Activities of Monika HOHLMEIER related to 2021/0375(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the 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 (recast)
Amendments (32)
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The Authority for European political parties and foundations ( Authority') is a body of the Union within the meaning of Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) whose purpose is to register, control and impose sanctions on European political parties and European political foundations. Registration should be necessary in order to obtain European legal status, which entails a series of rights and obligations. To avoid any possible conflict of interests, the Authority should be independent. The Authority should be equipped with adequate resources to implement its additional tasks, in particular for procedures pertaining to the European elections in 2024.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34
Recital 34
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37
Recital 37
(37) In order to enhance cooperation with long-standing membpartners sharing EU values, contributionsassociation fees should be allowed from member parties having their seat in a country outside the Union but in the Council of Europe, should be allowedformer Member State, in a country member of the European Economic Area (EFTA), in EU candidate countries and in Eastern Partnership countries with which the EU has concluded comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreements. However, such contributionassociation fees should be subject to a cap in relation to total contributionas well as to publication in a separate category by the Authority, to limit the risk of foreign interference.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 acknowledges only two categories of revenues for European political parties and foundations apart from contributions from the budget of the European Union, namely contributions from members and donations. A number of rRevenue sources generated from own economic activities (such as sales of publications or, conference fees) fall outside the scope of these two categories, creating accounting and transparency problems. A third category of revenues (‘other own resources’) should therefore be created. TWithout prejudice to the condition that European political parties and European political foundations remain non-profit organisations at all times, the proportion of other own resources in the total budget of a European political party or foundations should be capped at 5% to avoid that it becomes overdimensioned in relation to the overall budget of these entities. European political parties and European political foundations should not have own resources beyond contributions from members, donations, association fees, and other own resources thus defined.
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 41
Recital 41
(41) 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. The prohibition of indirect funding should however not prevent European political parties from publicly supporting and engaging with their member parties in the Union on issues of relevance for the Union, or to support political activities inco- finance joint events to the extent that they common interestncern issues of relevance for the Union’s field of activity, to be able to fulfil their mission under Article 10(4) TEU. Moreover, European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations should only finance activities in the context of national referendum campaigns when they concern the implementation of the TEU and the TFEU . 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. No funding should be made available for activities promoting the scope of Article 50 TEU.
Amendment 32 #
(50) It is necessary to establish a common repository for the disclosures of European political parties. Given its specific role in the implementation of this Regulation, the Authority should establish and manage such repository as a part of the Registry for European political parties. The information contained in the repository should be transmitted by European Political Parties to the Authority using a standard format and may be automated. European political parties should make available in the Authority’s repository information to enable the wider context of the political advertisement and its aims to be understood. The information on the amount allocated to political advertising in the context of a specific campaign to be included in the repository may be based on an estimated allocation of funding. The amounts to be mentioned in the repository include donations for specific purposes or benefits in kind, contributions, and other own resources.
Amendment 33 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 55
Recital 55
(55) 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, relating in particular to their statutes, membership, financial statements, donors and donations, contributions and grants received from the general budget of the European Union, as well as information relating to decisions taken by the Authority and the Authorising Officer of the European Parliament on registration, funding and sanctions, should be published in a user-friendly, open and machine readable format . European political parties and European political foundations should supply to the Authority and the Authorising Officer of the European Parliament any documentation required for publication purposes in a user-friendly, open and machine readable format. Laying down 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.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 61
Recital 61
(61) In order to facilitating the monitoring of the implementation of this Regulation, single points of contact in charge of coordination with the European level should be designated by each Member Sate. Such contact points should be adequately resourced to be able to ensure effective coordination, including on issues related to the monitoring of political advertising,. The Authority should regularly convene the points of contact designated by the Member States for exchange of best practices on matters of common concern.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 7
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 7
(7) 'donation' means any cash offering or bank transfer, any offering in kind, the provision below market value of any goods, services (including loans) or works, and any other transaction which constitutes an economic advantage for the European political party or the European political foundation concerned, with the exception of contributions from members, association fees, other own resources, and usual political activities carried out on a voluntary basis by individuals;
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
(8) 'contribution from members' means any payment in cash or bank transfer, including membership fees, or any contribution in kind, or the provision below market value of any goods, services (including loans) or works, and any other transaction which constitutes an economic advantage for the European political party or the European political foundation concerned, when provided to that European political party or to that European political foundation by one of its members, with the exception of usual political activities carried out on a voluntary basis by individual members;
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8 a (new)
(8a) 'association fees' means payments by bank transfer, when provided to the European political party or to the European political foundation by a party or organisation associated to it and having its seat outside the Union but in a former Member State, in a country member of the European Economic Area (EFTA), in EU candidate countries and in Eastern Partnership countries with which the Union has concluded comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreements, within the limits set out in this Regulation;
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 9
(9) ‘other own resources’ means income generated by own economic activities, such as conference fees and sales of publications;
Amendment 39 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 10
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 10
(10) ‘indirect funding’ means funding from which the member party derives a financial advantage, even where no funds are directly transferred; this should include cases which allow the member party to avoid expenditure which it would otherwise have had to incur for activities, other than political activities injoint events co-financed to the extent they common interest, organised for its own and sole benefincern issues of relevance for the Union´s field of activities; the European political party must be visible in any such joint event;
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2
Article 5 – paragraph 2
2. Each European political party shall transmit within five working days of the first dissemination to the Authority information concerning each political advertisement that it sponsors or publishes directly to enable the wider context of the political advertisement and its aims to be understood by citizens. That information shall include at least the information listed in point 1 of Annex II. The information shall be provided to the Authority in a form which is easily accessible and using plain language.
Amendment 46 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1
Article 13 – paragraph 1
The Authority shall annually prepare and publish a report on the political advertising activity of European political parties. This report shall include a factual summary of the reports for the relevant reporting year published by European political parties according to Article 5(4), as well as any decisions of the national regulatory authorities designated under Article 5(6) or of the supervisory authorities referred to in Article 5(7) finding that a European political party has violated Article 5 of this Regulation.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – title
Article 23 – title
23 Donations, contributions and other own resources
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 23 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. European political parties and European political foundations shall, at the time of the submission of their annual financial statements in accordance with Article 26, 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 contributions made by member parties of European political parties and member organisations of European political foundations as well as to association fees and to other own resources.
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 5 – introductory part
Article 23 – paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. For all donationscumulated donations, i.e. the total of several individually transferred donations from the same donor, the value of which exceeds EUR 3000, European political parties and European political foundations shall request donors to provide the necessary information for their proper identification. European political parties and European political foundations shall transmit the information received to the Authority upon its request.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 9
Article 23 – paragraph 9
9. Contributions from members of a European political party that have their seat in, or are citizens of, a Member State or from member parties that have their seat in a country belonging to the Council of Europe shall be permitted. The total value of contributions from members shall not exceed 40 % of the annual budget of a European political party. The value of contributions from member parties that have their seat in a country outside the Union shall not exceed 10% of the total contributions from members.
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 9 a (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Association fees from political parties that have their seat outside the Union shall be permitted. The total value of association fees from such parties that have their seat in a country outside the Union shall not exceed 10 % of the total contributions from members, nor, in any event, EUR 18 000 per year;
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 10 – introductory part
Article 23 – paragraph 10 – introductory part
10. Contributions from members of a European political foundation that have their seat in, or are citizens of, a Member State or from member organisations that have their seat in a country belonging to the Council of Europe , and from the European political party with which it is affiliated, shall be permitted. The total value of contributions from members shall not exceed 40 % of the annual budget of a European political foundation and shall not derive from funds received by a European political party pursuant to this Regulation from the general budget of the European Union. The value of contributions from member organisations that have their seat in a country outside the Union shall not exceed 10% of the total contributions from members.
Amendment 61 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 10 a (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Association fees from organisations that have their seat outside the Union shall be permitted. The value of association fees from organisations that have their seat in a country outside the Union shall not exceed 10 % of the total contributions from members, nor, in any event, EUR 18 000 per year.
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 13
Article 23 – paragraph 13
13. The value of other own resources of a European political party or of a European political foundation generated from own economic activities shall not exceed 5% of the annual budget of that European political party or European political foundation.
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1
Article 25 – paragraph 1
1. Notwithstanding Article 24(1), 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 other political parties, and in particular national parties or candidates nor of entities based outside the Union or of individuals from outside the Union who are not entitled to vote in the elections to the European Parliament. Those national political parties and candidates shall continue to be governed by national rules.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 26 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
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 Authority, with a copy to the Authorising Officer of the European Parliament and to the competent National Contact Point of the Member State of their seat in an open, machine-readable format:
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 4 – point b – paragraph 1
Article 30 – paragraph 4 – point b – paragraph 1
For the application of the percentages indicated in the first subparagraph , each donation or, contribution or instance of funding shall be considered separately.
Amendment 72 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 32 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 32 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 32 – paragraph 4
Article 32 – paragraph 4
4. The Authorising Officer of the European Parliament shall inform the Authority of any findings which might give rise to the imposition of sanctions under Article 30(2) to (4), with a view to allowing the Authority to take appropriate measures. The Authority shall make a decision on the imposition of sanctions within [6 months].
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 36 – paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Article 36 – paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
(fa) the other own resources referred to in Article 23(13) and reported by European political parties and European political foundations in accordance with Article 23(2), including the identity of the person or entity which made those payments;
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 36 – paragraph 1 – point f b (new)
Article 36 – paragraph 1 – point f b (new)
(fb) the association fees referred to in Article 23(9a) and (10a) and reported by European political parties and European political foundations in accordance with Article 23(2), including the identity of the parties or organisations which made those payments;
Amendment 76 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 44 – paragraph 2
Article 44 – paragraph 2
2. Regarding the applications for funding for the first financial year following the entry into force of this Regulation, the Authorising Officer of the European Parliament shall only requestire the evidence referred to in Article 21(4) and (5) for the 6 months period precedafter a grace period of one year starting at the applicentry into force of this Regulation.
Amendment 77 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 45 – paragraph 1
Article 45 – paragraph 1
Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 is repealed. Any procedural steps and decisions previously taken by an Institution, the Authorising officer of the European Parliament or the Authority in accordance with or on the basis of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 shall remain applicable and be construed in light of this Regulation.