Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Anders Malmén
Miljöpartiet de Gröna (Sweden)
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International Secretary, Miljöpartiet de Grona 1984-1988
The importance of the European Greens for Miljöpartiet de Gröna (Swedish Greens) is invaluable. In a time when Miljöpartiet was trying to define its working methods and fighting to win legitimacy there was already an experienced political movement in Europe from which to get inspiration, strategies and knowledge.
Miljöpartiet was created in 1981; the party was at that time present all over the country and participating in all local and regional elections in 1982. The election results were discouraging, as again in 1985. But, amongst others, the German “Die Grünen” had managed to get into the Bundestag and therefore became an encouraging model to follow. The representatives of the German “Die Grünen”, Petra Kelly, Gert Bastian, Otto Schilly, became something of royalties within the European greens. Newly founded green parties went on pilgrimages to Bonn to be “accepted” as the true green party of their country. Many of the people that founded the Swedish greens regularly attended the congresses and conferences of the German greens. When the European Greens were founded this became a natural forum for exchange of thoughts and ideas between the green parties.
The Ecology Party in the UK had a hard fight against the UK election system but had a lively ideological debate. The Austrian Greens, with Freda Meissner Blau in the forefront, was generous with advice and visited the Swedish green congresses; there was also an exchange with the French Les Verts, with the Finnish greens and the two green parties in Belgium, Agalev and Ecolo.
In 1987 the Miljöpartiet held a European congress and not only European greens were invited but also American representatives from the growing Green Party. This was the second European green congress where an exchange of experiences was had. The congress was dominated by questions on peace, security and OSCE. The armaments race between the Soviet Union and the USA was a reality. Visions for a green world, how nationalism would give way to regionalism was another theme. The German greens were federalists and envisioned a Europe led by a supranational government where the regions had far reaching competencies, all to move the decisions closer to the citizens. No bigger environmental questions dominated the agendas, and concerns for climate change had only just begun.
In 1988 the Miljöpartiet entered the Swedish parliament and the character of the co-operation with the European Greens changed. The first phase, that of being accepted and gaining legitimacy, was over and no longer a first priority. The European Greens were now seen more as a forum where to discuss ideological choices and how a party that had roots in non parliamentarian movements could remain true to its ideals whilst at the same time being successful in the ambition to influence through parliamentarianism. The way and forms of doing politics became a recurring subject. Through rotation, short election periods and double party leadership the greens tried to create a new role for the politicians which, apart from the misuse of power, would prevent making politics a profession.
The media quickly gave a name the debate on the risks of institutionalisation and on the most effective ways to political results: it became a conflict between the “fundis” and the “realos”. This was never really true for the Miljöpartiet even if there was a difference in perspectives between the countryside greens and the ones from urban areas.
I was secretary of the international group of Miljöpartiet between 1984-1988. When the party got into the Swedish parliament in 1988 the party got a formal international secretary, Ralph Monö. He had a background in foreign aid and broadened the green contacts to embrace green groups also in the third world. Herewith a new chapter in the history of the life of the green movement was written. A movement that our critics often have tried do describe as provincial, but which has from the very start been an international movement in the best meaning of the
