MEPs discussed the potential role of a European Electoral Authority in light of potential reforms, as well as case studies on electoral campaigning rules, with input from eminent experts.
On Wednesday 27 October the Constitutional Affairs Committee hosted a public hearing on the Role of a European Electoral Authority, followed by a presentation on the EP study on “Financing of political structures in EU Member States – How funding is provided to national political parties, their foundations and parliamentary political groups, and how the use of funds is controlled”.
Setting up a European Electoral Authority for fully European Elections
The hearing took place in two parts and revolved around the establishment of a European Electoral Authority, as envisioned in the draft own-initiative legislative report by Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D, ES) on the reform of European elections rules. The following experts presented their arguments:
- Professor Luciano Bardi, Professor of political science and international relations, European University Institute, Florence;
- Ph.D., D.Litt. Magdalena Bainczyk, University Professor at Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University and Chief Analyst at Institute for Western Affairs, Poznan; and
- Doctor Georg Thiel, Federal Returning Officer and President of the Federal Statistics Office (German Federal Republic), Wiesbaden.
Based on the experts’ contributions, MEPs focused on the potential scope and responsibilities of such an Authority, as well as its composition and independence, in the context of other long-standing proposals and ideas for reforming European Elections, e.g. the formalisation of the Spitzenkandidaten process, or the creation of a European constituency and transnational lists. Between the MEPs and the guest speakers, a broad range of positions was put forward, with some arguments raised against the proposed reforms and the establishment of an Authority altogether, although the majority of speakers supported the idea of further Europeanising elections.
The case for applying international standards in political campaigning in the EU
After the hearing, MEPs were also given a presentation by Quentin Reed, Prague/Czechia and Tommy Krieger, Centre for European Economic Policy (ZEW), Mannheim/Germany. The debate revolved around campaign spending, transparency, and party income/donation rules, as well as on questions related to establishing common European provisions for party financing – under the prism of the aforementioned proposals for new European Elections rules. MEPs also touched on voter age harmonisation, the balance between public and private financing for political parties, and how the rules and specificities of European political parties compare to those of their national counterparts.
You can catch up with the recorded exchanges on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre: part 1 (starting c. the 11:15 mark) and part 2.
Further information
- Committee on Constitutional Affairs
- Press release – EU democracy: ways to empower European political parties and foundations (19.10.2021)
- Legislative train (reform of the electoral law)
- EP Research Service: Transnational electoral lists: Ways to Europeanise elections to the European Parliament (08.02.2021)
- European Parliament Study: Europeanising European Public Spheres (15.06.2020)