Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Monica Frassoni I Verdi (Italy)
-
Green MEP 1999 - to date
- Co-President Greens/EFA Group in the EP
The ambitious project, presented last year in Berlin during the 3rd Congress of the Federation of Green Parties, to run for the 2004 European elections with a real European Green Party, with a common programme and a group of candidates who are able to work in different European countries, is definitely becoming a reality.
But one thing is sure: this project will not become a reality without the full support of the national Green parties.
As for Europe itself, even a European green party will develop and become strong only if its members are convinced of its utility not only in gaining consensus in election campaigns at home but also in achieving our political goals.
From the European Parliament, it is not difficult to see why we need a European green party: most of our policies have a trasnational and European dimension.
When I travel to Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Cyprus I meet the same problems. Destruction of nature, economic interests that are stronger than environmental concerns, lack of public participation and involvement, etc. ...
And today’s EU is still far from what we want it to be. This is our challenge: to build a European party that will win the next European elections and thus get nearer to our goal of a sustainable Europe in a happier world.
