The Concept of the European Political Party

The European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No. 2004/2003 on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding only in the end of 2003. Reforming the regulation was on the agenda for several years before the new regulation on party funding was finally adopted in 2014. In this paper I intend to present the new regulation (Regulation No 1141/2014 of 22 October 2014), focusing on selected aspects: the justification for funding and the definition of European political party; next, I shall give an overview and structured analysis of the constitutional issues of the definition of political parties and their funding by the European Union. Since political finances are considered to be basic elements of the fundamental principle of democracy, which is to be achieved on both the national and the supranational level, it is worth comparing the new regulation to the principles and standards established by the Council of Europe on the regulation of political parties.