Press release - Parliament requests verification of ESN party’s compliance with EU values

Parliament requests verification of ESN party’s compliance with EU values
- Registration and funding as a European political party are tied to conditions established to protect democracy and the EU budget
- The independent Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations is responsible for assessing compliance
Reacting to the competent authority’s letter setting out doubts about ESN’s compliance with EU values, MEPs voted in favour of starting the verification procedure.
On Tuesday, Parliament decided by 414 votes to 224 and 18 abstentions to request the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) to verify whether the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) political party complies with the registration and funding conditions laid down in the Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and foundations.
The procedure was triggered after the APPF — the independent EU authority responsible for registering, controlling, and sanctioning European political organisations — informed Parliament, the Council and the Commission of facts casting doubt on ESN's compliance with EU values, as it is required to do. The three institutions have two months to decide whether to lodge a verification request. Parliament's vote is a procedural step and does not constitute a position on the substance.
Next steps
The independent authority will now verify ESN’s compliance with core EU values, such as democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights (a prerequisite for registration as a European political party) in line with the procedure set out in Article 13 of the regulation. Democratic scrutiny is key in this process: decisions to deregister a political party can only enter into force in the absence of an objection by the Parliament or the Council.
Background
Although a political group under the same name exists in Parliament (i.e. MEPs who sit and vote together in the chamber), the parliamentary group is legally and functionally distinct from the ESN political party, which is subject to separate EU rules. Under Article 10(4) of the Treaty on European Union, European political parties are key instruments for forming European political awareness and expressing the will of Union citizens.
This is the first time this procedure has been initiated. The revised EU regulation on European political parties and foundations, which Parliament approved in October 2025, tightened up the rules on transparency, foreign interference, and the protection of European values.
Contacts:
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Delphine COLARD
Spokesperson and Head of Spokesperson's and Information Integrity Unit -
Kyriakos KLOSIDIS
Press Officer (EL)