Prodi attacked over ‘vague’ proposals for party funding

Date: 19/04/01

By John Shelley

EUROPEAN socialists have attacked Romano Prodi's plans to give political parties direct European funding as ill-thought out and "very vague".

They say the Commission's proposals will not make the funding of EU political groups transparent and accountable as promised.

The Commission president tabled his plans for a European Political Parties' statute after stinging criticism from the European Court of Auditors over the backdoor way in which parties currently get their cash.

Prodi's statute suggests an annual €7 million budget for party funding.

But Antony Beumer, secretary general of the Party of European Socialists, says without radical amendment the Commission's plans will do little to improve the situation.

"If these rules go through as they are, the Court of Auditors will have every reason to continue to be critical," he told European Voice.

EU leaders agreed at the Nice summit in December to write into the Union's treaties a legal basis for European political parties, opening the door for above-the-board funding. But these laws will only come on line after the Nice Treaty is ratified, in 2003 at the earliest.

In order to speed up the process, the Commission tabled plans in January for a statute which could be put in place under the existing treaties.

Initially this move was welcomed by the main European political parties as well as the main political groupings in the European Parliament.

But Socialists now say that although they still want to get rules for party funding up and running as soon as possible, a fine-tooth examination of the plans suggests they have been rushed out. In particular, they say detailed analysis is urgently needed on how European laws on political parties will tally with national provisions.

"We want speed but we want speed with quality," said Beumer. "If more time would allow us to have an additional analysis of all national law then we should be taking it."

In a meeting of the Parliament's constitutional affairs committee last week the Commission's proposals got a mixed reception from MEPs.

German socialist Jo Leinen said they should include firm penalties for any party caught abusing the system.

Right wing Portuguese MEP José Ribeiro E Castro went so far as to question whether it would be possible to implement anything before Nice is ratified.

"Proposing ahead like this, jumping the gun, may cause more problems than it solves," he said.

Under EU rules it will be up to member states to approve or reject the Commission's plans.

The constitutional affairs committee is due to agree its non-binding recommendations on the plans next week.

European socialists have attacked Romano Prodi's plans to give political parties direct European funding as ill-thought out and 'very vague'.