Twenty Years of European Greens
1984 - 2004
edited by Arnold Cassola & Per Gahrton
Pekka Sauri
Vihrea Liitto (Finland)
- EGC
delegate in Majvik, Finland 1993
- EFGP Spokesperson 1994 - 1997
I served as member of the Council of the European Green Co-ordination from the late 1980s until 1993, and was co-spokesperson for the Federation from 1994 to 1997. It may be worth noting for background information that I was chair of Vihreä Liitto (The Green League of Finland) from 1991 to 1993.
In retrospect, it’s been a long journey for the European Greens. The Federation was always a highly ambitious project: the political traditions of many members were, and I suppose still are, quite different, and electoral prospects varied enormously between countries. In that respect, it may be said that the Pan-European Green process was relatively successful - communication between different parts of Europe worked well enough, and agreement was usually found on political standpoints across the board.
There were, however, some tangible problems along the way. Personally, I found it sometimes difficult to work with people who had no experience of participation in democratically elected bodies in their home countries or municipalities. The gap between NGO experience and parliamentary or local council activities was at times wide. This is not a criticism, but merely a statement of what I saw as an undeniable fact. Of course, my background in the local decision-making in Helsinki had quickly made it clear that in order to achieve results, you have to win the argument- at least if you don’t have a majority. But I trust the Green culture has moved forward since those early days.
For the record, I must also say that I encountered by far the most spectacular incident of political betrayal of my life in the context of the Federation, when the then secretary-general - who had in fact been the main mover in the creation of the organisation - suddenly switched to another party, announcing this by letter to the Council at the start of a Council meeting in Crete. This must have been in 1994. Considering the circumstances, I think the Federation recovered quite rapidly from the blow which I felt was devastating at the time.
The future of the Greens is now once more in the balance. While we have managed to establish ourselves in the political landscape, Green parties have recently suffered electoral misfortunes in many countries. Greens must now construct recognizable and credible policies in social and health issues, employment and immigration. These issues have of course been debated for years - indeed, almost decades -within the Green movement, but more clarity is required if we wish to maintain our momentum. It is clear that a repeat performance of age-old phrases will not suffice. I write this from the viewpoint of the President of the City Council of Helsinki, where the Greens are the second party after the Conservatives. I am lucky in having been part of one of the most electorally successful Green parties in Europe and hope that something of our experience can be used for the benefit of Greens in other countries. It seems to me that the future of the Greens lies in local decision-making. We must prove our integrity at the local level and move forward from there.party in a ship on Spree.
And also a sentence which Heidi Meinzolt-Depner told me when the Council Meeting had finished: „See you somewhere in Europe“. Really, since that day I have been in many places in Europe with my green colleagues and I am grateful for that. I can do something useful and at the same time I can meet with friends and get to know new countries and places.
