Guidelines for the European Parliament Elections 2009

H. Claiming a reimbursement of election expenses by eligible candidates

1.50 A qualified candidate is entitled to apply for a reimbursement of his/her election expenses. In order to qualify for a reimbursement, a candidate must either:

1. be elected, or
2. if not elected, have exceeded one quarter of the quota in the constituency at any stage of the counting of votes

1.51 The maximum amount which may be reimbursed is the lesser of €38,092.14 or the actual amount of the election expenses incurred on behalf of the candidate.

1.52 In calculating the amount of the reimbursement it should be noted that account may be taken of:

• expenses incurred on behalf of the candidate and accounted for by the candidate's election agent, and
• expenses incurred on behalf of the candidate by the candidate's political party and accounted for by the national agent.

1.53 In order to certify a reimbursement of a qualified candidate's election expenses, the Standards Commission must have received the following statutory documentation:

• completed election agent's Election Expenses Statement/Statutory Declaration;
• completed national agent's Election Expenses Statement/Statutory Declaration (if applicable);
• supporting invoices, vouchers or receipts;
• in the case of an unsuccessful candidate, the candidate's completed Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration and accompanying documentation must also be received.

1.54 When the Standards Commission has received the relevant statutory documentation and is satisfied as to its correct completion, it will issue a reimbursement application form to the candidate. The Standards Commission will not issue an application form for a reimbursement of election expenses until the correctly completed documentation has been received.

1.55 On receipt of the completed application form, the Standards Commission will certify to the Department of Finance the amount which should be reimbursed to the candidate.

1.56 The reimbursement is made to the candidate by the Department of Finance and is not regarded as a donation to the candidate.

1.57 A candidate is not required by the Act to pass on the reimbursement to his/her political party. If a reimbursement is passed on by a candidate to the candidate's political party, it is not required to be disclosed by the party as a donation unless the amount passed on exceeds by more than €5,078.95 the total amount spent on the candidate by the party at the election.

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