Financing of political parties

Doc. 9551

20 September 2002

Financing of political parties

Recommendation 1516 (2001)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 808^thmeeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (18 September 2002)

1. The Committee of Ministers welcomes the adoption by the Assembly of Recommendation 1516 (2001) on the financing of political parties. The Assembly is indeed making a valuable contribution to the defence of pluralist democracy and the transparency of the electoral process.

2. The Committee of Ministers shares the Assembly’s concerns. It has therefore transmitted Recommendation 1516 (2001) to the Multidisciplinary Group on Corruption (GMC), which was tasked with drawing up a recommendation to provide member states with common rules against corruption in the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns.

3. The draft recommendation drawn up in accordance with these instructions is currently being examined by the Ministers’ Deputies’ Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation, which held an exchange of views with the relevant Assembly rapporteur in June. The discussions confirmed the close convergence between the recommendation under consideration and Assembly Recommendation 1516 (2001), while also revealing the difficulties in achieving a common position among member states, due to the complexity of the matter and the different situations obtaining.

4. The Committee of Ministers has instructed its relevant Rapporteur Group to persevere in its efforts and continue its work, bearing in mind the considerations underlying the drafting of Recommendation 1516 (2001). In this context, a meeting of the Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation, open for participation of experts from capitals, is scheduled for November 2002.

5. The Committee of Ministers will not fail to keep the Assembly informed of future developments in this area and will communicate the recommendation to the Assembly as soon as it has been adopted.