Anonymity of political party donations below €5,000 legal, says authority

The personal details of citizens who make economic contributions of up to 5,000 euros to political parties should remain anonymous, Greece's Data Protection Authority ruled on Monday.

The decision concerned a request made to the Communist Party by the Parliament's Committee on the Audit of Asset Statements to reveal information on private citizens who had made donations to the party in 2015.

The Communist Party had argued that handing over this information would violate people's freedom to participate or support political parties which is “associated with the secrecy of voting.”

According to a 2002 law, information on party donors are published on the committee's website.

The authority argued that revealing private information for such small amounts violates people's privacy as it can reveal their political views.