The Parliamentary Commission on Institutions have taken stock and decided that more regulations are necessary.
This development follows the latest election campaigns, with the president of the commission responsible, leader of the opposition Alex Bodry of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party, declaring a number of unsavoury practices such as mixed lists, parties putting together lists with organisations, and personal election campaigns that were not necessarily integrated into the party campaign. The question, here, according to Bodry, concerns an issue of control.
The Court of Auditors will be checking accounts and analysing the findings critically.
These proceedings are partly aimed at the Pirate Party, with MP Sven Clement echoing the desire for increased regulations. The party claims to have followed the rules during the last election campaign, saying that Daniel Frères integrated his expenses into the party’s balance sheet. His personal donations constituted a large part of the party's turnover, which were then directly spent on advertising.
MPs are also considering giving legal personality to parties, which are currently de facto associations. Clement, again, welcomed this potential development, explaining there is no set criteria stating what constitutes a party. The term "party" is not protected. Three people who, together, make up a de facto association, could theoretically call themselves a party, Clement said.
Property owners cannot form de facto associations, which is why non-profit organisations had to be founded, for example. This question must also be discussed.
Since the current legislative text dates back to 2007, the amounts noted are also no longer appropriate, with Alex Bodry pointing out that price trends needed to be taken into account.
Another point that might be modified concerns the criteria for obtaining financial aid from the State.
