The following table describes the status, the proposer and other metadata of this motion.
| Party: | EGP Committee |
|---|
R11: European Political Parties must remain pan-European!
Title
European Political Parties must remain pan-European!
Draft text
Since late 2021, a recast of the regulation 1141 on the statute and funding of
European political parties and foundations (EUPPFs) has been underway. What
might sound technical, will have a massive impact on the future of the European
Green Party: current developments inside the European Council would make equal
membership for parties from non-EU countries impossible. This goes against our
very self-understanding: The European Green Party is a dedicated pan-European
movement that goes beyond the current borders of the European Union. While we
have been strongly supportive of the reform’s efforts to address current legal
uncertainties and to set up a regulatory framework that is up to the challenge
of current political times, these developments are extremely worrisome.
The current position of the European Council in the ongoing negotiations is to
introduce a separate membership category for those parties that are located
outside of the European Union. Furthermore, member parties from outside the EU
would be deprived of their voting rights within EUPPFs. Finally, representatives
of non-EU parties would not be allowed to hold any office of executive power
within a European political party or foundation. This goes against the core
identity of the European Greens.
The concerns raised by the Council about foreign interference are to be taken
extremely seriously. As European Greens, we have always been clear in our
commitment to protect our democratic structures and values against foreign
interference. We continue to support measures that limit or prevent foreign
interference as well as continue to call for the highest possible standards to
ensure transparency of European political parties and foundations.
Scandals like “Qatargate”, which we as Greens have condemned strongly, show that
unfortunately EU institutions and its politicians can be permeable to corruption
and foreign interference and that we should do our utmost to put preventive
measures in place.
We are however convinced that the proposed exclusion of parties from outside the
EU in decision-making and executive positions of EUPPFs is not the right answer,
and we have worked together closely with the Green Group in the European
Parliament, but also national governments with Green representation, to move
this reform forward.
It is our conviction that European political parties and foundations, have a
vital role to play in further developing the European demos.
From its inception, EGP has been a pan-European movement that actively engages
with EU and non-EU members.
In times when Europe stands united in its solidarity with Ukraine, as well as
with those fighting Russian threats, from Tbilisi to Chisinau and other Eastern
Partnership countries; when our dedication to a European future of the Western
Balkan states cannot be timid, we believe, EUPPFs are essential bridge builders
to stay engaged and foster democratic, pro-European forces on the ground and
contribute to strengthening their ties to EU processes and values.
- AM-43-1 Miljöpartiet de gröna
- AM-43-2 Green Party of England and Wales
- AM-45-1 Green Party of England and Wales
European political parties and foundations should also have a vital role to keep
and deepen the EU’s relationships with the United Kingdom, Norway as well as
Switzerland and Iceland.
Therefore, the European Green Party:
- Reaffirms its commitment to its non-EU members and to cross-border
cooperation needed to address the massive political challenges ahead
adequately.
- Strongly opposes the current proposal by the European Council to create a
separate membership for non-EU member parties, some of which are founding
members of the EGP, and to exclude them from any decision-making processes
within a European political party or foundation.
- Opposes the political signal being sent to European neighbouring countries
and their citizens of the increased walling-off of the European Union and
its member states, which provides fertile ground for anti-EU propaganda,
especially from the Russian regime and its allies.
- Voices its concerns that excluding political parties and organisations
from the Caucasus region, Belarus, and Russia from EUPPFs by default will
hamper efforts to strengthen and consolidate a democratic and open civil
society in these countries in the future.
- Claims the right to self-determination of European political parties and
foundations and the need for an inclusive democratic internal decision-
making of European political parties and foundations.
- Calls on the European Council and the member states to engage in an active
and constructive dialogue with the European Commission and European
Parliament as well as the EUPPFs to ensure real strong safeguards are
explored to prevent foreign interference in an appropriate manner.
- Remains committed to the standards and rules set for EUPPFs to closely
monitor, and in good faith, its own membership to ensure all members,
whether from EU or non-EU countries, are compliant to prevent any foreign
interference or other misconduct.
- Continues to closely work with the Green Group in the European Parliament,
its member parties in national governments, and others, to engage in a
constructive dialogue throughout these negotiations in order to reach a
deal in the coming months.
- Reminds the other EUPPFs of democratic and pro-European political families
of the commitment to pan-Europeanism and calls on them to engage with
their counterparts in the European Parliament and member states as much as
possible in this reform.