mr president i wish to thank you for the opportunity to discuss with you the report on european political parties and their foundations
i would also like to thank mrs giannakou for preparing this own-initiative report
we in the commission consider that report to be a very important one
we know that european political parties play an important role in european integration
in particular they contribute to ensuring that political issues are presented and discussed from the european perspective in time before the elections to the european parliament thus avoiding situations where these elections are dominated by purely national issues which as we well know is very often liable to be the case
i therefore welcome the forward-looking tone of the report and look forward to discussing its content tonight and in the future as well
article twelve of regulation ec two thousand and four two thousand and three stipulates that the european parliament shall publish by fifteen february twenty eleven a report on the application of this regulation and the activities funded
the report shall indicate where appropriate possible amendments to be made to the funding system
we welcome as i said mrs giannakou's own-initiative report and the accompanying resolution as a positive step but it must be underlined that information on the actual implementation of the current regulation and the activities funded could be more precise and improved
in this context and in the light of the vote by parliament tomorrow the commission could be called upon to act through a further revision of regulation ec two thousand and four two thousand and three and the financial regulation or through new legislation
should parliament come to the conclusion that the relevant existing legislation requires modifications or that new legislation is required the commission will seriously examine these conclusions and if it agrees will take the necessary initiatives
the commission will also reflect on how regulation ec two thousand and four two thousand and three could be further improved in the longer term in order to support the development of stronger and genuinely transnational political parties and foundations at european level with a view to developing a truly political european public space
on the specific issue of a legal statute for european political parties i am aware that this is not the first time that parliament has called for such a statute
this issue is addressed in some detail in a study that was commissioned by the committee on constitutional affairs afco and i believe that the study itself clearly demonstrates that a range of complicated constitutional political and practical issues are at stake with regard to establishing such a statute
the matter therefore requires a very careful and detailed analysis indeed
the same can be said about some of the other issues brought up in the report
for the proposals that would require amendments to the financial regulation the commission also sees the need for a wider reflection on legislative solutions and the timing of the possible changes
in conclusion mrs giannakou's report and the accompanying draft resolution raise issues that are at the heart of european integration and its democratic nature and which therefore need our full attention
i look forward to the debate on those issues tonight and in the future as well
