Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Isabel Castro
Os Verdes (Portugal)
- Coordination Secretariat Member
1989 - 1991
These are my personal experiences regarding my participation in the process of building up a green movement in Europe and taking the first steps of the youngest political family in the world. We are talking about 1989 and I remember that we were not so many at that time, about 20 parties I believe. The Portuguese greens had joined the movement recently. Per Gahrton and Sarah Parken were at this time our references and, in a certain way, the feeling was that they were the parents and soul of the Green European project.
My first meeting of the European Green Coordination took place in Stockholm. This was a time to know wonderful persons, like my dear friend Pierre Jonckheer who is still so important for us. This first meeting was also the moment when I realised how different we all were. It was important to understand the concept of diversity as a richness within the greens at that moment in Europe. Women and men, north and south, “old” and new parties, different experiences, different languages, different cultures, even different colours of skin and hair. Above all, we were people sharing the same ideals, acting to give a new political sense to an alternative movement based on solidarity, non violence, peace, equality and human rights. A small structure giving a new dimension to national parties, exchanging experiences, establishing links to enlarge an alternative political culture. The European Greens: creative, a little naive sometimes, but full of bright future prospects, with more and more people listening, with hope, attention and respect.
This period was also a time for transition, a process of growing, time to welcome the hopeful boom emerging from central and Eastern Europe. People were taking the first steps after experiences in human rights groups or environmental NGOs, trying to create green movements and parties, and participating in this common political family. So, this was the time for the Green Co-ordination to debate with new persons. To get to know different realities, to fly and meet in different places: Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, wherever you can imagine, in order to support those growing projects.
I remember for instance a meeting of the European Greens held in Budapest. It was the last time that I saw Alexander Langer. We had dinner together and then ran to the official Hungarian TV, where we participated in a surrealist debate in which we, by mixing words and gesticulation, tried to share our views and experiences.
Today, years after the birth of the Green Federation in Finland, we are quite different for sure. Stronger in a certain way, because of our political influence and expression. More people, more parties, more means, more money. We grow up, we are older, more pragmatic and with several experiences in our baggage in terms of direct participation in power. Some positive, some bad.
We are far from being only a certain counter-power movement. We hold responsibilities, and that is positive. But I still believe our future remains in our capacity of dreaming, in our capacity of anticipating problems, our capacity of refusing to obey the rule of being a “polite” and “normal” party. We need to keep our non-conformism, in order to be able to say “no”, to be open to social movements and citizens and to come back to our main ideals: peace, disarmament and the belief that another world is possible.
In my opinion the Greens also need to succeed in the aim of being a European political Family, with influence and prestige, giving up “singing” only as “Prima Donnas” and instead singing and giving room for different persons and parties to join in.
