On 22 March 2022, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, took part in place in the meeting of the European Union’s General Affairs Council in Brussels, at which ministers held a debate on the revision of the Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations, preparations for the European Council of 24 and 25 March 2022, and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
In a discussion on agenda items to be considered by the European Council, Edgars Rinkēvičs called for excluding defence expenditure from excessive budget deficit calculations in line with the EU’s admissibility criterion. Instead, that budget position should be aligned with the actual present-day needs given the warfare in Ukraine and the security situation in the region.
Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia’s support for a proposal from the French Presidency concerning amendments to the Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations. The proposal includes new provisions under which funding from the EU’s overall budget or other sources for European political parties and European political foundations is not used to finance referenda campaigns. Instead, the right of closer cooperation with national parties would be envisaged thereby contributing to forming a European political awareness and expressing the will of EU citizens.
Edgars Rinkēvičs drew attention to the need for ensuring the transparency of the financing of political parties. The awareness of the risks posed by foreign interference to EU values and democratic processes is no less important. Receiving donations or member contributions from third countries is unacceptable: it is just this kind of external interference that creates risks to democracy and institutions in EU Member States. The funding of European political parties and political foundations must be as transparent as possible, said the Minister as he welcomed the unanimity achieved over the French Presidency’s proposal.
In an exchange of views on the future of Europe, the Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction at the vast array of ideas and proposals received from Europeans. We believe that the final report of the conference should clearly map out further steps to be taken to implement citizens’ recommendations, he noted. After the conclusion of the conference, EU institutions should decide on how to put those ideas into practice in line with competences and procedures laid down in the EU Treaties. It is vital to ensure openness and transparency on what has been done by EU institutions towards that end. A regular feedback from citizens represented at the Conference Plenary must be provided through the multilingual digital platform, Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined.