gawain

UKIP would be nothing if it reneaged on its belief that Britain should withdraw from the EU. That is, was, remains and will be our key policy. There can be no backsliding on it. If we did then I, and thousands of others would resign our membership of the Party.

I hope that makes the position clear.

EU accounting rules forbid the use of EU funding for political campaigning. The EUD are affected by this as much as everybody else. Anybody who has tried to get Ind/Dem funding will know how seriopusly that the institutions take this rule.

However there are now European Political Foundations, which can be set up by European Political Parties which, can use taxpayers money to fund election campaigning. None have yet been set up, but the tender process has already been launched. Their legal basis was created lats year and last month they were alloted a European parliament budget line. I cannot remember exactly how much of your money they get, but it is a fair whack.

Though Bonde will continue to be deeply involved in the Eurocritical movement I cannot see him standing again,.

Barboo

Gawain, I refer to the EP's Press Service information 'Sounder funding arrangements for European political parties' dated 29.11.07, which says:

quote

A Commission proposal to allow European political parties to finance campaign activities for the 2009 elections is backed by the European Parliament. . . . .

The existing legislation on the financing of European political parties needs to be amended to enhance the European nature of Parliament's elections, and European political parties should enjoy more flexibility in managing their funds and financing their electoral activities, says the House in a report by Jo Leinen (PES, DE) adopted with 538 votes in favour, 74 against and 10 abstentions.

No funding of national parties permitted

To enhance political debate at EU level with a view to the European Parliament's 2009 elections, the European Parliament welcomes a Commission proposal to allow European political parties to use their money to finance campaign activities for European elections.

Such use of public funds is currently forbidden under EU law. The report as approved by the European Parliament also endorses the general principle that in no circumstances should these funds constitute direct or indirect financing of other parties and particularly of national parties and candidates.

unquote

This item goes on to say:

quote

Foundations

If approved by the Council and the Parliament, the Commission proposal for amending the 2003 Regulation on the statute and financing of European political parties would also introduce a new legal basis for establishing European political foundations.

According to the proposal, endorsed by the House, foundations would have to be formally associated with an already established European party in order to access funding - a foundation may receive funds only by applying through the political party with which is affiliated.

Finally, the proposed regulation leaves to European political parties the task of defining their relations with associated foundations, including an "appropriate degree of separation".

unquote


I understood from this that the proposal is for funding of the new European political foundations to be separate from the funding of European political parties, and for the latter to be amended to allow these parties to use their funds for campaigning in the Euro elections which they have not been permitted to do in the past. Is my understanding wrong, and if so how? Re the Ind/Dem, none of this would apply as it is a group not a party, whereas the EUD as a pan-European party will benefit if the rules are changed.

gawain

Barboo,

My understanding, and I do not pretend to an oracle on this, merely an informed observer, is that the foundations arw up and running and are specifically designed to allow European Political Parties to, through the foundations spend taxpayers money on pan European election campiagning in the forthcoming European elections.

Any rule changes on the use of European Political Party funding to spend money on campaigning will not come in in time for the 2009 elections, and there will be a surprising amount of opposition at Council when the proposals arrive there...

Ref the Ind/Dem your supposition is correct. We are a group, not a party, thus any rule change will not affect how we are allowed to spend money. In the case of the EUD, though Bonde co-sponsored the ECJ case against the creation of European Poliitical Parties, when that case was lost he bent to the prevailing wind and set up the EUD. UKIP did not join out of princciple - yup we still have them.

This of course disadvantages us financially, but gives us greater freedom of movement and allows us to maintain a level of honour.

To be fair to the Tories they too refused to join a European Political Party. Though oddly through the membership of David Heathcote-Amory, MP for Wells in the EUD, EUdemocrats.org one could say that they are in effect already members.

Barboo

Interesting. Many thanks.

There was also a suggestion about two years ago that in 2009 10% of the EP seats should be set aside for election from transnational party lists. Do you know if that's still a goer, or did it die a death?

Geoffrey Collier

Members of the United Nations subscribe to the concept of domestic sovereignty. National political parties, are institutional expressions of that domestic sovereignty. Whether in national parliaments or the European one, anything which penalises the national political parties, particularly to the advantage multi-national ones, should be resisted without reservation. This is duplicity of a most blatant kind.