Activities of Andrew DUFF related to 2010/2201(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Political parties at European level and rules regarding their funding (debate)
Political parties at European level and rules regarding their funding (debate)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AA
Recital AA
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that political parties – and their linked political foundations and poli– are essentical institutions – work inruments of a parliamentary democracy as ‘conveyer belts’, holding parliamentarians to account, helping to shape the political will of citizens, drawing up political programmes, training and selecting candidates, maintaining the dialogue with citizens and enabling citizens to express their views;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the European political parties, as they stand, are not in a position to fully play this role in the context of the European Parliament because they are merely the umbrella organisations of national parties and not directly in touch with the electorate in the Member States;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes, however, with satisfaction that the European political parties and political foundations and institutes have nevertheless become an indispensable actor in the political life of the European Union, particularly shaping and voicing the respective positions of the various ‘political families’;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the need for all European political party to be made up of national or regional parties that respect and implement internal democracy (in the democratic election of party bodies, and democratic decision-making)ies to conform to the highest standards of internal party democracy;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is convinced that authentic legal status for the European political parties and a legal personality of their own, based directly on the law of the European Union, will enable the European political parties to act as representative agents of the European public interest next step in the development of European political parties should be the establishment of a statute which reconstitutes the parties on a common basis under EU law;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that interaction of the European political parties involvese importance of the adoption of transnational party lists for the adopelection of a transnational party list; points out that without legal status there can bportion of seats in the European Parliament, and notes the scale of the challenges this reform will pose to European political parties which will have nto prospect of adopting a transnational list of candidates for Parliamentupgrade their activities and strengthen their organisational capacity in order to compose the lists and campaign effectively on a pan-EU basis for votes and seats;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that this would be a firstreform will be the key step towards changing the character of the European elections, moving away from their image as ‘synchronised national elections’;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. RDecalls a demand made long ago, namely to give the European political parties and foundations a legal statute, enabling them to acquire legal personality under EU law rather than the law of the State where they are established or recognised; considers that such a statute could at the same time lay down minimum requirements as to their functioning and structure; invites the Committee on Constitutional Affairs to draw up a legislative proposal with this aim, to be submitted to the Commissionides therefore to request the Commission to propose a draft statute for European political parties in accordance with Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Points out that the award of funding and settlement of the accounts of the European political parties and foundations are bureaucratic and cumbersome procedures; considers that this stems to a great extent from the fact that the funding falls under the regime of ‘grants’ within the meaning of the Financial Regulation, which is appropriate for the funding of projects or associations but not for parties; considers, further, that the system of grants is not in line with the funding arrangements of parties at Member State level;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Is therefore of the opinion that it would be helpfulthe Commission should propose to create a new Title in the Financial Regulation dedicated especially to, and tailor-made for, the funding of European parties and foundations; considers that the Funding Regulation should, where its financial implementation is concerned, refer to the provisions of this new Title;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Points out that the activities of a political party cannot be programmed over a lengthy period, since it has to react constantly to changing situations; considers that to ask for the submission of ‘annual work programmes’ as a precondition for funding is in these circumstances an unnecessary bureaucratic burden which should be removed from the funding regimeConsiders that to ask for the submission of ‘annual work programmes’ as a precondition for funding is inappropriate for political parties; points out, moreover, that such a requirement does not exist in any Member State of the Union;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Points out that in the context of this revision the limitation imposed on European political foundations to use their funds within the European Union should be removed; thereby enabling these Foundations to play a role within as well as beyond European borders;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Points out that since 2008 European political parties have been entitled to use sums received as grants for ‘financing campaigns conducted ... in the context of the elections to the European Parliament ...’ (Article 8, third paragraph, of the Funding Regulation); further points out, however, that they are prohibited from using these sums for financing ‘referenda campaigns’; considers that the reason for this is probably a concern that European parties and foundations could interfere in the domestic affairs of Member States; believes, however that, if European political parties are to play a political role at EU level, they should have the right to participate in such campaigns as long as the subject of the referendum has a direct link with issues concerning the European Union;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. InvitUrges the European political parties to begin now, without being required to do so by the legislator, on the following reforms: the possibility of individual membership; and the election by all party members of delegates to party congresses, which in turn designate the decision- making bodies of the party, submitting programmes and manifestos either to a referendum of all members or to a congress, and deciding in the same way on the designation of their nominees for the presidency of the Commissioncreate conditions for the recruitment of individual citizens as direct members, and for the appropriate participation of the direct membership in the internal activities and decision-making processes of the parties;