Twenty Years
of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola &
Per Gahrton
Daniel Brélaz Grüne/Les Verts (Switzerland)
- First Green member of the Swiss Parliament 1979
Following the protests against the construction of motorways in the urban environment, the inhabitants of the two cities of Neuchâtel (1972) and Lausanne (1973) elected the first greens in the local governments.
Coming from the university milieu specialised in natural and technological science, the Greens of the Vaud canton (at the time called “Grouping for the Protection of the Environment”) managed to establish themselves at the regional level in 1978. In 1979 I was elected as one of 16 deputies from the Vaud canton with 6,4 %
During the eighties we could see the creation of green parties in most of the bigger European states and in a number of overseas countries. At the beginning, the movement was fighting for the environment and against nuclear energy, but it later broadened its scope to include all problems of society. The Greens became a movement that incorporated as well the famous realist and fundamentalist groupings, with ongoing debates amongst the advocates of the “neither left nor right” theory and those who supported a more clear alliance with the left.
The meetings of the bureau of the European Greens, in which I participated during more than five years, have always been a place of welcome for all those who participated in creating Green parties in all regions of Europe. These meetings have also served as a place for broad debates on the future of the continent and as a means to find ways of co-operation and co-ordination. How exciting was the day when the first greens from beyond what was then the iron curtain participated in our work!
Today, the situation for the Greens is very different from one country to another and, domestically, from one region to another. In general, the realist currents of the movement seem to have enjoyed a more popular support in attaining in some areas up to 15 to 30 % in local elections. The Greens who are open to alliances participate in the governments of a number of countries but seem to have important influences only where their power is not too marginal in comparison to their coalition partners. Among the alliances made, many are with the left spectrum, but there have also existed original experiences, as in Belgium.
With every day that goes by, Europe and the world have a greater need for the Greens. It is imperative that the greens are capable of making their ideas more accessible to the population, without compromising themselves on the one hand, but avoiding aimless provocation, on the other.
