EUConstitutional Committee Head Casini+Rapporteur Gianakou to EuroFora: Pol. Parties + 2014 Election

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/-It's between July and October 2013 that EU Parliament should negotiate with EU Council in order to forge Final EU Decisions on the creation of European Political Parties well before the forthcoming EU Elections, which are due to be re-scheduled earlier than usual, on May 2014, said to "EuroFora" the President of EU Parliament's Constitutional Committee, Italian ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Carlo Casini.

Chairman Casini spoke to "EuroFora" just after his Committee adopted this Evening a landmark Report drafted by experienced  MEP Marietta Giannakou, Head of the Delegation from Greece, (the EU Member Country due to take over the rotating EU Council's Presidency for the period of January - June 2014, during which will take place the crucial next EU Elections), on the "Statute and Funding of European Political Parties" and "Foundations".

EU Rapporteur Giannakou, whose Draft text was adopted by EU Parliament's Constitutional Committee with a clear Majority of 14 Votes in favor, against 8, and 1 abstention, speaking afterwards to "EuroFora", stressed the fact that "in the Future, European Political Parties will have a fully-fledged Legal Personality and adequate means at EU level, instead of being merely NGOs according to a National Legislation in a Member State, as it was the case until now.

Among the various Amendments adopted Tonight is also the Possibility for Natural Persons to belong "Directly" to a European Political Party, (i.e. even without the intermediation of any other, relevant National Party, etc), as "Individual Members", "when the Statutes" of that European PP permit this.

Adopted Compromise Amendments, proposed by the Rapporteur, ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Giannakou, explicitly enlarged also the possibilities for EU Funding to European Political Parties well beyond EU Electoral Campaigns, pointing also to Referenda on EU issues, on the "Dissemination of Information to the Public in order to raise awareness of significant European Policy matters", etc. 

There were several Disagreements of the Majority of MEPs with a strong Minority of various opposed MEPs (mainly from the Rightists, "Greens", Leftists, etc), particularly on the way in which EU Parliament may admit to register, or not, an organisation as a fully fledged "European, Political Party", as well as Monitor its activity through possible Fines, Radiation, etc., specially for alleged serious breaches of EU's Values on Human Rights and/or Minorities.   

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Previously, the Committee adopted also a proposal by its Chairman, Italian ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Carlo Casini, to mainly accept an exceptional Deal with EU Council on the Advancement of the Date due to be fixed for the next EU Parliament Elections, instead of the initially scheduled week of June 2014, on the Earlier dates of May 22-25, as MEPs had reportedly wished from the start, in order to have enough Time before the Summer break for the Crucial Political Choices on EU Parliament's new Leadership and probably even on EU Commission's new President, (who will be notoriously chosen this time, according to the Political Choices due to be made by EU Citizens while voting for their MEPs, as it was agreed  to start doing for the 1st time in History).

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The Constitutional Committee also adopted an official Decision on the "Opening of Inter-Institutional Negotiations" with EU Council on the European Political  Parties and Foundations, giving also Formal Mandate to a List of 12 MEPs from various Political Groups, Members of EU Parliaments' "Negotiating Team", and 2 Observers,
It was officially given a "Mandate for the Negotiations" with EU Council, based on "the Report by Marieta Giannakou", according to the Decision adopted by a Narrow Majority of 13 Votes in favour, 10 against, and 0 Abstention, (i.e. just the required "Qualified" proportion)....

- "It seems that some MEPs saw their Amendments rejected by the (EU Parliament's) Constitutional Committee, and, so, they express now their dissidence", noted EU Rapporteur Gianakou when asked by "EuroFora" to comment on the Strange Fact that, while her Report was adopted by a Wide Majority (Comp. Supra), nevertheless, this wasn't the case also for the Negotiating Team, after a very Long Voting Time during which MEPs engaged a Hard Fight around some ... 500 tabled Amendments, probably warning of a particularly "Hot" 2014 Election debate !