FUNDING OF EUROPEAN POLITICAL PARTIES

In order to receive a grant from the Parliament, a party must satisfy certain conditions:

• the party must have legal personality in the Member State in which its seat is located,
• it must be represented, in at least one quarter of Member States, by Members of the European Parliament or by Members of national or regional Parliaments or Members of regional assemblies,
• it must observe the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law,
• it must have participated in elections to the European Parliament, or expressed the intention to do so.

Any party meeting the above-mentioned conditions may apply for funding, by sending its application by 30 September each year to the Parliament, together with its work programme and budget for the following year.

Once the applications are evaluated and approved, the funds are distributed among these parties according to a set scale:

• 15% are distributed in equal shares,
• 85% are distributed among those which have elected Members in the European Parliament, in proportion to the number of those Members.

A first instalment, representing 80% of the total awarded grant, is paid in principle by the end of the first quarter of each year.

The balance is paid the following year after approval of final reports of the parties by the Bureau of the European Parliament. The final report mainly consists of:

• a final report on the implementation of the programme of activities;
• a final financial statement of the eligible expenditure actually incurred, based on the structure of the provisional budget,
• a comprehensive summary of revenue and expenditure corresponding to the accounts for the period of eligibility covered by the grant decision,
• a report on an external audit of the accounts carried out by an independent auditor, certifying that the grant has been used in compliance with the rules.

Eligible Expenditures

The grant can be used to meet the expenditure directly linked to the objectives set out in the party's political programme, such as:

• meetings and conferences,
• publications, studies and advertisements,
• administrative, personnel and travel costs,
• campaign costs connected to European elections.

Non-Eligible Expenditures

The grant cannot be used, among others, to meet expenditure such as:

• campaign costs for referenda and elections (except for European elections),
• direct or indirect funding of national parties, election candidates and political foundations both at national and at European level,
• debts and debts service charges.

Grants from the EP to political parties at EU level per party and per year (Max. Grant Awarded) 2014

1. Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) (www.aecr.eu).  The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) brings together parties from across Europe that believe in personal liberty, parliamentary democracy, national sovereignty, strong families, low taxes, sound money, free trade and the rule of law. It comprises Centre-Right parties from EU and non-EU countries, all of whom have equal status under its rules. It works  alongside the ECR Group in the European Parliament, the New Direction think-tank, the European Young Conservatives and allied groups on Europe's other international assemblies. AECR works with allied parties on other continents and are full members of the International Democrats Union. Max Grant Award: € 1 958 083

2. Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party (ALDE) (www.alde.eu). The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party is the party for liberal democrat values in Europe. With more than 55 liberal member parties across the continent, it is translating the principle of freedom into politics, economics and all other areas of society. Max Grant Award: € 2 812 798

3. European Alliance for Freedom (www.eurallfree.org). The European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) is a pan-European alliance of Members of the European Parliament, together with national and regional parliamentarians and parties, united under a political platform calling for national freedom and democracy in opposition to centralised, supranational control. Concerned with issues of freedom and democracy in the EU, the EAF does not operate within the Left-Right political paradigm and its members come from across a wide political spectrum. )

Max Grant Award: € 521 198

4. Alliance of European National Movements (www.aemn.eu).  The European level political party „Alliance of European National Movements" was formed in Budapest, Hungary on the 24 October 2009, by a number of nationalist parties and national movements from various countries in Europe. Since then, AEMN dedicates its political activities to protect and nurture the diversity of autochthonous cultures, traditions and languages in a Europe of free, independent and equal nations, in the framework of a confederation of sovereign nation states. Max Grant Award: € 434,366

5. EU Democrats (www.eudemocrats.org).  The EUD is a pan-European alliance of EU-critics and opponents of EU membership. The EUD opposes further centralization of power to Brussels and wants powers transferred back to national and regional parliaments and decisions taken as close as possible to the citizens. The EUD does not take a position on left-right policy issues – this is a matter for democratically elected national parliaments. The EUD doesn’t provide a platform for racist or xenophobe views. Increased transparency, accountability, subsidiarity and effective democratic control within the EU is its goal. Max Grant Award:  € 353 977

6. European Christian Political Movement  (www.ecpm.info). The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is a political association of Christian-democratic parties and organisations which are active on all different political levels in Europe. ECPM is represented on the national or European level in 10 EU member states. ECPM has a broad scope on issues and themes. During the European elections campaign ECPM focused on the following five spearheads: 1. Marriage and human dignity, 2. Human trafficking and sex trade, 3. Sustainable entrepreneurship and economy, 4. Priority for family, 5. Freedom of faith, conscience and expression. Max Grant Award: € 387 534

7. European Democratic Party (www.pde-edp.eu) The European Democratic Party gathers parties and representatives who wish for a more democratic, integrated European Union, closer to its citizens. Europe is facing an addition of crisis: economic, social, political… The peoples, racked with doubt and distrust, are turning away from the very idea of Europe. For those who share the European ideal, this is a tremendous challenge that needs a decisive strategy. This is why the European Democratic Party intends to rebuild the European project and to offer to the peoples new, audacious but credible solutions, with new perspective. This is the challenge it choses to overcome together. Max Grant Award: € 653 919

8. European Free Alliance (www.e-f-a.org). The European Free Alliance (EFA) works to make the idea of a “Europe of the Peoples” a reality. It brings together 40 progressive nationalist, regionalist and autonomist parties from across the EU who represent stateless nations, regions, and traditional national minorities. EFA focuses its activity on the promotion of the right to self-determination, human, civil and political rights, democracy, internal enlargement, multi-level governance, cultural and linguistic diversity; as well as on nationalism, regionalism, autonomy and independence. The right to self-determination is a cornerstone of EFA’s political programme and ideology.

Max Grant Award : € 554 614

9. European Green Party (www.europeangreens.eu). The European Green Party is a political force that's clearly identifiable through its commitment to environmental responsibility, individual freedom, inclusive democracy, diversity, gender equality, global sustainable development and non-violence. Its members are made up of Green parties from European countries (although not necessarily from European Union member states). Max Grant Award:  € 1 917 890

10. European People’s Party (www.epp.eu).  The EPP is Europe’s centre-right political family. It strives for a Europe of values close to the people and based on democracy, transparency and responsibility, as well as prosperity through the promotion of a social market economy.
As the political heirs of the EU’s founding fathers, the EPP includes 74 parties from 39 countries. Max Grant Award: € 9 450 842

11. Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy ( www.meldeuropa.com) . MELD is committed to the principles of Democracy, Freedom and cooperation among sovereign States in an effort to impede the complete bureaucratisation of Europe. Its members are opposed to further European integration through treaties and policies that exacerbate the present democratic deficit and the centralist political structure of the EU. They believe in : Freedom and cooperation among people of different States; More democracy and respect of the People’s will; Respecting Europe’s history, traditions and cultural values; Respecting national differences and freedom of votes. Max Grant Award: € 1 052 747

12. Party of European Socialists (www.pes.eu) The Party of European Socialists (PES) brings together 53 Socialist, Social Democratic and Labour Parties of the European Union and neighboring countries. The PES European Parliament election campaign put people at its core reflecting the PES commitment to the common values of democracy, equality, solidarity and social justice. Max Grant Award: € 6 376 706

13. Party of the European Left (www.european-left.org). The Party of the European Left unites democratic parties of the alternative and progressive Left on the European continent that strive for the consistent transformation of today's social relationships into a peaceful and socially just society on the basis of the diversity of our situations, our histories and our common values. Founded on the 9th May 2004 in Rome, the Party of the European Left (EL) consists of 26 member and 7 observer parties from all over Europe. It works alongside the political foundation Transform! Europe, social movements and trade-unions. Max Grant Award: € 1 219 120