Constitutional Affairs Committee MEPs meeting on 15 March, called for European-level political parties and foundations to have a legal personality based directly on EU law. Greater flexibility in funding, a higher ceiling for donations and a right for European parties to take part in referendum campaigns are among other suggestions made by Committee.

Most of the 13 European political parties receiving EU funding are currently registered as non-governmental organisations in Belgium, and the rest are based in other Member States. Facing this situation, MEPs argue that an authentic legal status and a legal personality would enable the European political parties and their political foundations to act as representative agents of the European public interest.

Therefore, the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament meeting on 15 March, adopted a report on the functioning of the current regulation on European political parties. The report foresees a series of proposals aimed at achieving a real legal status for EU-level parties which are now considered as NGOs.

The committee recommends several reforms to the rules on the funding of political parties. According to these rules on funding of political parties, the European Parliament publishes every year a grant in the form of an operating subsidy to political parties that apply and which satisfy the conditions laid down in the Regulation. Currently EU funding can cover 85% of the expenditure of a party, which must therefore find the remaining 15% itself. MEPs believe the 15% could be reduced to 10%. They also suggest raising the ceiling for donations from 12,000 euro to 25,000 euro per year per donor and bringing forward the point in time when the annual grant to the parties is paid.

A distinction is made between granting a party recognition as a European political party and giving it funding. MEPs believe that to receive EU funding the party should have at least one Member in the European Parliament. They also suggest that European-level parties be allowed to take part in referendum campaigns, as long as the subject has a direct link with issues concerning the European Union. The current regulation forbids this.