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

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

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

(2026/2013(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2 and 10(4) of the Treaty on European Union and Article 12(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to Articles 224 and 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2025/2445 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2025 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations1 (hereinafter ‘the Regulation’),

– having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast)2 (the Financial Regulation),

– having regard to its resolution of 11 November 2021 on the application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations3,

– having regard to consultations with the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (hereinafter ‘the Authority’) and to its annual activity reports,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A10-0000/2026),

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

B. whereas European political parties and European political foundations should play a more central role in the European elections process and contribute to forming EU political awareness and expressing the will of EU citizens; whereas political diversity is essential for public discourse and for expressing citizens’ choices;

C. whereas European political parties and foundations should cooperate with their national member parties and partners to support them in bringing the Union and its policies closer to citizens and to enhance democratic legitimacy;

D. whereas in 2025, two more foundations were registered with the Authority, meaning that as of 31 December 2025, 12 European political parties and 12 affiliated European political foundations were funded by the EU budget;

E. whereas the recast Regulation entered into force on 28 December 2025 and introduced a number of important innovations, including clearer rules on joint European political activities, enhanced transparency and reporting obligations, strengthened due-diligence requirements for donations, and the explicit recognition of self-generated resources as a category of revenue;

F. whereas the Regulation has only been in force for a short time; whereas, accordingly, the data on and experience with implementing the Regulation is as yet limited; whereas a comprehensive assessment of its implementation and impact requires sufficient time and evidence; whereas, nevertheless, unforeseen policy challenges have emerged in the immediate aftermath of the Regulation’s entry into force, notably on the funding of political foundations, requiring urgent follow-up;

G. whereas in accordance with the recast Regulation, Parliament is to publish a report by 29 June 2026 on the application of the Regulation and on the activities funded; whereas following the publication of Parliament’s report, the Commission has one year to present a report on the application of the Regulation, accompanied, if appropriate, by a proposal to amend it;

H. whereas the Commission’s report is to pay particular attention to the Regulation’s implications for the position of small European political parties and European political foundations, and for the rules governing the financing of European political foundations;

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;

J. whereas the mandate of the European political foundations includes raising political awareness of and contributing to the debate on EU policy issues and the process of European integration, and providing services that are not exclusively directed at the members or voters of a particular party, but are open to everyone on equal terms;

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;

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;

M. whereas European political foundations are uniquely positioned to contribute to this effort through long-term research, comparative analysis, transnational dialogue, political education and capacity building;

N. whereas the current level and structure of EU funding available to European political foundations is no longer commensurate with the scope, strategic relevance and increasing complexity of their tasks;

General assessment of the recast Regulation

1. Welcomes the adoption of the recast Regulation as an important step towards modernising the legal framework for European political parties and foundations and strengthening democratic integrity at EU level;

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;

3. Emphasises, however, that to date experience and data on the implementation of the recast Regulation remains limited and that a more in-depth and horizontal evaluation can only be conducted at a later stage; points out that unforeseen policy challenges that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the Regulation’s entry into force, notably on the funding of political foundations, nevertheless require urgent follow-up;

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;

Role of European political foundations

5. Reiterates that European political foundations fulfil a distinct institutional role under the Treaties by fostering European political awareness, supporting evidence-based policymaking and strengthening democratic culture and civic engagement across the EU;

6. Draws attention to the increasingly volatile geopolitical and technological environment since the publication of the Commission’s 2021 proposal to recast Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/20144, marked by heightened security tensions, foreign interference in democratic processes and accelerated socio-economic transformation; underlines that these developments reinforce the importance of long-term policy planning, democratic education and cross-border dialogue, to which European political foundations make a special contribution;

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;

Proposals for improvement

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;

9. Notes that a strict application of the definition of membership contributions, the financial and administrative pressure to complement grants from the EU budget with self-generated resources, the rules applicable to joint European political activities with member foundations and the overall level of Union funding limit the financial autonomy and sustainability of European political foundations, especially in view of their growing responsibilities, and underlines that a sustainable funding framework is essential to preserve their independence and prevent undue private influence;

10. Encourages the Authority, in cooperation with the Commission, to continue and further develop its dialogue with national competent authorities, with a view to raising awareness of the impact of national funding frameworks on the functioning of European political foundations and identifying practical solutions aimed at avoiding unintended constraints on their financial sustainability;

11. Recognises the efforts of European political foundations to diversify and stabilise their sources of funding within the existing regulatory framework and encourages the continued balanced and transparent use of available own-resource mechanisms;

Final considerations

12. Calls on the Commission to carry out a targeted review of the funding provisions applicable to European political foundations under the Regulation, drawing on the findings of this report and on the experience gained since the recast Regulation’s entry into force;

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;

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;

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;

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16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2025/2445, adopted as a recast of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014, represents a significant update of the legal framework governing European political parties and European political foundations. It was adopted in response to evolving democratic, legal and geopolitical challenges, including concerns related to transparency, accountability and foreign interference. European political foundations occupy a specific and indispensable position within the Union’s democratic ecosystem. Distinct from electoral campaigning, their mission lies in fostering European political awareness, supporting policy development, encouraging civic engagement and enabling long-term political reflection at European level. This role is explicitly recognised in Article 10(4) TEU and is further reflected in the tasks assigned to foundations under the Regulation.

The Co-rapporteurs consider that this role has grown in strategic importance. European political foundations increasingly act as platforms for transnational debate, policy research and political education, linking political actors with academia, civil society and citizens across borders.

The application of the recast Regulation coincides with a period of profound geopolitical uncertainty. The European Union is confronted with hybrid threats, disinformation, geopolitical rivalry, technological disruption, climate change and long-term demographic and socio-economic transformations. These developments underline the need for stronger democratic resilience and for enhanced strategic foresight. European political foundations are particularly well placed to contribute to this effort. Through research, scenario-building, comparative analysis and training, they help prepare political systems and future decision-makers for long-term challenges extending well beyond the immediate electoral cycle.

At the same time, the monitoring exercise shows that the recast Regulation does not sufficiently address long-standing concerns related to the funding framework applicable to European political foundations. While compliance obligations have increased, the overall level and structure of funding have not evolved in a way that reflects the growing scope and strategic relevance of foundations’ activities.

The Co-rapporteurs note that current funding levels remain structurally insufficient. Strict caps on own resources and self-generated income, combined with increased administrative and compliance costs, limit the capacity of foundations to engage in ambitious, long-term and forward-looking activities.

On this basis, the report calls on the Commission to carry out a targeted review of the funding provisions applicable to European political foundations and, where appropriate, to present a legislative proposal revising those provisions. Such a revision should strike a balanced approach, ensuring sufficient resources while maintaining high standards of transparency, accountability and independence.

ANNEX: DECLARATIONS OF INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteurs declare that they included in their report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that they received, in the preparation of the draft report, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register1, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

1. Interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register

2. Representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteurs.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteurs declare that they have submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.