Matteo Salvini, the interior minister and leader of the far-right League party, is the most high-profile European politician to unequivocally sign up to the project. Bannon has so far spent most of his time in Italy, which he has identified as the main focus of his efforts. That leaves only the Netherlands and Italy. However, both Austrian parties that Bannon’s team had hoped to recruit – the People’s party and its coalition partner, the Freedom party – have indicated they are not interested in his support. Loans to parties are not regulated in Austria, which means the ban on foreign contributions “could be easily circumvented”, said Mathias Huter at Parteispenden, an independent thinktank. Some experts fear determined individuals could evade legal restrictions. But both the Danish People’s party and the Sweden Democrats – the two rightwing populist parties Bannon hoped to enlist – have both refused his offer of help. In theory, parties in Denmark, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands could be part of the Bannon European parliament experiment.ĭenmark and Sweden have no restrictions on foreign funding, although the Swedish criminal code bars parties from accepting money from anyone “acting in the interest of a foreign power”, who is trying to influence public opinion on anything to do with security or “the foundations of the realm’s form of government”. Norway – another non-EU country – has tighter rules. Switzerland, which Bannon has visited, has no restrictions on foreign contributions, but as a non-EU country it will not be participating in the European elections. Political parties risk a fine of up to €100,000 if they break the rules.Īs a result, Modrikamen’s party, the Parti Populaire, which he runs from a mansion in the suburbs of Brussels, cannot receive contributions from the Movement, which has its headquarters in the same building. In Belgium, private individuals may donate up to €500 or the equivalent in services to a political party each year, but organisations are barred from making contributions. The restrictions even apply in Belgium, where Bannon’s foundation was registered in January 2017 by Mischaël Modrikamen, the leader of a fringe far-right party. German election law allows companies headquartered anywhere in the EU to make contributions, but that would not help Bannon as his operation is registered as non-profit, a category not included in Germany’s exemptions on foreign funding. In Austria, foreign donors are allowed to give political parties up to €2,641, while in Germany the limit is up to €1,000. In Germany and Austria, contributions from foreign sources are allowed, but caps are so low that Bannon’s largesse would be practically useless. Foreign organisations are barred from contributing to political parties in France, Belgium, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Finland. Only four EU countries could be part of the Bannon experiment: Italy, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |