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Although the 2006 local elections can hardly be described as 'historical,' there is sufficient evidence to distinguish remarkable characteristics associated with this elections. For the first time in decades, turnout has been growing. This evolution can be explained by several factors. This article emphasizes besides the impact of changes in the electoral rules, transformations in demographic structure of the population & the stake of the elections the importance of the media campaign surrounding the elections. However, in spite of this (national) campaigns, there are more than enough indications that local politics keeps its local 'nature.' Secondly, the 2006 elections were the first ones organized after the transfer of the responsibility for municipality legislation from the federal state to the regions. This means that each region designed its own local government architecture & electoral rules. Yet, in practice, the consequences of this transformation seem to be very limited. Thirdly, & particular in the Flemish region, 'strong mayors' arose from the ballot stations (with the Antwerp mayor as the most spectacular case). The consequences of this trend will in the future be the issue of a new debate concerning the relations between council, board of alderman & mayor. Adapted from the source document.

In November 2003, at the end of a ten-year process, the EU passed legislation (Regulation (EC) No 20044/2003) on the granting of public subsidies to European political parties, thus laying down the conditions governing both their funding & their implicit recognition. The article explores in detail this normative framework & the political implications of the European party finance law. It is argued that the case for granting political parties EU public subsidies has been based on the same arguments as national party-funding legislation & that the European legislation contains provisions that resemble those applicable within member states, despite the fact that political parties perform substantially different functions at European & national levels owing to the special features of the EU's institutional & political architecture. It is also argued that the granting of EU subsidies to political parties has very largely been cast within the debate on the "democratic deficit," but it is unlikely to contribute substantially to remedying that deficit & to fostering the development of a party system at the EU level that can help to kick-start momentum towards integration. The article analyzes the European party finance law by comparison with the national legislation of several member states, & presents a preliminary assessment of the impact of the new Regulation on the European political landscape during the first two years of application. References. Adapted from the source document.