S&Ds welcome new rules governing European political parties and foundations

Another step on the journey towards a truly European political space, but there is further work to do - this is the verdict from the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament following the political agreement reached today on new rules governing European political parties and foundations. This afternoon, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union struck a deal on an updated ‘Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations’, proposed by the European Commission in 2021. If given the final green light by the European Parliament plenary and the Council of the European Union, the newly negotiated rules could bring more legal certainty in key areas allowing European political parties and foundations to work more effectively. However, despite progress in some areas, not all issues raised by the S&D Group were addressed in the negotiations. More work will be needed to further improve the rules, especially for political foundations. The S&Ds are pleased that under the new rules, the EU institutions have committed to work imminently on these improvements. S&D shadow rapporteur on the regulations, Gaby Bischoff, said:  Key changes under the new rules include clarifying how European parties and foundations can engage with their members without contravening rules on ‘indirect funding’. For European political parties and foundations, a new membership category has also been created -...