The linked article provides further links to media report in several European languages.
- Most political parties in Europe rely heavily on state subsidies, but not in Germany where they get hundreds of millions of euros from private individuals and companies.
- For only three out of every 10 euros European political parties receive from individuals and companies the name of the donor is made public. This means that 660 million euros is unaccounted for.
- Populist, far-right and far-left political parties receive a quarter of all the private funding, showing that with more political power also comes more money. That’s what Follow the Money, in collaboration with newsrooms from across Europe, collected and scrutinised to get a comprehensive insight into how much money goes to political parties in Europe for the very first time.
Ok why do european countries even let political parties have private funding? This really feels like a “you all should fucking know better!” kinda deal