Vragen over het sponsoren van Europese politieke partijen door multi­na­ti­onals

Indiendatum: mrt. 2019

Vraag met verzoek om schriftelijk antwoord E-000552/2019

aan de Commissie

Artikel 130 van het Reglement

Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL)

Media have been reporting about corporate donations to European political parties. More specifically the financial records of the ALDE-party show that multinational Bayer has transfered multiple sums of money to this party. Notably one of these donations by Bayer was made just before the European Parliament started activities related to the Special Committee on Pesticides. Other financial contributions to ALDE were made by multinationals like Google, Syngenta and Uber. Media reports furthermore suggest that also other European political parties have received structural gifts from multinationals.

Many multinationals employ a huge amount of lobbyists in Brussels and Strasbourg, aiming to influence European policies in their advantage.

1) Does the European Commission share the view that financial gifts to political parties by these very same companies jeopardize the independence of EU decision making?

In 2017 the European Parliament adopted Resolution B8-0405/2017 urging the Commission to take a closer look at all the shortcomings and to propose a revision of the regulation as soon as possible;

2) Is the Commission ready to prohibit corporate sponsorship of European political parties by adjusting Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations accordingly?