Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
European political foundation
A European political foundation, formerly known as a political foundation at European level, is a type of political foundation affiliated to, but independent from, a European political party, and operating transnationally in Europe and within the institutions of the European Union (EU).
European political foundations carry specific political activities and are networks of national political foundations. They are regulated and funded by EU Regulation 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations, and their operations are supervised by the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF).
European political parties formed during the 1970s, in the run-up to the first elections of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. In 1992, the Treaty of Maastricht provided the first legal recognition of European parties and, in 1997, the Treaty of Amsterdam enabled the public funding of European parties via political groups of the European Parliament. Following criticism of this arrangement by the European Court of Auditors, the 2001 Treaty of Nice allowed the funding of European parties directly from the budget of the European Union.
In November 2003, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation 2004/2003 "on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding", which provided the first official definition of European political parties and created a framework for their public funding. However, the Regulation did not provide legal recognition or public funding for European political foundations.
In its Resolution of 23 March 2006 on European parties, the European Parliament considered that, "during the present phase of reflection on the future of the European Union", several questions ought to be considered, including the way in which "European political foundations [can] be supported in order to assist in European political parties' work of political information and education." The European Parliament called on the European Commission to submit proposals on this topic, but did not explicitly call for the public funding of European foundations.
In December 2007, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation 1524/2007, amending Regulation 2004/2003, among others by providing a legal definition for European political foundations and including them in the existing public funding scheme.
European political foundations were defined as "an entity or network of entities which has legal personality in a Member State, is affiliated with a political party at European level, and which through its activities, within the aims and fundamental values pursued by the European Union, underpins and complements the objectives of the political party at European level by performing, in particular, [...] observing, analysing and contributing to the debate on European public policy issues and on the process of European integration; developing activities linked to European public policy issues [...]; developing cooperation with entities of the same kind in order to promote democracy; [and] serving as a framework for national political foundations, academics, and other relevant actors to work together at European level."
The new framework provided that, out of a total envelope, 15% would be distributed equally (the lump sum), and 85% would be distributed in proportion to each party's number of members of the European Parliament (MEP-based funding). Additionally, public funding could not exceed 85% of a European foundation's reimbursable expenditure (referred to as the "co-financing rate"); this means that European foundations were required to raise 15% of their budget from specific private sources ("own resources"), such as donations or member contributions. Regulation 1524/2007 also updated transparency obligations, limitations on donations, and prohibitions on spending, and applied them to European parties and foundations.
Hub AI
European political foundation AI simulator
(@European political foundation_simulator)
European political foundation
A European political foundation, formerly known as a political foundation at European level, is a type of political foundation affiliated to, but independent from, a European political party, and operating transnationally in Europe and within the institutions of the European Union (EU).
European political foundations carry specific political activities and are networks of national political foundations. They are regulated and funded by EU Regulation 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations, and their operations are supervised by the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF).
European political parties formed during the 1970s, in the run-up to the first elections of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. In 1992, the Treaty of Maastricht provided the first legal recognition of European parties and, in 1997, the Treaty of Amsterdam enabled the public funding of European parties via political groups of the European Parliament. Following criticism of this arrangement by the European Court of Auditors, the 2001 Treaty of Nice allowed the funding of European parties directly from the budget of the European Union.
In November 2003, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation 2004/2003 "on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding", which provided the first official definition of European political parties and created a framework for their public funding. However, the Regulation did not provide legal recognition or public funding for European political foundations.
In its Resolution of 23 March 2006 on European parties, the European Parliament considered that, "during the present phase of reflection on the future of the European Union", several questions ought to be considered, including the way in which "European political foundations [can] be supported in order to assist in European political parties' work of political information and education." The European Parliament called on the European Commission to submit proposals on this topic, but did not explicitly call for the public funding of European foundations.
In December 2007, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation 1524/2007, amending Regulation 2004/2003, among others by providing a legal definition for European political foundations and including them in the existing public funding scheme.
European political foundations were defined as "an entity or network of entities which has legal personality in a Member State, is affiliated with a political party at European level, and which through its activities, within the aims and fundamental values pursued by the European Union, underpins and complements the objectives of the political party at European level by performing, in particular, [...] observing, analysing and contributing to the debate on European public policy issues and on the process of European integration; developing activities linked to European public policy issues [...]; developing cooperation with entities of the same kind in order to promote democracy; [and] serving as a framework for national political foundations, academics, and other relevant actors to work together at European level."
The new framework provided that, out of a total envelope, 15% would be distributed equally (the lump sum), and 85% would be distributed in proportion to each party's number of members of the European Parliament (MEP-based funding). Additionally, public funding could not exceed 85% of a European foundation's reimbursable expenditure (referred to as the "co-financing rate"); this means that European foundations were required to raise 15% of their budget from specific private sources ("own resources"), such as donations or member contributions. Regulation 1524/2007 also updated transparency obligations, limitations on donations, and prohibitions on spending, and applied them to European parties and foundations.