Brussels (dpa) - A UKIP-dominated party of eurosceptic lawmakers spent European Parliament grant money on surveys to gauge support for Brexit and now must repay 172,000 euros (183,000 dollars), according to a European Parliament Bureau statement released Monday.The UK Independence Party (UKIP), led by Nigel Farage, had campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union in the run-up to a June 23 referendum.UKIP members within the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE) breached the rules for European party financing by funding nine opinion polls in 2015 in the run-up to the British general election and the June 2016 referendum on Britain‘s exit from the EU, the European Parliament said.The ADDE will now need to reimburse 172,655 euros of the amount that was advanced to the party in 2015.Approximately 370,000 euros of pending grant money that had been allocated to the EU-critical group and to an affiliated foundation will also be cancelled, Green Party representative and bureau member Ulrike Lunacek said.The EU‘s body of lawmakers awards annual grants to European political parties to cover operational costs, including meetings and conferences, publications, personnel and campaign costs related to European elections.Under the parliament‘s financing rules, the money cannot be used to fund national political parties, national election campaigns or referendum campaigns.
