24/06/2021 Session
PACE has condemned attempts by states to “interfere improperly or illicitly in democratic decision-making processes” in other states by funding political parties or campaigns – and set out a road-map for cracking down on the practice.
Approving a resolution based on a report by Konstantin Kuhle (Germany, ALDE), the Assembly set out a series of measures to close “legal loopholes” on foreign funding of political parties by limiting or banning donations direct to politicians or candidates, “in-kind”, anonymous or cryptocurrency donations, loans, and money channelled via intermediaries.
The parliamentarians said foundations, associations, charities, religious groups and other non-profits or NGOs should also be covered by the regulations on political funding “whenever these organisations take part in electoral campaigns or finance political parties”. Such measures, however, should not be “misused” to impede the work of NGOs, they added.