Opinion
Green-red-yellow alliance only way to unseat Barroso
By Juan Behrend
Greens have been singularly criticised recently for not providing the voters with transnational lists, for not putting up a Green candidate to challenge European Commission President Barroso and for not supporting Lisbon in the manifesto, notably in an opinion piece by Åsa Gunvén, of the Union of European Federalists, in EUobserver last week.
Let us be clear: Greens would jump at the chance to provide transnational lists and allow for examples Swedes to vote for a candidate on a European list, but for the time being, the European elections are a series of national elections and the candidates are candidates of national parties. This is the legal situation.
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This legal framework is as binding on the Greens as on anyone.
It is precisely for this reason that we strongly advocate improving the legislative framework so that it would be possible for at least a certain percentage of candidates for the European Parliament to be nominated at European level and voted for directly by EU citizens independently of the member state they are from. In the meantime, we have to live with the current situation. We are Green, but we are realistic.
For the time being, despite all our efforts to have a clause adopted whereby 20 percent of MEPs are direct elected, we have no option other than to nominate candidates for each national Green party. Nevertheless, we try to introduce a transnational aspect to our lists by including in our national lists candidates with a different nationality or from minorities.
And this is not just a noble intention on our part: both co-presidents of the Green Group in the EP have been elected at least once in a member state different from that of which they are a national.
We have also been criticised for not providing a Green candidate to challenge President Barroso. However, our congress recently launched our manifesto and our 'Stop Barroso' campaign. Of course, Greens can present a candidate, but in reality only the Socialists or a consensus-progressive candidate could challenge the Conservative/Christian Democrat candidate.
Let's put it bluntly - for us, changing the commission and its president is not just a question of waving a green flag. We are convinced that the EU cannot afford to waste another five years and that we need a real political change. Again, we are Green but we are realistic.
And that is why we are pushing for a majority to build a more ecological, social and progressive union. Only a candidate who gets the support of most of the Socialists and at least some of the liberals plus all the Greens and the far left has any chance of being elected. This is the kind of coalition we are trying to promote.
We do not see how the launch of a Green candidate can help us get there at this stage, but we certainly do not exclude the possibility of presenting a Green candidate if this would be helpful. And it is quite clear that Greens will vote against Mr Barroso if he is presented for re-appointment.
Finally, Greens are firmly in favour of Lisbon. Greens are fighting for this treaty with all the means at their disposal in the countries where it has not been ratified yet: Ireland and the Czech Republic. Since 2006, we have clearly stated our support for Lisbon and called for its ratification.
For all impartial political observers, it is clear that the Greens constitute the most pro-European political family. We are running a European campaign and we are focusing on European issues. In the overwhelming majority of countries where the greens are represented in parliament, we voted for the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Its future now depends on what happens in Ireland and the Czech Republic. The main task for those of us in favour of the treaty is not to just to call for its adoption in all the countries where it has already been ratified, but rather to do everything we possibly can to have it ratified in the two remaining states. And that is exactly what we Greens are doing.
Greens argue 'Think big- vote Green'. Helping the Green group in the European Parliament to become stronger is critical for global environmental and climate deals taking place this year. It will help to bring forward an urgently needed Green New Deal for Europe that invests in promoting green low carbon economic sectors, reducing CO2 emissions, creating millions of green-collar jobs, increasing our energy security and preventing conflict.
We hope that this will be facilitated by the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. But even without the Lisbon Treaty, there is no other political family that gives so much importance to the development of common policies at European level as the Greens. The best example is our New Green Deal for Europe - which is Green, but realistic.
Juan Behrend is the secretary-general of the European Green Party.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.