Search results

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.