Sittings · Document

Draft report (2026/2013(INI)) 2026-03-27

European political parties and foundations – 2026 report on the application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2025/2445 and on the activities funded

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

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Amendment 1

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Nikolas Farantouris, Reinier Van Lanschot, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Citation 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the exchange of views with European political foundations and institutional stakeholders of 18 March 2026 held by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs;

Or. en

Amendment 2

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas strong political parties and foundations at EU level are essential for the development of a truly European public sphere;

A. whereas strong political parties and foundations at Union level support the development of a pluralistic European public sphere; whereas, in accordance with Article 10(4) TEU, they contribute to forming European political awareness and expressing the will of citizens; whereas Union funding must respect political pluralism and must not favour or disadvantage political actors on the basis of ideological alignment;

Or. en

Amendment 3

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A a. whereas Article 2 TEU sets out the values on which the Union is founded, but does not constitute a mandate for ideological standardisation or political conditionality beyond what is explicitly provided for in Union law; whereas the application of funding rules must remain neutral, objective and based on clear legal criteria;

Or. en

Amendment 4

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Recital D a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D a. whereas the budget did not increase while foundations continue to face indexation of salaries and high inflations rates

Or. en

Amendment 5

Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Marieke Ehlers, Jean-Paul Garraud, Alexandre Varaut, Ernő Schaller-Baross

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. Stresses that the reference to the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union remains broadly formulated, thereby allowing for potentially expansive or politically driven interpretations by the Union institutions; insists that sensitive societal issues, in particular those relating to dignity, the status of persons, migration or gender ideology, fall primarily within the scope of democratic debate at Member State level and must not be redefined through administrative interpretations.

Or. en

Amendment 6

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital I

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

I. whereas European political foundations constitute an integral part of the EU’s democratic architecture by supporting political debate, policy development, research, training and civic engagement at EU and national level;

I. whereas European political foundations contribute to the European political debate through research, education and dialogue; whereas they remain affiliated to political parties and do not constitute public authorities;

Or. en

Amendment 7

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital K

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

K. whereas the implementation of the Regulation is taking place in a context of profound geopolitical instability, characterised by increased strategic competition, hybrid threats, disinformation, technological disruption, climate change and long-term socio-economic transformations; whereas references to hybrid threats, disinformation and geopolitical competition must not be used to justify the expansion of Union funding or competences beyond what is provided for in the Treaties;

Or. en

Amendment 8

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital L

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

L. whereas these developments require the EU to reinforce its capacity for strategic foresight, anticipatory governance and long-term policy planning, in order to prepare effectively for the challenges in the period up to 2040 and beyond;

L. whereas long-term policy planning and democratic debate are essential in addressing future challenges; whereas such functions primarily remain the responsibility of Union institutions and Member States acting within their respective competences;

Or. en

Amendment 9

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Recital N a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

N a. whereas Union funding should be subject to consistent standards of transparency, accountability and proportionality across comparable beneficiaries; whereas differences in reporting, audit and compliance requirements between European political foundations and other Union-funded entities, including non-governmental organisations, should be objectively justified and proportionate, in accordance with the principle of equal treatment;

Or. en

Amendment 10

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Nikolas Farantouris, Reinier Van Lanschot, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Recital N a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

N a. whereas political foundations have reported a disproportionate regulatory burden and have called for a simplification of regulatory requirements, including reporting and transparency requirements;

Or. en

Amendment 11

Gheorghe Piperea

Motion for a resolution

Recital N a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Na. whereas the public funding allocated to European parties and foundations is not centralised and is not made public in a centralised and accessible manner;

Or. ro

Amendment 12

Gheorghe Piperea

Motion for a resolution

Recital N b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Nb. whereas the Authority has an independent status and has the role of overseeing the application of Regulation 2025/2445 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations and, as such, that of ensuring the transparency of the funding of European parties and foundations;

Or. ro

Amendment 13

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Notes that the Regulation has improved legal clarity in several areas, notably with regard to joint European political activities, transparency requirements and safeguards against foreign interference and introduced the explicit recognition of self-generated resources as a category of revenue; notes, however, that it has at the same time reduced legal certainty by introducing references to the respect for Article 2 TEU values without providing sufficiently clear and objective criteria for their assessment;

Or. en

Amendment 14

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Nikolas Farantouris, Reinier Van Lanschot, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Notes with concern the reports by foundations of a disproportionate regulatory burden and commits to further investigate and follow-up in its upcoming systematic evaluation;

Or. en

Amendment 15

Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Marieke Ehlers, Jean-Paul Garraud, Alexandre Varaut, Ernő Schaller-Baross

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Emphasises that the corrective measures instrument constitutes a useful and necessary tool to ensure the proper implementation of the Regulation; regrets its removal and any tendency to depart from it or to limit its use in recent practice; calls for this instrument to be reinstated and applied in a consistent and predictable manner;

Or. en

Amendment 16

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Notes the legal uncertainty and operational constraints still faced by European political foundations, particularly as regards the classification of eligible costs, and considers that these issues require timely clarification;

4. Notes the legal uncertainty and operational constraints still faced by European political foundations, particularly as regards the classification of eligible costs and joint events, and considers that these issues require timely clarification;

Or. en

Amendment 17

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Notes that, in view of their expanding responsibilities, European political foundations require the necessary financial tools and appropriate and stable resources to fully assume their institutional role, building on the improvements introduced by the Regulation;

7. Notes that, in view of their expanding responsibilities, European political foundations require the necessary financial tools, clear rules and appropriate and stable resources to fully assume their institutional role, building on the improvements introduced by the Regulation;

Or. en

Amendment 18

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Underlines the need to ensure that European political foundations are provided with a sound legal framework and financial security; commits to working together with the foundations to provide this security to the extent possible within the existing framework, notably through a revision of the way in which foundations are financially supported by their member organisations; points out that the Regulation does not prohibit a flexible and participation-based membership fee model through which member organisations contribute on the basis of their level of involvement in joint activities; underlines that joint activities themselves should remain budget-neutral and should not generate income for foundations that exceeds the actual costs incurred;

Or. en

Amendment 19

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Encourages European political foundations to maximise financial possibilities under the existing framework; highlights that the financing of the European political foundations via the own resources of the European political parties is currently permitted under Article 2(10) of the current Regulation; calls on both European political parties and foundations to conclude arrangements of cooperation through which foundations are compensated by parties for their contribution to any joint work, taking into account their distinct respective roles under the Treaties;

Or. en

Amendment 20

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Nikolas Farantouris, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. Underlines, furthermore, that the Regulation does not prohibit national foundations, other than political foundations to become members and pay a membership contribution to European political foundations;

Or. en

Amendment 21

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Nikolas Farantouris, Reinier Van Lanschot, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 b. Considers that Art 25 of the current Regulation could be clarified to confirm explicitly that participation fees can be charged to member organisations for their involvement in activities organised by a European political foundation.

Or. en

Amendment 22

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Stresses that part of the diversification of own resources, European political foundations are allowed to receive donations from natural or legal persons of up to a value of EUR 18.000 per year and per donor. Believes that the cap on these donations can be increased to EUR 30.000;

Or. en

Amendment 23

Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Marieke Ehlers, Jean-Paul Garraud, Alexandre Varaut, Ernő Schaller-Baross

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Emphasises that certain non-governmental organisations funded by the European Union are not subject to levels of resource allocation, transparency and control comparable to those required of European political foundations, thereby creating a double standard in the application of principles of oversight and accountability; considers that this asymmetry, both in terms of control and funding, distorts the balance between actors in the public debate and weakens the role of European political foundations, and therefore calls for homogeneous, proportionate and transparent criteria in the supervision and financing of all entities benefiting from Union funds;

Or. en

Amendment 24

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Notes the immediate and imperative need for implementing a clear deadline for the closing of the files of political foundations which, in any event, should be no later than the end of December of the year following the grant year under review;

Or. en

Amendment 25

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 b. Emphasises the need to reduce ambiguities, uncertainties and inconsistencies in terms and terminology, and calls for greater clarity and legal certainty, in particular in newly introduced provisions, including those relating to gender balance, which risk further complicating the framework and creating additional interpretative uncertainty;

Or. en

Amendment 26

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations, to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the administrative and compliance costs arising from the implementation of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2025/2445, including reporting, documentation, audit and control requirements imposed on European political parties and foundations, as well as the corresponding administrative burden on supervisory bodies; stresses that such requirements must comply with the principle of proportionality and ensure an efficient use of Union resources;

Or. en

Amendment 27

Reinier Van Lanschot, Nikolas Farantouris

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Proposes the establishment of a single online reporting and disclosure system, in order to ensure adequate levels of transparency for citizens, improve compliance monitoring, and reduce the administrative and compliance burden of reporting entities;

Or. en

Amendment 28

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Laments the removal of the availability of corrective measures as a tool for the Authority ensuring a more stable legal and financial framework and allowing building trust and good cooperation among various stakeholders;

Or. en

Amendment 29

Gheorghe Piperea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10a. Calls on the Authority to publish the public funding allocated to European parties and foundations in a centralised and accessible manner in the same way as data on donations and contributions are published;

Or. ro

Amendment 30

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 b. Recalls that the President of the Commission has started to put “simplification” forward as a distinct political theme in late 2023, with a dedicated speech on regulation simplification on 29 November 20231a; recalls the Commission’s commitment to regulatory simplification and to reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, in particular as set out in its Better Regulation agenda; calls on the Commission to ensure that the implementation of the Regulation is fully consistent with these objectives;

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1a https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/speech_23_6183/SPEECH_23_6183_EN.pdf

Or. en

Amendment 31

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 c. Further calls on the Commission to assess, in particular, the administrative and compliance costs associated with the handling, reporting and auditing of small-value financial contributions; underlines that such costs should be proportionate to the amounts concerned and should not result in administrative costs that are disproportionate to, or exceed, the value of the contributions concerned; invites the Commission to consider the introduction of appropriate de minimis thresholds or simplified procedures for low-value contributions, while maintaining transparency and accountability;

Or. en

Amendment 32

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen, Reinier Van Lanschot, Gabriele Bischoff

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Calls on the Commission to review whether any national regulatory or policy framework prohibits or hinders the payment of contributions by national entities, including political foundations, to European political foundations and follow-up with the necessary action;

Or. en

Amendment 33

Gheorghe Piperea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12a. Calls on the Commission to strictly monitor the impartiality of the allocation of funding to European parties and foundations; that funding must be allocated irrespective of political affiliation, in order to ensure equal opportunities for representation and the visibility of all positions on the political spectrum in the spirit of true European democracy;

Or. ro

Amendment 34

Charles Goerens, Loránt Vincze, Sabine Verheyen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Calls on the Commission to present a recast legislative proposal revising the funding rules for European political foundations, including an amendment of Article 22(4) of the Regulation to increase the cap on financial contributions or grants from the general budget of the Union to 100 % of the eligible costs incurred by a European political foundation; furthermore, calls on the Commission to include in this proposal an amendment of Article 25 to allow donations of up to a value of EUR 30 000 per year and per donor for both parties and foundations, therefore ensuring greater flexibility and diversification of funding sources;

Or. en

Amendment 35

Reinier Van Lanschot, Nikolas Farantouris

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 a. Encourages a more equitable distribution of funding among European political parties and European political foundations; proposes in this regard to increase the distribution key of allocation of funds that are distributed among the beneficiary European political parties and European political foundations in equal shares;

Or. en

Amendment 36

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 a. Stresses that the allocation and control of Union funding for European political parties and foundations must be strictly neutral with regard to political and ideological positions, and must be based solely on transparent, objective and legally defined criteria;

Or. en

Amendment 37

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 a. Urges the Commission to double the maximum amount of donations, currently capped at 18 000 euros a year per donor;

Or. en

Amendment 38

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 b. Calls on the Commission to present a recast legislative proposal extending the opportunities for cure and strengthening the availability of effective corrective mechanisms, including by revisiting changes introduced in Article 4(1)(h), Article 7 and Article 25(6)–(8), thereby reducing the bureaucratic and administrative burden on both European political foundations and the Authority; further calls for the removal of vague and insufficiently defined references to the respect for Article 2 TEU values, which undermine legal certainty and risk politicised interpretation;

Or. en

Amendment 39

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 b. Calls on the Commission to present a comparative assessment of transparency, reporting and audit obligations applicable to European political foundations and to other Union-funded entities, including non-governmental organisations, and to propose measures ensuring consistent and proportionate standards across funding programmes;

Or. en

Amendment 40

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 c. Stresses that Union funding must not be used, directly or indirectly, to influence electoral outcomes or to support political campaigning at Union or national level;

Or. en

Amendment 41

Nikolas Farantouris, Reinier Van Lanschot

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Commits to revising the overall level of EU funding for political foundations under the forthcoming multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, with a view to ensuring appropriate, stable and predictable financial resources, to enabling foundations to engage in long-term strategic foresight and capacity-building activities and maintain high standards of transparency, accountability and independence, and to ensuring proportionality between compliance obligations and available funding;

14. Commits to increasing the overall level of EU funding for political foundations under the forthcoming multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, with a view to ensuring appropriate, stable and predictable financial resources, to enabling foundations to engage in long-term strategic foresight and capacity-building activities and maintain high standards of transparency, accountability and independence, and to ensuring proportionality between compliance obligations and available funding;

Or. en

Amendment 42

Patryk Jaki

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Condemns the increasing politicisation of the framework governing European political parties and foundations, which risks undermining trust in its impartial application; laments the reliance on vague and insufficiently defined notions related to the respect for Article 2 TEU values, in the absence of clear, objective and legally certain criteria for assessing alleged breaches; stresses that, without a precise definition of what constitutes a manifest and serious breach of the values referred to in Article 2 TEU, such assessments are inherently open to interpretation and therefore susceptible to arbitrary or politically motivated use; warns that this creates a significant risk of undue influence over political actors and may adversely affect political pluralism; calls on the Commission to ensure full respect for the principles of legal certainty, subsidiarity and proportionality, and to refrain from any extra-Treaty interference in the internal political sphere of Member States.

Or. en

Amendment 43

François-Xavier Bellamy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Calls on the European Commission to consider extending appropriate transparency requirements, in particular regarding the disclosure of funding sources, to organisations receiving Union funding or participating in EU policymaking, including NGOs carrying out activities comparable to those of European political foundations but not subject to oversight by the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations; underlines the need for a coherent and proportionate framework to ensure traceability of funds, prevent misuse of public resources and strengthen trust in the Union’s governance;

Or. en

Amendment 44

Christine Anderson, Alexander Sell

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Concludes that providing European political foundations with appropriate funding constitutes a strategic investment in the EU’s democratic resilience and long-term governance capacity;

15. Concludes that providing European political foundations with appropriate funding contributes to democratic debate within the EU;

Or. en