4.11.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 317/1 | (Legislative acts) REGULATIONS REGULATION (EU, EURATOM) No 1141/2014 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 October 2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 224 thereof, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (%), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (%), Whereas: (1)  Article 10(4) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 12(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) state that political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the political will of citizens of the Union. (2)  Articles 11 and 12 of the Charter state that the right to freedom of association at all levels, for example in political and civic matters, and the right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers, are fundamental rights of every citizen of the Union. (3)  European citizens should be enabled to use those rights in order to participate fully in the democratic life of the Union. (4 Truly transnational European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations have a key role to play in articulating the voices of citizens at European level by bridging the gap between politics at national level and at Union level. (5)  European political parties and their affiliated European political foundations should be encouraged and assisted in their endeavour to provide a strong link between European civil society and the Union institutions, in particular the European Parliament. ) O] C 133, 9.5.2013, p. 90. () O () O] C 62, 2.3.2013, p. 77. () O] C 67, 7.3.2013, p. 1. (%) Position of the European Parliament of 16 April 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 29 September 2014.