Public funding for political parties was already provided for in Article 21 of Legislative Decree no. 2011-87, but has not been put into practice to date (apart from public funding of election campaigns as provided for in Articles 78 et seq. of the Electoral Law). Seen from this angle, it is good that the draft law establishes it as a general principle (in Article 5) and introduces more detailed provisions (in Articles 37 et seq.), given that international standards clearly advocate (some) public support for political parties – while stressing that “legislation should attempt to create a balance between public and private contributions as the source for political party funding”, and the relevant country’s budgetary situation also has to be taken into account.