Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Philippe Lamberts
Ecolo (Belgium)
- EFGP Committee Member 2003 - to date
Joining the EFGP Committee as we celebrate its 10th anniversary is a thrilling perspective, as it enters what I see as the third stage of its evolution. The first was to be a forum allowing the various European green parties to express and share the diversity of their experiences, views and projects. And diverse they all were (and still are…). The second, which accelerated itself over these last three years in which I had the privilege of being a council member, was trying to make sense of that diversity and foster a real convergence towards common perspectives and goals.
Now, as we are entering the second decade, the key challenge for us will be to successfully engage in the third stage of that evolution which is: acting together as a real team, making at least some of our common goals happen! Doing so, the Federation will transform itself into a pan-European political party, bringing forward the green agenda not only at the Union level but also in each and every country, showing to the world that the so-called “old Europe” is more than ever able to come up with new ideas for the benefit of the whole planet. The weight of the Greens in Europe is nowhere near it needs to be if we want to be effective in making our continent the champion and showcase of sustainable development. Having the Greens as a major political player in the Parliaments and Governments of each country of our continent will be the measure of our success when the European Green Party will enter its third decade. See you then.
