BAN ON DONATIONS FROM FOREIGN INTERESTS TO POLITICAL PARTIES IN TH EU
Submitted by christian on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 13:45
- Austria: Donations from foreign natural or legal persons must not exceed € 2,500
- Belgium: Donations from foreign persons or bodies are not prohibited and are not subject to any specific regulations
- Bulgaria: A party, a coalition or a nomination committee shall not receive the following in relation to an election campaign: (...) 3. funds from foreign legal entities, except for individuals, who are nationals of another Member State of the European Union and who have electoral rights under the Code; 4. funds from religious institutions; 5. funds from foreign governments or foreign state-owned enterprises, foreign trade companies or foreign non-profit organizations.
- Croatia: There shall be no financing of political parties, independent deputies, national minority deputies, independent members of the representative bodies of local and regional governmental units, independent slates and candidates by: – foreign states, foreign political parties and foreign legal persons
- Cyprus: Donations from other countries are forbidden, as well as donations coming from people without Cyprus citizenship. In addition to state funding, a political party may accept private contributions, either financial or otherwise, from natural or legal persons, provided that they do not come from another state, or agencies and companies in which it participates.
- Czech Republic: Banned sources include “foreign legal entities (except foreign political parties and foundations) and foreign natural persons who do not have permanent residence status in the Czech Republic.
- Denmark: There are no particular restrictions to limit donations from abroad
- Estonia: Ban is not mentioned in the political party or parliamentary election law or in GRECO. A political party may receive income only from the following sources: 1) membership fees established on the basis of the articles of association of the political party; 2) allocations from the state budget, 3) donations made on the terms and conditions laid down in the Act,; 4) transactions with the property of the political party.
- Finland: Ban does not apply to donations from foreign individuals or international organisations that share the ideological stance of the political party.
- France: Aucune association de financement ou aucun mandataire financier d’un parti politique ne peut recevoir directement ou indirectement, des contributions ou aides matérielles d’un Etat étranger ou d’une personne morale de droit étranger. Contributions or in-kind support by foreign states or a foreign political party are also prohibited which does not rule out donations by foreign individuals.
- Germany: There is however a limit on how much foreigners may contribute which is EUR 1,000. The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: [...] donations from sources outside the territorial scope of this Act unless: a) these donations accrue directly to a political party from the assets of a German as defined by the Basic Law, of a citizen of the European Union, or of a business enterprise, of whose shares more than 50 per cent are owned by Germans as defined by the Basic Law or by a citizen of the European Union or whose registered office is located in a Member State of the European Union; b) they are donations transferred to parties of national minorities in their traditional settlement areas from countries which are adjacent to the Federal Republic of Germany and where members of their ethnic group live; or c) it is a donation not exceeding 1,000 euros made by a foreigner
- Greece: Foreign donations are banned, both from natural and legal persons. It is prohibited for political parties to receive any benefits from a natural person, who are not Greek nationals, and legal persons not having their registered office on the Greek territory.
- Hungary: Former rules only restricted contributions from foreign states. From 2014, new provisions restrict contributions from any foreign organizations and citizens. The rule applies to the general financial management of parties, there are no particular laws restricting foreign contributions for individual candidates during election campaigns. The party may not accept patrimony contributions from other states. The party may not accept patrimony contributions from foreign organizations – regardless of their legal statuses – and natural persons who are not Hungarian citizens. The party may not accept anonymous donations; such donations shall be transferred to the foundation provided . So, from 1/1/2014 apart from donations from foreign states, contributions from other foreign organizations and persons are also banned.
- Ireland: Foreign donations are not permitted. A foreign donation is defined as a donation from an individual who is not resident in the island of Ireland and is not an Irish citizen. A foreign donation also includes a donation from a corporate, or unincorporated, body of persons which does not keep an office in Ireland from which one or more of its principal activities may be redirected. A foreign donation must be notified and remitted to the Standards Commission within 14 days of its receipt. As an alternative, the donation may be returned to the donor within 14 days. If the donation is returned, a written record of such return is to be kept for the purpose of its being furnished to the Standards Commission, if required.
- Italy: Donations from foreign interests to political parties are allowed; they are regulated as other kinds of donations. There are no limits on contributions from foreign entities.
- Latvia: Persons with right to receive an alien passport are excepted from ban. Political organisations (parties) may accept gifts (donations) from: 1) Latvian citizens; 2) persons who in accordance with the law have the right to receive an Aliens passport of the Republic of Latvia, 3) the law on financing of political organisations (Parties).
- Lithuania: Members of other EU member states are in some cases allowed to make donations.The following shall have the right to make donations to political campaign participants: 1) citizens of the Republic of Lithuania – to participants of all political campaigns; 2) permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania holding citizenship of another EU Member State – to participants of campaigns of elections to the European Parliament and municipal councils; 3) permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania who do not hold citizenship of another EU Member State or stateless persons – to participants of political campaigns of elections to municipal councils. Sources of funding of political parties shall be permanent (sources of funding traditional for this political party during the period between political campaigns and during a political campaign) and political campaign funding sources. Permanent sources of funding of a political party: 1) membership fees of the political party; 2) state budget appropriations; 4) funds received by the political party from its other activities; 6) loans for the political party by the banks registered in the Republic of Lithuania; 7) interest on the funds kept in the bank account; 8) an amount equal to one per cent of the annual income tax paid by a Lithuanian resident who voluntarily allocates the said amount for the political campaign.
- Luxembourg: Member state of CE / Prohibition on foreign donations (including donations by foreign moral and legal persons.
- Malta: There is a ban on foreign donations, but exceptions could be made. Although foreign donations are, in principle, not allowed the Monitoring Committee established by the Foreign Interference Act may authorize receipts of foreign donations.
- Netherlands: There are no restrictions as regards the sources of the private funding. The Netherlands is one of 12 countries that do not impose limits on foreign donations.
- Poland: Only Polish citizens with their permanent domicile in Poland can donate. Financial resources of: 1) the election committee of an organization, 2) the voters election committee shall only come from the contribution of Polish citizens with their permanent domicile in the Polish Republic, and bank loans taken out solely for purposes related to elections. The financial resources of the election committee for the candidate for President of the Republic can only come from the contributions of Polish citizens with permanent domicile in the Polish Republic, and the election funds of political parties and bank loans taken out for purposes related to elections.
- Portugal: Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons. Political parties may contract loans from credit institutions and financial companies.
- Romania: Ban applies to donations from abroad consisting in assets necessary for political activity, but does not apply to propaganda material received from the international political organisations, political party affiliations, political parties, or political formations in political collaboration. European Union citizens residing in Romania can make donations if they are members of the party. Accepting donations from other states or foreign organizations and from individuals who do not have Romanian citizenship or the legal person of a different nationality than Romanian is prohibited, except those received from citizens of the Member States European Union resident in Romania and been a member of the political party which gave the donation. Acceptance of donations from other states or foreign organizations, as well as from foreign natural or legal persons is prohibited. It is forbidden to campaign financing, directly or indirectly by foreign individuals or legal entities. Parties may receive donations both from legal and from natural persons, with the exception of trade unions or religious entities, foreign persons, foreign countries or organisations (goods coming from international political organisations and which are “necessary for the political activity” may be accepted under certain circumstances.
- Slovakia: Ban does not apply to foreign political parties, groups of political parties or legal persons established or owned in majority by a political party. A number of restrictions apply to the sources of this funding. Political parties are prohibited from receiving gifts and services.. foreign citizens, legal persons with headquarters abroad if their majority owner is neither a Slovak citizen nor a legal person having its headquarters in Slovakia (with the exception of political parties, groups of politicakl parties or legal persons established or owned in majority by a political party.
- Slovenia: Parties may not obtain funds from contributions from foreign legal persons and natural persons, and foreign sole traders and individuals performing an activity independently, from income derived from the assets of the party abroad, or obtain any other funds for the party abroad.
- Spain: Political parties can accept donations from foreign natural persons, within the limits provided by the law for private donations. However, they are not allowed to receive donations from foreign governments
- Sweden: Receiving money from a foreign power or someone acting on behalf of a foreign power is a criminal offence if the purpose is to influence public opinion in matters fundamental to the governance of the country or a matter of national security (within the purview of Parliament or the government).
- United Kingdom: In the UK system a donation to a political party is defined as a contribution exceeding £500 . Foreigners cannot make donations since they are not listed as permissible donors, except where they support international travel, accommodation or subsistence by party officers/staff (as long as the amount is "reasonable").
Add new comment