On Tuesday 25 January, during a public debate in the ‘General Affairs’ Council, many Member States expressed their concern and even hostility to the proposed regulation allowing contributions to European political parties and/or foundations from members from Council of Europe countries.
As part of the European democracy package presented at the end of November 2021 (see EUROPE 12840/4), this legislative proposal limits funding from third countries to 10% of total contributions, which in turn must represent less than 40% of the annual budget of a European party or foundation. In addition, to limit the risk of foreign interference, parties and foundations will have to ensure that their members from third countries respect the fundamental values of the European Union.
On Tuesday, no country disputed the importance of strengthening the integrity and transparency of legislative processes in the EU. However, Luxembourg, Italy and Germany expressed the need to reflect further on the issue of third country funding. Portugal, Lithuania and Cyprus had reservations, Ireland and the Czech Republic expressed “concern”, while the Netherlands and Belgium opposed such a provision.
Latvia stated a “categorical no”. Allowing such funding from third countries would be “a big mistake”, Greece said, citing “Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan” as Council of Europe members. And to note that the US does not allow this for its own political parties.
Hungary supported any measures to bring more transparency to the financing of European parties and their foundations, in order to avoid “unwanted interference” from outside the EU, but “without alienating our partners like the Western Balkans”.
Slovenia has indicated that it prohibits foreign funding of political parties and foundations, except from natural and legal persons.
Defending the proposal, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič argued that, on the issue of funding from Council of Europe countries, many European political parties have sister parties in third countries such as “Norway, Switzerland, the UK, the Western Balkans or Georgia” with whom they wish to maintain close relations.
Noting the “questions” and even the “frank reticence” expressed around the table, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, envisaged two options: a pure and simple “ban” on funding from third countries to European political parties or “a stricter framework to be specified”.
Online political advertising. The ‘General Affairs’ Council also discussed the other proposal for a regulation in the legislative package, which aims to regulate political advertising online via social platforms and networks (see EUROPE 12840/5).
Most Member States welcomed the aim of the text, in particular to increase transparency on the user targeting techniques used. Poland and Croatia stressed the importance of protecting personal data.
On the legislative package as a whole, some countries also referred to the principle of subsidiarity and in particular, as Luxembourg said, to the importance of respecting “specific constitutional features and national realities”.
The French Presidency of the EU Council hopes to reach a political agreement in principle in March on the revision of the rules governing European political parties, and in April on the regulation of online political advertising. The national experts working group will meet weekly to take the work forward.
The legislative package must come into force in 2023, with the organisation of the 2024 European elections to be applicable at that election date, Mr Beaune noted. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)