred  to  in  this  paragraph 
shall be aligned with the application procedure for funding set out in Article 13, in 
order  for  the  Registry  and  the  Authorising  Officer  to  coordinate  and  exchange 
information as necessary. 

Whenever  requested  to  do  so  by  one  quarter  of  its  members,  representing  at  least 
three  political  groups  in  the  European  Parliament,  the  European  Parliament  shall 
decide  by  a  majority  of  its  members  whether  the  condition  in  Article  3(1)(c)  for  a 
European  political  party  and  in  Article  3(2)(c)  for  a  European  political  foundation 
continues to be met. 

Before reaching its decision, the European Parliament shall hear the representatives 
of the European political party or European political foundation concerned and ask a 
committee of independent eminent persons to give an opinion on the subject within a 
reasonable time period. 

This  committee  shall  consist  of  three  members,  with  the  European  Parliament,  the 
Council  and  the  Commission  each  appointing  one  member  within  six  months  after 
the  end  of  the  first  session  of  the  European  Parliament  following  elections  to  the 
European Parliament. The secretariat and funding of the committee shall be provided 
by the European Parliament. 

Any natural or legal person may, at any moment, introduce a motivated request to the 
European Parliament to verify that one or more of the conditions and requirements 
referred to in paragraph 1 continue to be met. A breach of the values on which the 
Union  is  founded  by  a  European  political  party,  including  its  members,  or  a 
European political foundation can only be established in accordance with paragraph 
2.  

If the European Parliament finds that any of the conditions or requirements referred 
to in paragraph 1 are no longer satisfied, the provisions provided for in Article 11 or 
in Article 22 or in both shall apply, having due regard to the provisions of Article 23. 

A European political foundation shall automatically forfeit its status if the European 
political  party  with  which  it  is  affiliated  is  removed  from  the  Registry.  The 
Authorising  Officer  responsible  shall  reduce  the  amount  of  or  terminate  the 
contribution  or  grant  agreement  or  decision  on  Union  funding  received  under  this 
Regulation,  and  recover  amounts  unduly  paid  under  the  contribution  or  grant 
agreement  or  decision  as  well  as  any  unspent  Union  funding  at  the  date  of  the 
decision adopted on the basis of Article 11. 

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CHAPTER III 
LEGAL STATUS OF EUROPEAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND EUROPEAN POLITICAL 
FOUNDATIONS  

Article 8 
Legal personality 

The  European  political  party  and  the  European  political  foundation  shall  have  legal 
personality,  which  it  shall  acquire  on  the  date  on  which  it  is  entered  in  the  Registry  in 
accordance with Article 6. 

Article 9 
Legal recognition and capacity 

The  European  political  party  and  the  European  political  foundation  shall  have  full  legal 
recognition and capacity in all Member States. 

Article 10 
Applicable law 

1. 

2. 

The European political party and the European political foundation shall be governed 
by  this  Regulation  and,  where  expressly  authorised  by  this  Regulation,  by  the 
provisions of their respective statutes. 

For matters not regulated by this Regulation or, where matters are partly regulated by 
it, for those aspects not covered by it, the European political party and the European 
political foundation shall be governed in the Member State in which it has its seat by 
those national laws applicable to the legal form referred to in the party or foundation 
statutes.  Activities  carried  out  by  the  European  political  party  and  the  European 
political  foundation  in  other  Member  States  shall  be  governed  by  the  relevant 
national laws of those Member States. 

Article 11 
Termination of European legal status and winding up 

1. 

A European political party or a European political foundation shall forfeit or give up 
its status and cease to have European legal personality in one of the following cases: 

(a) 

(b) 

its  governing  body  decides  to  wind  up  the  European  political  party  or  the 
European political foundation, 

its  governing  body  decides  to  convert  the  European  political  party  or  the 
European political foundation into a legal entity recognised in the legal order of 
a Member State, 

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(c) 

a European political party no longer meets the requirements in Article 3(1)(b) 
following  changes  to  its  membership  or  following  elections  to  the  European 
Parliament, 

(d) 

it is removed from the Registry pursuant to the provisions in Article 22(1) or 
(4) or in accordance with Article 7(5). 

The European Parliament shall adopt a decision on the termination of the European 
legal status and the removal from the Registry. 

A  European  political  party  or  a  European  political  foundation  in  one  of  the  cases 
provided for under paragraph 1 points (a), (b) or (c) shall have any ongoing decision 
on  Union  funding  received  under  this  Regulation  withdrawn  or  any  ongoing 
agreement  on  such  funding  terminated  and  any  unspent  Union  funding  recovered, 
including any unspent Union funds from previous years. 

Winding  up,  insolvency,  cessation  of  payments  and  similar  procedures  shall  be 
governed  by  the  legal  provisions  which  apply  to  the  legal  form  referred  to  in  the 
statutes  of  the  European  political  party  or  the  European  political  foundation  in  the 
Member State in which it has its seat. 

CHAPTER IV 
FUNDING PROVISIONS 

Article 12 
Funding conditions 

A  European  political  party  registered  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  and 
procedures  laid  down  in  this  Regulation,  which  is  represented  in  the  European 
Parliament by at least one of its members, and which is not in one of the situations of 
exclusion  referred  to  in  Article  [93]  of  the  Financial  Regulation  may  apply  for 
funding  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union,  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  and  conditions  published  by  the  European  Parliament  in  a  call  for 
[contributions]. 

A  European  political  foundation  which  is  affiliated  with  a  European  political  party 
eligible to apply for funding under paragraph 1, is registered in accordance with the 
conditions and procedures laid down in this Regulation, and which is not in one of 
the situations of exclusion referred to in Article [93] of the Financial Regulation may 
apply  for  funding  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union,  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  and  conditions  published  by  the  European  Parliament  in  a  call  for 
proposals. 

For the purposes of determining eligibility for funding from the general budget of the 
European  Union  in  accordance  with  paragraph  1  and  Article  3(1)(b),  and  for  the 
application of the provisions in Article 14(1), a Member of the European Parliament 
shall be considered as a member of only one European political party, which shall, 
where relevant, be the one to which his or her national or regional political party is 
affiliated on the final date for the submission of applications. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

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4. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1. 

Financial contributions or grants from the general budget of the European Union may 
not exceed 90% of the annual reimbursable expenditure of a European political party 
and 95% of the annual eligible costs indicated in the budget of a European political 
foundation.  European  political  parties  may  use  any  unused  part  of  the  EU 
contribution  awarded  to  cover  reimbursable  expenditure  within  the  following  two 
financial years after its award. Amounts unused following those two financial years 
shall be recovered in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 

Article 13 
Application for funding 

In  order  to  receive  funding  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union,  a 
European  political  party  or  a  European  political  foundation,  which  satisfies  the 
conditions  of  Article  12(1)  or  (2),  shall  file  an  application  with  the  European 
Parliament each year following a call for [contributions] or proposals. 

The European political party and the European political foundation must, at the time 
of its application, comply with the obligations listed in Article 19, and, from the date 
of  application  until  the  end  of  the  financial  year  covered  by  the  [contribution]  or 
grant, remain registered in the Registry and not be the subject of any of the penalties 
foreseen in Article 22. 

A  European  political  foundation  shall  include  in  its  application  its  annual  work 
programme. 

The Authorising Officer responsible shall adopt a decision within three months after 
closure of the call for [contributions] or call for proposals, and authorise and manage 
the corresponding appropriations, in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 

A European  political  foundation may apply for funding from the general  budget of 
the  European  Union  only  through  the  European  political  party  with  which  it  is 
affiliated. 

Article 14 
Award criteria and distribution of funding 

The  respective  appropriations  available  to  the  European  political  parties  and  the 
European political foundations which have been awarded [contributions] or grants in 
accordance with Article 13 shall be distributed annually on the basis of the following 
distribution key: 

– 

– 

15 % shall be distributed in equal shares, 

85 % shall be distributed in proportion to their share of elected members of the 
European Parliament among the beneficiary European political parties. 

The  same  distribution  key  shall  be  used  to  award  funding  to  European  political 
foundations, on the basis of their affiliation with a European political party.  

EN 

22 

   EN 

 
2. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

The distribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be based on the number of elected 
members  in  the  European  Parliament  who  are  members  of  the  applicant  European 
political  party  on  the  final  date  for  the  submission  of  applications,  taking  into 
account the provisions of Article 12(3). 

After  this  date,  any  changes  to  the  number  shall  not  affect  the  respective  share  of 
funding between European political parties or European political foundations. This is 
without prejudice to the requirement in Article 12(1) for the European political party 
to be represented in the European Parliament by at least one of its members. 

Article 15 
Donations and contributions 

European political parties and European political foundations may accept donations 
from natural or legal persons of up to a value of EUR 25 000 per year and per donor, 
without prejudice to paragraph 5. 

European political parties and European political foundations shall, at the time of the 
submission  of  their  annual  financial  statements  to  the  European  Parliament  in 
accordance with Article 19, also transmit a list of all donors with their corresponding 
donations, indicating both the nature and the value of the individual donations. This 
paragraph  shall  also  apply  to  the  contributions  made  by  members  referred  to  in 
paragraphs 7 and 8. 

Donations  received  by  the  European  political  parties  and  European  political 
foundations within six months prior to elections to the European Parliament shall be 
reported on a weekly basis to the European Parliament in writing and in accordance 
with the provisions of paragraph 2. 

Single donations exceeding a value of EUR 12 000 that have been accepted by the 
European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations  shall  be  immediately 
reported to the European Parliament in writing and in accordance with the provisions 
of paragraph 2. 

5. 

A European political party and a European political foundation shall not accept: 

(a) 

anonymous donations or contributions, 

(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 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. 

EN 

23 

   EN 

 
6. 

– 

– 

7. 

8. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Any  donation  that  is  not  permitted  under  this  Regulation  shall  within  30  days 
following  the  date  it  is  received  by  the  European  political  party  or  the  European 
political foundation: 

be returned to the donor or any person acting on the donor's behalf, or, 

when  it  is  not  possible  to  return  it,  be  reported  to  the  European  Parliament.  The 
Authorising  Officer  shall  proceed  to  the  establishment  and  authorisation  of  the 
recovery order in accordance with the provisions laid down in Articles [71] and [72] 
of  the  Financial  Regulation.  The  funds  shall  be  entered  as  general  revenue  in  the 
European Parliament section of the Budget. 

Contributions  to  a  European  political  party  from  its  members  shall  be  admissible. 
These  contributions  shall  not  exceed  40  %  of  the  annual  budget  of  that  European 
political party. 

Contributions to a European political foundation from its members, as well as from 
European political parties, shall be admissible. These contributions shall not exceed 
40 % of the annual budget of that European political foundation and may not derive 
from funds received by a European political party pursuant to this Regulation from 
the general budget of the European Union. 

The  burden  of  proof  shall  rest  with  the  European  political  party  concerned,  which 
shall clearly indicate in its accounts the origin of funds used to finance its affiliated 
European political foundation. 

Article 16 
Non-discriminatory tax treatment of donations and donors 

Any  European  political  party  or  European  political  foundation  that  receives  a 
donation from within or across borders shall benefit from the same tax treatment that 
is applicable to donations made to a political party or political foundation that has its 
seat in the Member State concerned. 

Any  natural  or  legal  person  donating  to  a  European  political  party  or  European 
political  foundation  within  or  across  borders  shall  benefit  from  the  same  tax 
treatment  that  is  applicable  to  donations  made  to  a  political  party  or  political 
foundation that has its seat in the Member State where the donor is resident for tax 
purposes. 

For  the  purposes  of  paragraphs  1  and  2,  the  European  political  party  and  the 
European  political  foundation  shall  be  regarded  as  equivalent,  respectively,  to  a 
political  party  and  a  political  foundation  established  pursuant  to  the  law  of  the 
Member States concerned. 

Article 17 
Financing of campaigns in the context of elections to the European Parliament 

1. 

The  funding  of  European  political  parties  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Union or from any other source may be used to finance campaigns conducted by the 

EN 

24 

   EN 

 
European political parties 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 8 of the Act concerning the election of the members of the 
European  Parliament  by  direct  universal  suffrage19,  the  funding  and  limitation  of 
election  expenses  for  all  parties  and  candidates  at  elections  to  the  European 
Parliament is governed in each Member State by national provisions. 

Expenditure  linked  to  campaigns  conducted  in  the  context  of  elections  to  the 
European  Parliament  shall  be  clearly  identified  as  such  by  the  European  political 
parties in their annual financial statements. 

European  political  parties  shall,  in  the  context  of  the  elections  to  the  European 
Parliament,  take  all  appropriate  measures  to  inform  citizens  of  the  Union  of  the 
affiliations  between  national  political  parties  and  candidates  and  the  European 
political parties. 

Article 18 
Prohibition of funding 

The  funding  of  European  political  parties  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Union or from any other source shall not be used for the direct or indirect funding of 
national,  regional  or  local  elections  or  other  political  parties,  and  in  particular 
national political parties or candidates. 

The  funding  of  European  political  foundations  from  the  general  budget  of  the 
European  Union  or  from  any  other  source  shall  not  be  used  for  any  other  purpose 
than for financing their tasks as defined in Article 2 point (4) and to meet expenditure 
directly linked to the objectives set out in their statutes according to Article 5. It shall 
in  particular  not  be  used  for  the  direct  or  indirect  funding  of  European,  national, 
regional or local elections, political parties, candidates or foundations. 

The  funding  of  European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations  from 
the general budget of the European Union or from any other source shall not be used 
to finance national, regional or local referenda campaigns. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

CHAPTER V 
CONTROL AND TRANSPARENCY 

Article 19 
Accounts and reporting obligations 

1. 

At  the  latest  within  six  months  following  the  end  of  the  financial  year,  European 
political parties and European political foundations shall submit to the Registry and 
to the competent national authorities in the Member States: 

19 

OJ L 278, 8.10.1976, p. 5. 

EN 

25 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(a) 

(b) 

their  annual  financial  statements  and  accompanying  notes,  covering  the 
revenue and expenditure, and assets and liabilities at the beginning and at the 
end of the financial year, according to the law applicable in the Member State 
in which they have their seat, 

an  external  audit  report  on  the  annual  financial  statements,  covering  both  the 
reliability of these annual financial statements and the legality and regularity of 
their  revenue  and  expenditure,  carried  out  by  an  independent  body  or  expert 
authorised  to  audit  accounts  under  the  law  applicable  in  the  Member  State  in 
which they have their seat, 

(c) 

the  list  of  donors  and  their  corresponding  donations  reported  in  accordance 
with Article 15(2), (3) and (4). 

Where  expenditure  is  executed  by  European  political  parties  jointly  with  national 
political  parties  or  by  European  political  foundations  jointly  with  national  political 
foundations,  and  with  other  organisations,  evidence  of  the  expenditure  incurred  by 
the  European  political  parties  or  the  European  political  foundations  directly  or 
through  these  third  parties  shall  be  included  in  the  annual  financial  statements 
referred to in paragraph 1. 

The  information  referred  to  in  paragraph  1  shall  be  published  in  accordance  with 
Article 24. 

Article 20 
Implementation and control 

Appropriations  for  the  funding  of  European  political  parties  and  European  political 
foundations shall be determined under the annual budgetary procedure and shall be 
implemented in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 

The  terms  and  conditions  for  [contributions]  and  grants  shall  be  laid  down  by  the 
Authorising Officer in the call for [contributions] and the call for proposals. 

Control of funding received from the general budget of the European Union shall be 
exercised in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 

Control shall also be exercised on the basis of annual certification by an external and 
independent audit, as provided for in Article 19(1). 

The  competent  national  authorities  in  the  Member  State  in  which  the  European 
political parties and European political foundations have their respective seat shall, in 
accordance  with  Article  10(2),  exercise  control  over  the  funding  received  from 
sources  other  than  the  budget  of  the  European  Union,  and  all  expenditure.  Such 
control  shall  be  exercised  in  cooperation  with  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
competent national authorities in other Member States. 

The  national  authorities  and  the  European  Parliament  shall  agree  practical 
arrangements in order to share information on the European political parties and the 
European political foundations. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

EN 

26 

   EN 

 
4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Any document or information required by the Court of Auditors to carry out its task 
shall  be  supplied  to  it  at  its  request  by  the  European  political  parties  and  the 
European  political  foundations  that  receive  funding  in  accordance  with  this 
Regulation. 

The [contribution] and grant award decision or agreement shall expressly provide for 
auditing  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Court  of  Auditors,  on  the  basis  of 
records  and  on  the  spot,  of  the  European  political  party  which  has  received  a 
[contribution] or the European political foundation which has received a grant from 
the general budget of the European Union. 

The  Court  of  Auditors  and  the  Authorising  Officer,  or  any  other  external  body 
authorised  by  the  Authorising  Officer,  may  carry  out  the  necessary  checks  and 
verifications on the spot in order to verify the legality of expenditure and the proper 
implementation  of  the  provisions  of  the  [contribution]  and  grant  award  decision  or 
agreement,  and,  in  the  case  of  European  political  foundations,  the  proper 
implementation of the work programme. The beneficiary shall supply any document 
or information needed to carry out this task. 

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations, including on-
the-spot  checks  and  inspections,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  and  procedures 
laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 25 May 1999 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-
Fraud  Office  (OLAF)20  and  Council  Regulation  (Euratom,  EC)  No  2185/96  of  11 
November  1996  concerning  on-the-spot  checks  and  inspections  carried  out  by  the 
Commission  in  order  to  protect  the  European  Communities'  financial  interests 
against fraud and other irregularities21 with a view to establishing whether there has 
been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of 
the  Union  in  connection  with  [contributions]  or  grants  under  this  Regulation.  If 
appropriate,  the  findings  may  give  rise  to  recovery  decisions  by  the  European 
Parliament. 

Article 21 
Technical support 

All  technical  support  from  the  European  Parliament  to  European  political  parties  shall  be 
based on the principle of equal treatment. It shall be granted on conditions no less favourable 
than  those  granted  to  other  external  organisations  and  associations  that  may  be  accorded 
similar facilities and shall be supplied against invoice and payment. 

In accordance with Article 24, the European Parliament shall publish details of the technical 
support  provided  to  each  European  political  party  in  an  annual  report,  within  three  months 
following the end of the financial year. 

20 
21 

OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1. 
OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 

EN 

27 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Article 22 
Penalties 

1. 

If  the  European  Parliament  finds,  in  accordance  with  Article  7(2),  that  a  European 
political party or a European political foundation has failed to respect the values on 
which  the  Union  is  founded  or  has  been  the  subject  of  a  judgement  which  has  the 
force of res judicata for illegal activities detrimental to the financial interests of the 
Union as defined in Article [93(1)(e)] of the Financial Regulation, or that a European 
political  party  has  failed  to  respect  the  minimum  rules  on  internal  democracy 
required  by  Article  4(2),  the  European  political  party  or  the  European  political 
foundation  in  question  may  be  removed  from  the  Registry,  forfeit  its  status  in 
accordance  with  Article  11,  and  have  any  ongoing  decision  on  Union  funding 
received under this Regulation withdrawn or any ongoing agreement on such funding 
terminated  and  any  Union  funding  recovered,  including  any  unspent  Union  funds 
from previous years. 

2. 

The European Parliament shall impose on a European political party or a European 
political foundation a fine according to a scale determined by it: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

in  the  event  of  failure  to  satisfy  any  of  the  conditions  and  requirements  laid 
down in  Articles 3, 4 or 5  not covered by paragraph 1 and which are not the 
result of changes to the membership of a European political party or elections 
to the European Parliament, 

in the event of failure to provide the notification laid down in Article 6(6) and 
(7) or if the European Parliament finds that the European political party or the 
European  political  foundation  has  at  any  moment  intentionally  provided 
incorrect or misleading information, 

if any of the bodies authorised by this Regulation to audit or conduct checks on 
the  beneficiaries  of  funding  from  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union 
detect inaccuracies in the annual financial statements, 

in  the  event  of  failure  to  transmit  to  the  European  Parliament  the  list  donors 
and their corresponding donations in accordance with Article 15(2) or to report 
donations in accordance with Article 15(3) and (4), 

if  a  European  political  party  or  a  European  political  foundation  has  accepted 
donations that are not permitted according to Article 15(5) or has not reported 
such donations as required by Article 15(6). 

3. 

When  setting  the  amount  of  a  fine  imposed  on  a  European  political  party  or  a 
European political foundation pursuant to paragraph 2, the European Parliament shall 
take  into  account  the  gravity,  duration  and,  where  relevant,  recurrence  of  the 
infringement,  the  time  that  has  elapsed,  the  intention  or  degree  of  negligence,  and 
any  measures  taken  to  comply  with  the  conditions  and  requirements  of  this 
Regulation. Any fine must be effective and dissuasive, and may not exceed 10% of 
the  annual  budget  of  the  European  political  party  or  the  European  political 
foundation in question corresponding to the year in which the sanction is imposed. 

4. 

A  European  political  party  or  a  European  political  foundation  which,  following  an 
infringement  described  in  paragraph  2  point  (a),  fails  to  introduce  the  measures 

EN 

28 

   EN 

 
requested  by  the  European  Parliament  to  remedy  the  situation,  despite  having  been 
given  the  opportunity  to  do  so  pursuant  to  Article  23,  may  be  removed  from  the 
Registry  and  forfeit  its status  in  accordance with  Article 11,  and  have  any  ongoing 
decision on Union funding received under this Regulation withdrawn or any ongoing 
agreement on such funding terminated and any Union funding recovered, including 
any unspent Union funds from previous years. 

A European political party or a European political foundation which is the subject of 
a penalty imposed on it on the basis of the infringements listed in paragraph 2 shall 
no longer be in compliance with Article 13(2). As a result, the Authorising Officer 
responsible  shall  reduce  the  amount  of  or  terminate  the  contribution  or  grant 
agreement or decision on Union funding received under this Regulation, and recover 
amounts  unduly  paid  under  the  contribution  or  grant  agreement  or  decision, 
including any unspent Union funds from previous years. 

A  European  political  party  or  a  European  political  foundation  may,  in  addition,  be 
excluded from funding for up to five years in cases of grave professional misconduct 
established  by  the  Authorising  Officer  in  accordance  with  Article  [93(1)(c)]  of  the 
Financial Regulation. 

The  penalties  imposed  pursuant  to  this  Article  shall  apply  to  all  European  political 
parties  and  European  political  foundations  irrespective  of  whether  they  receive 
Union  funding.  The  Authorising  Officer  responsible  may  impose  administrative 
and/or  financial  penalties  in  accordance  with  Article  [96(2)]  of  the  Financial 
Regulation  and  Article  [145]  of  its  Rules  of  Application  on  any  European  political 
party or European political foundation that is in one of the cases referred to in Article 
[96(1)] of the Financial Regulation not covered by the paragraphs above. 

Article 23 
Hearings and corrective measures 

Before  taking  a  final  decision  related  to  any  of  the  penalties  in  Article  22,  the 
European Parliament shall give the European political party or the European political 
foundation concerned the opportunity to present its observations and, where relevant 
and appropriate, to introduce the measures required to remedy the situation within a 
reasonable time period. 

If the European Parliament considers it necessary, it may hear other natural or legal 
persons, including any complainants referred to in Article 7(3). 

5. 

6. 

7. 

1. 

2. 

CHAPTER VI 
FINAL PROVISIONS 

Article 24 
Transparency 

1. 

The Registry shall publish on a website created for the purpose the following: 

EN 

29 

   EN 

 
(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

(g) 

(h) 

(i) 

(j) 

2. 

the  names  and  statutes  of  all  registered  European  political  parties  and  European 
political  foundations,  together  with  the  documents  submitted  as  part  of  the 
application for registration in accordance with Article 6(3), at the latest four weeks 
after  the  European  Parliament  has  adopted  its  decision  and,  beyond  this  date,  any 
amendments notified to the European Parliament pursuant to Article 6(6) and (7), 

a list of those applications that have not been approved, together with the documents 
submitted as part of  the application  for registration  in  accordance with Article 6(3) 
and the grounds for rejection, at the latest four weeks after the European Parliament 
has adopted its decision, 

an  annual  report  with  a  table  of  the  amounts  paid  to  each  European  political  party 
and European political foundation, for each financial year for which [contributions] 
have been received or grants have been paid from the general budget of the European 
Union, 

the annual financial statements and external audit reports referred to in Article 19(1), 
and, for the European political foundations, the final reports on the implementation 
of the work programmes, 

the  names  of  donors  and  their  corresponding  donations  reported  by  the  European 
political parties and European political foundations in accordance with Article 15(2), 
(3)  and  (4),  with  the  exception  of  donations  from  natural  persons  not  exceeding  a 
value  of  EUR  1  000  per  year  and  per  donor  which  shall  be  reported  as  "minor 
donations", 

the  contributions  referred  to  in  Article  15(7)  and  (8)  and  reported  by  the  European 
political parties and European political foundations in accordance with Article 15(2), 
including also the identity of the members who have made the contributions, with the 
exception of those contributions from natural persons not exceeding a value of EUR 
1 000 per year and per member which shall be reported as "minor contributions", 

the details of and reasons for any final decisions taken by the European Parliament 
pursuant  to  Article  22,  including,  where  relevant,  the  opinions  adopted  by  the 
committee  of  independent  eminent  persons  in  accordance  with  Article  7(2),  having 
due regard to the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, 

the  technical  support  provided  to  European  political  parties  in  accordance  with 
Article 21, 

the provisions for the implementation of this Regulation as referred to in Article 28, 

the  evaluation  report  of  the  European  Parliament  on  the  application  of  this 
Regulation and the activities funded as referred to in Article 27. 

From the list of members of a European political party, annexed to the party statutes 
in  accordance  with  Article  4(2)  and  updated  in  accordance  with  Article  6(7),  the 
European Parliament shall publish the total number of members, the identity of the 
legal  persons  that  are  members,  as  well  as  the  names  of  those  natural  persons  who 
have  given  their  express  written  consent  to  their  publication.  European  political 
parties shall request this consent as a matter of course from all natural persons who 
are members.  

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

European  political  parties  and  European  political  foundations  shall,  in  a  publicly 
available  privacy  statement,  provide  potential  members  and  donors  with  the 
information required by Article 10 of Directive 95/46/EC and inform them that their 
personal  data  may  be  made  public  and  may  be  processed  for  auditing  and  control 
purposes  by  the  European  Parliament,  OLAF,  the  Court  of  Auditors,  competent 
national  authorities,  and  external  bodies  or  experts  authorised  by  these.  The 
European Parliament, in application of Article 11 of Regulation (EC) 45/2001, shall 
include the same information in the calls for [contributions] or proposals referred to 
in Article 13(1). 

Article 25 
Protection of personal data 

In processing personal data pursuant to this Regulation, the European Parliament and 
the  committee  referred  to  in  Article  7(2)  shall  comply  with  Regulation  (EC)  No 
45/2001.  For  the  purposes  of  the  processing  of  personal  data,  they  shall  be 
considered as data controllers in accordance with Article 2(d) of Regulation (EC) No 
45/2001. 

In processing personal data pursuant to this Regulation, the European political parties 
and  the  European  political  foundations,  the  national  authorities  competent  for 
exercising control over aspects related to the financing of European political parties 
and  European  political  foundations  in  accordance  with  Article  20(3)  and  the 
independent bodies or experts authorised to audit accounts in accordance with Article 
19(1)  shall  comply  with  Directive  95/46/EC  and  the  national  provisions  adopted 
pursuant  thereto.  For  the  purposes  of  the  processing  of  personal  data,  they  shall  be 
considered as data controllers in accordance with Article 2(d) of Directive 95/46/EC. 

The European Parliament and the committee referred to in Article 7(2) shall ensure 
that personal data collected by them pursuant to this Regulation are not used for any 
purpose other than to ensure the legality, regularity and transparency of the funding 
of European political parties and European political foundations and the membership 
of European political parties. They shall destroy those personal data at the latest 24 
months after publication of the relevant parts in accordance with Article 24. 

The competent national authorities and independent bodies or experts authorised to 
audit  accounts  shall  use  the  personal  data  they  receive  only  in  order  to  exercise 
control  over  the  financing  of  European  political  parties  and  European  political 
foundations.  They  shall  destroy  those  personal  data  in  accordance  with  applicable 
national  law  after  transmitting  it  to  the  European  Parliament  pursuant  to  Article 
20(3). 

Personal  data  may  be  retained  beyond  the  time  limits  laid  down  in  paragraph  3  or 
foreseen by the applicable national law referred to in paragraph 4 if necessary for the 
purposes of legal or administrative proceedings relating to the funding of a European 
political party or a European political foundation or the membership of a European 
political party. All such personal data shall be destroyed at the latest one week after 
the date of conclusion of the said proceedings by a final decision, or after any audits, 
appeals, litigation or claims have been disposed of.  

EN 

31 

   EN 

 
6. 

7. 

8. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  data  controllers  referred  to  in  paragraphs  1  and  2  shall  implement  appropriate 
technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or 
unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, 
in particular where the processing involves the transmission of data over a network, 
and against all other unlawful forms of processing. 

The  European  Data  Protection  Supervisor  shall  be  responsible  for  monitoring  and 
ensuring that the European Parliament and the committee referred to in Article 7(2) 
respect  and  protect  the  fundamental  rights  and  freedoms  of  natural  persons  in  the 
processing  of  personal  data  pursuant  to  this  Regulation.  Without  prejudice  to  any 
judicial remedy, every data subject may lodge a complaint with the European Data 
Protection Supervisor if he or she considers that his or her right to the protection of 
their personal data has been infringed as a result of the processing of this data by the 
European Parliament or the committee. 

The European political parties and the European political foundations, the competent 
national  authorities  and  the  independent  bodies  or  experts  authorised  to  audit 
accounts under this Regulation shall be liable in accordance with applicable national 
law  for  any  damage  they  cause  in  the  processing  of  personal  data  pursuant  to  this 
Regulation.  The  Member  States  shall  ensure  that  they  are  subject  to  effective, 
proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of this Regulation, Directive 
95/46/EC and the national provisions adopted pursuant thereto, and in particular for 
the fraudulent use of personal data. 

Article 26 
Right of appeal 

The  European  Parliament  shall  provide  for  administrative  appeal  procedures  in 
relation to any decisions linked to the registration of statutes, funding or penalties. 

Administrative  appeal  procedures  shall  not  have  suspensory  effect.  The  European 
Parliament may, however, if it considers that circumstances so require, suspend the 
application of any decision it has taken. 

Decisions taken pursuant to this Regulation may be the subject of court proceedings 
before the Court of Justice of the European Union, in accordance with the relevant 
provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 

Article 27 
Evaluation 

The European Parliament shall publish by 1 July of the third year following elections to the 
European Parliament a report on the application of this Regulation and the activities funded. 
The report shall indicate, where appropriate, possible amendments to be made to the statute 
and funding systems. 

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Article 28 
Implementing rules 

The  European  Parliament  shall  adopt  a  Decision  laying  down  the  rules  and  procedures  for 
implementing this Regulation, including for the establishment of the Registry. 

Article 29 
Repeal 

Regulation  (EC)  No  2004/2003  is  repealed  from  the  date  of  entry  into  force  of  this 
Regulation. 

Article 30 
Entry into force and application 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union. 

It shall apply from 1 July 2013. 

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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