Is the Green Wave real?
Discover if Europe's Green surge is real amid rising urban progressive wins and center decline.
This article was originally published in Revista Treball.
May 2014. In the middle of a global financial crisis that showed several of the EU’s structural problems and that had a destructive impacted the South of the continent, more than 160 million people voted to elect the new European Parliament. In Europe, as in Spain, the European People’s Party stayed on as the strongest party while losing a big part of its electorate. The grand coalition of EPP and Socialists went from 61% to 54% of the parliament. The grand coalition remained in power, but weakened. That weakness only grew since then.
Between 2014 and now, Europe has faced big political changes. The parties of the center have continued their decline in most countries. The radical and far right has increased size and, even more importantly, their ideology has led to the radicalization of many formerly center-right parties.
As the loud minority of the radical right made their narrative mainstream, and the mainstream parties radicalized themselves as a consequence by adopting proposals that before were the sole territory of the far-right. And that made the message of openness of the Greens difficult to pass. Countries where the Greens had been successful like France and Austria saw the Greens leave the national parliament. Meanwhile, where in power, the Greens led the charge for a more humane Europe as seen by the Swedish government that made that Nordic state be the EU member-state that voluntarily received the most refugees per capita.
Unlike most other democratic parties, the Greens did not change their values even when it was difficult to pass the message. The Greens continued to be a pro-European force that aims to reform the EU to make it work for everyone. The Greens also have an openly humanitarian policy that aims to welcome refugees and give them a safe haven from the wars and conflicts that destroy their home-countries. In the institutions and in NGOs, Greens have been at the forefront of the challenge of saving lifes in the Mediterranean and have fought to establish a common European answer to an issue that is not momentary. The Greens have also been a political force that fought against austerity and for European answers to the crisis, now being a key support of the governments of Portugal, Spain and Greece in their work towards stopping austerity and building more just societies.
While this message was difficult to pass during the height of the crisis, the situation around Europe has changed. With a few months to go for the European elections, the European Greens can see the future with optimism. Recent elections in Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany have showed the momentum of the movement. In Luxembourg the Greens were the only established party growing, keeping the progressive majority in place for four more years of the government that sent the right-wing to the opposition. In Belgium the Green wave brought historical results in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels with the Greens becoming part of the new governing majorities in most parts of Europe’s capital. In Germany, the regional elections in Bavaria and Hesse made the Greens the second biggest party and the biggest party in cities like Munich and Frankfurt.
As issues that are fundamental to the Green ideology – like the fight against climate change, affordable housing, urban mobility and the inclusion of all – become main worries of urban citizens, the Greens also become a key political player in the urban centers of Europe. The city-state of Berlin is led by a successful progressive alliance of Greens, SPD and Die Linke; the city of Amsterdam has, in its first female mayor, a Green mayor; and several big European cities have the Greens in government: Stockholm, Vienna, Hamburg, Grenoble, Frankfurt, Innsbruck, Rotterdam, among many others. In Spain, the Greens are a fundamental part of the wave of governments of change that took power in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and many others.
In the 2019 European elections the Greens could become the biggest party in countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. The group led by the Greens could strengthen its position as the parliament’s fourth biggest group reaching its best results ever. This would have a huge impact as the main parties of the center lose power: the Greens will be needed to form majorities and Green positions will have an even bigger impact in legislation.
But it’s not just the Green parties gaining ground, the core message of the Greens is also broading its influence. Post-Brexit, Ireland has become one of the most pro-EU states in the Union. In the Czech Republic, the Pirates – which in the European Parliament sit in the Greens/EFA Group – are now the main opposition party with more than 15% of voting intention. In Romania, LGBT rights have been strengthened after a successful campaign where the only parties defending equality were the anti-corruption USR and the Greens.
The Greens are Europe’s most cohesive, progressive and pro-European political family. In all corners of the continent the Greens challenge the status quo laissez-faire of the traditional forces, fight against the reactionaries that want to bring Europe back to the past and build a better Europe. The European elections of 2019 will show that Europe is changing, and changing for the better. With a stronger Green family a progressive alliance can be built to bring Europe back to the citizens.