Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Bronwen Maher
Comhaontas Glas (Ireland)
- EGC delegate in Majvik, Finland 1993
My personal memories of Majvik are very positive as all of us were very committed to the growth and development of Green politics. We believed that the Federation of Green Parties was an important tool in achieving that goal.
Initially, Comhaontas Glas, along with other member parties, had some serious reservations about the idea of a federation. We were not sure where a federation might take us. One thing was clear though - as a founding member of the old network, Comhaontas Glas was and is committed to the idea of cooperation and the sharing of green ideas among all green parties. On reflection, I believe that our initial concerns were unfounded and that the EFGP has been a real success.
My two-year term as Comhaontas Glas delegate was taken up with negotiating and working on the principles and rules of the new Federation. This experience gave me a great understanding of the hopes and concerns of other EFGP parties. Meeting and networking with other fellow Greens and the shared experience of these friendships, has been extremely useful to me in my Green Party work in Ireland.
The founding of the Federation was quickly followed by electoral success for Comhaontas Glas. In 1994 we had two MEPs (out of a total of 17) elected to the European Parliament. This achievement was further underpinned in 2002 when CG had 6 members elected to the national parliament. Despite its size, Comhaontas Glas has now established itself on Ireland’s national political stage. However, we see ourselves as part of an extremely important and wider political movement that is successfully contributing to politics and parliaments across Europe.
The enlargement of the EU along with plans for a EU constitution will bring new challenges for the EFGP. CG believes that it is important for Europe that we must constantly question the direction on the EU, particularly in the areas of democratic deficit. Our hopes for the EFGP is that it continues to grow without losing its human touch and that it will act as a positive and binding force for Green politics, not only in Europe but worldwide.
