See question(s) : E-002013/2022
EN
E-002013/2022
Answer given by Vice-President Jourová
on behalf of the European Commission
(22.8.2022)
It is the competence of the Member States to lay down specific rules on financing of national political parties. The Commission works with the Member States through the EU Cooperation Network on Elections to support exchanges on topics relevant to free and fair elections, including foreign interferences, political financing, data protection, cyber-security and transparency. Delivering on the European Democracy Action Plan1, an election resilience mechanism was established to support Member States in building their capacity to address election threats, including covert political financing.
As part of the package on reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections from November 20212 , the Commission put forward two legislative proposals accompanied by non-legislative measures aimed, inter alia, at ensuring high transparency standards of political advertising. Next to a legislative proposal3 on transparency obligations applicable to political advertising, the Commission also proposed to set down specific obligations for European political parties in their use of political advertising4. The Commission also invites Member States to apply the same transparency standards to national political parties5.
These standards will also help increase transparency of political financing. The new rules would ensure that for each political advertisement, the public will see information about the identity of its sponsor or the entity ultimately controlling the sponsor, the amounts spent on it and the sources of the funds used.
In addition, under the 2022 Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation6, relevant signatories have committed to a similar range of actions related to the transparency of political advertising.
1 https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-european-democracy/european-democracyaction-plan_en
2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/eu-citizenship/democracy-and-electoralrights_en
3 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12826-Political-advertising-improvingtransparency_en
4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0734
5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0730
6 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/2022-strengthened-code-practice-disinformation
Source: Answer to a written question – Covert financing of EU political parties – E-002013/2022(ASW)