Press release, 11 July 2019
The Seimas adopted the Law on European political parties and European political foundations and the amendments to the Law on the Central Electoral Commission (drafts No XII-4481(3) and No XIIP-3241(2)), which will allow the registration of European political parties and European political foundations in Lithuania. As many as 86 Members of the Seimas voted in favour of the framework law act and 4 parliamentarians abstained.
The amendments are intended to ensure proper implementation in Lithuania of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations. The Regulation entered into force on 1 January 2017 and is directly applicable and binding on the EU Member States.
As noted in the Explanatory Note to the document, based on the Regulation, national and regional parties and individual citizens of the Member States may become members of European level political parties. Giving European political parties and European political foundations a European legal status will ensure their legal capacity and recognition in all Member States. However, according to the initiators, they will not be entitled to propose candidates for national or European Parliament elections and referendum campaigns.
The amendments to the law will allow, inter alia, for one of the newly established European political parties to have its headquarters in Lithuania (should it so wish). The European political party shall be registered in the Register of Legal Entities after its registration in the Register of European political parties and foundations.