A European political foundation, known formally as a political foundation at European level[1] and informally as a European foundation, is a type of political foundation affiliated to, but independent from, a European party and operating transnationally in the European Union (EU). They are regulated and funded by EU Regulation 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations, and their operations are supervised by the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF). European political foundations carry specific political activities and are networks of national political foundations.
Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003[2] defined what a Europarty, or political party at European level, was and tightened up their regulation.
That regulation was later heavily amended by Regulation (EC) No 1524/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2007.[3] That amendment provided for the earlier-floated[4] concept of a political foundation at European level, a legally separate affiliate to a Europarty created to help them disseminate their principles to a wider audience.
An initial one million euros[5] was allocated for pilot proposals, and Call For Proposals DG/EAC/29/2007 went out with a deadline of 28 September 2007.[5] Ten[6] organizations were picked (one for each Europarty) and money was allocated with an expiry date of 31 August 2008.[5] [7] [8]
As of 1 November 2008, the regulation governing Eurofoundations is Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003,[9] as later amended[10] under codecision (see above). That regulation's European Commission factsheet is given here.
Their total allocated funding for 2008 is €5,000,000.[11]
, there are ten European political foundations registered with the APPF:[12]
The entities below were formerly registered with the APPF.[14]
The entities below qualified at some point for European public funding; however, they were never registered with the APPF.
| European political foundation | Timeline | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Abbr. | Affiliated to | Founded | Dissolved | Received European public funding | ||
| EUROPA – Osservatorio sulle politiche dell'unione | EUROPA | Alliance for Europe of the Nations | 2007 | 2009 | 2007–2008[16] | ||
| Les Refondateurs Européens[17] | AEN | Alliance for Europe of the Nations | 2007 | 2009 | 2007–2008[18] | ||
| Foundation for EU Democracy | FEUD | Europeans United for Democracy | 2007 | 2010 | 2007–2010 | ||
| Organisation for European Interstate Cooperation | OEIC | Europeans United for Democracy | 2011 | 2016 | 2011–2016 | ||
| European Foundation for Freedom | EFF | European Alliance for Freedom | 2011 | 2016 | 2011–2016 | ||
| Foundation for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy | FELD | Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy | 2012 | 2015 | 2012–2015 | ||
| Identités et Traditions Européennes | ITE | Alliance of European National Movements | 2013 | 2016 | 2013–2016 | ||
| Initiative for Direct Democracy in Europe | IDDE | Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe | 2015 | 2016 | 2015–2015 | ||