In preparation for the campaign for the European elections in May 2019, EUROPE held talks with the three candidates for the posts of Spitzenkandidat from the European Green Party: the Dutch Bas Eickhout, the German Ska Keller and the Belgian Petra De Sutter.
Four candidates were initially in the running, but the Bulgarian Atanas Schmidt did not collect the necessary number of signatures, namely those of five member parties of the European Green Party plus that of each candidate's national party (see EUROPE 12107, 12097).
The European Green Party, since the 2014 elections, have stood out by presenting a two-headed candidate to represent the colours of ecologists. In the last elections, the duo of French José Bové and German Ska Keller were invested to do so.
The two co-Spitzenkandidats will be officially elected by the delegates of the political organizations during their congress to be held in Berlin from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 November. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)
Petra De Sutter: “The Greens can offer an optimistic alternative”
Petra De Sutter is a Belgian female politician, a doctor by training and still working. She has been a member of the Flemish Green Party (Groen) since 2007. Since 2014, Mrs De Sutter has been a federal senator and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Interview by Lucas Tripoteau at the Ghent Polyclinic, Saturday 20 October).
Agence Europe - How do you assess the EU's action during this last legislature?
Petra De Sutter - Some progress may have been made, for example on economic prosperity or security. But I can give you 50 subjects on which we would like to make more progress: social issues, tax justice, energy, climate, the environment, citizen participation. This, rather than following neoliberal ideology.
We do not agree at all with the current approach. I am a scientist, I know that growth will stop at some point. And without ecology, we cannot, in my opinion, make any economy or social progress.
Nor does the political environment suit me, where politicians like Viktor Orbán promote traditional Christian values, attack universities or wish to stop gender studies.
The institutional functioning, with the fierce desire to defend subsidiarity, does not suit me either and leads to insufficient implementation and control by the States of standards voted by the EU.
Do the latest elections in Europe give a new impetus to European green parties?
The green wave can be explained by the fact that we are talking about subjects that are becoming increasingly important, such as the environment, climate change, health, etc. More and more people understand that we need to change our way of life.
What distinguishes the Greens from other groups is that we do not represent a specific interest, but defend the interest of future generations. And we try to unite people rather than separate them.
Today we are experiencing a real political crisis encompassing the economic crisis, migratory or ecological, the basis of our problems. The Greens can offer an optimistic alternative, in contrast to traditional parties, which are no longer listening to citizens.
Can the Greens expect a stronger representation in Central and Eastern Europe?
In these less prosperous regions, economic issues take precedence. When you live in poverty, you want above all a social policy. The next generations come next.
This delay will be caught up, it is inevitable. Ecology is the only answer to today's environmental crises. More and more people will become aware of this. It may not be for 2019, but perhaps for 2024 or 2029.
How many seats do you reasonably think you can claim in the next European Parliament?
I think we'd like to be 60. For Belgium, we hope to move from two to four MEPs. We also hope to double the number of deputies in the Netherlands, have a certain number of deputies in France and see German environmentalists maintain themselves.
What are the key points of your program? Which EU do you want?
My program is somewhat linked to my profile as a scientist, doctor and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I clearly want another Europe, a Europe of public interest, a Europe of justice, of citizens. Social policies are very important. For decades, Europe has had good intentions, but has not been able to achieve them.
I would then like us to seriously address the issues of climate change, carbon neutrality, fine particulate matter, GMOs and the place of technology in our societies.
Innovation must not be stopped, but societal problems must not be solved with solutions that will create new ecological, health and social problems.
For example, in agriculture, we have to work for the end of endocrine disruptors and glyphosate. I see my patients who have infertility problems, obviously related.
Then we need an honest debate on migration. Where do the problems come from? We created them. If we have problems in Syria, we have to ask ourselves questions. We have a moral responsibility in Africa. When I see that the ‘development’ budget is used to close borders, it disgusts me. We must change migration policy, without opening up our borders without limits.
First and foremost, we must help people. At the Council of Europe, I presented a report on the role of NGOs in the Mediterranean Sea. For me, we must first behave like ambulance services, thus saving people who are drowning. In a second step, we can ask questions, but only then.
On the institutional side, I am in favour of institutional reform and a legislative initiative given to Parliament. I would also like the Council to be more transparent.
We also need more dialogue with national parliaments, so that they feel more involved.
Finally, I support the creation of transnational lists, and even transnational elections in European elections.
How do you differ from the other two candidates in the competition?
First of all, I am not in the European Parliament or in the Brussels bubble. This is a disadvantage in the countryside, because no one knows me. In fact, I only entered politics in 2014.
But it can be an advantage, because I have a different perspective. And thanks to the Council of Europe, I have acquired the tools to understand the political machine.
My personality also differentiates me from the other two candidates. I am transgender, which puts me at the heart of the LGBTQI (‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex’) agenda and gives me empathy towards all minorities. My interest in refugees reminds me of the discrimination I would face in Hungary, Poland.
I'm seen as the outsider in this campaign. We will see what happens in Berlin.
What do you expect from the next Parliament and the next Commission?
They must have more ambitions on three subjects: climate change, the defence of values (human rights, democracy, rule of law) and policies in favour of citizens, for the eradication of poverty, etc. We need a more equitable, fairer and more pleasant Europe to live in.
Bas Eickhout: “Only a Commission putting people and planet first will succeed”
Bas Eickhout is a trained scientist, a member of the Dutch GroenLinks and an MEP since 2009. He is now a member of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation for Relations with the United States (written statement collected by Lucas Tripoteau on 29 October).
Agence Europe: What do you think about the actions undertaken by the EU over this mandate?
Bas Eickhout: Commission president Juncker announced his Commission as the "last chance Commission". I don't think it was the last chance, but this Commission missed opportunities to really change the EU for the better.
One of the major challenges was and is to show people that the EU can work for the general interest rather than some multinational companies trying to dodge taxes or cheating with emissions at the expense of the climate and health of people.
By starting a deregulation offensive under the heading "better regulation", the corporate influence over the EU institutions has increased rather than decreased.
However, at some moments, some politicians did show that the EU can protect citizens. For instance when Commissioner Vestager, the commissioner in charge of Competition, sent Apple a massive tax bill, or when Parliament chose for ambitious CO2 reduction standards for cars against the car lobby's wishes. This is the direction I would like the EU to take more often. The electoral fight is not about in favour or against Europe; it is about which Europe we want.
Do you think the last elections in Europe can give a new impulse to the European green parties?
The results in German regional elections, Belgian local elections and Luxemburg national elections are extremely encouraging.
I think more and more people realise that Greens are a credible alternative to the status quo. This should give green parties plenty of hope and motivation to grow faster.
For too long, we let the choice between status quo parties and right-wing populists, as if these are the only options. The Green wave shows there is another alternative: against fear politics, for a strong Europe and with a hopeful message of change.
Can the Greens/EFA expect a stronger representation in Central and Eastern Europe?
We see a rise of many movements in central and eastern Europe who stand up against corruption, environmentally and socially destructive policies of many national governments.
These movements are not necessarily traditional green parties, but they are important allies for our future political work. We expect that our future Group will unite these pro-European, pro-change progressive movements to join forces. With that we will see a stronger representation across Europe.
Which number of seats could you reasonably expect over the upcoming mandate?
We feel that with the rise of the classic Green parties, we can achieve a comparable amount of seats as we have currently with the Brits still in. So around 50 seats.
If we can join the forces of the progressive movements all around Europe, we can get closer to 70 or even more if we will be successful in one of the bigger EU countries like Italy.
What are the key points of your programme? Which EU do you want?
I want the EU to change. We cannot wait another decade for serious action against climate change: we need to act now. We should lead the way to a fast and just transition to a sustainable economy.
The EU has yet to show to many people that it is able to strengthen social protection rather than weaken it with austerity or blind market liberalisation. It should show that it can protect ordinary citizens from failing banks, cheating multinationals, and the violation of fundamental rights by corrupt or authoritarian politicians.
What is the main difference between you and the two other candidates?
We share the same values, but we have different fields of expertise. I’m a chemist and environmental scientist who participates in all climate summits from Copenhagen to Katowice.
I am now rapporteur for Sustainable Finance, the next step in greening our economy. That is a particular focus I bring.
What do you expect from the upcoming Parliament and Commission?
Old parties are struggling, new alliances are being formed. It looks like anti-European forces will grow in the European Parliament, but hopefully so will movements with a desire for progressive change.
I want the next Commission to realise that business as usual is not a viable option. Only a Commission putting people and planet first will succeed.
Ska Keller: “We need to finally get to binding social targets and minimum standards in Europe”
German political scientist Ska Keller has been an ecological MEP since 2009. For the 2014 European elections, she was appointed co-Spitzenkandidate alongside Frenchman José Bové. Mrs Keller is currently co-chairing the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament and is a member of the Conference of Presidents, as well as delegations to the EU-Turkey and CARIFORUM-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee (written comments received by Lucas Tripoteau on 5 November).
Agence Europe: What do you think about the actions undertaken by the EU over this mandate?
Ska Keller: Juncker had announced at the beginning of the mandate that this is the "Commission of the last chance" and this hasn't really been fulfilled. I wouldn't even mainly blame the Commission, since they made a lot of proposals in different areas, but the member states were very reluctant to move ahead on anything from climate change to asylum.
The political reluctance of member state governments continues to be one of the biggest problems in Europe. This becomes especially clear since we have more and more governments in place for whom the main function of the EU is to be a scapegoat. And we have more and more governments that turn to nationalism and undermine Rule of law and democracy.
The challenges for the EU have increased rather than decreased during the last mandate. However, in the turbulent global situation, it would be very important to have a strong European voice – for peace, for climate protection and for human rights. Also internally, issues like how to deal with globalisation and digitalisation as well as creating better life standards everywhere and guaranteeing civil liberties can only be tackled successfully if we all work together.
We need to make a leap forward to fulfil the potential that our Union has.
Do you think the last elections in Europe can give a new impulse to the European green parties?
Greens have proven that elections can be won on giving hope, talking about concrete proposals on how to shape the future. Our success is a very encouraging sign, given that some parties are trying to wage fear and win votes with that.
All the people protesting against corruption and for women's rights, all the small and bigger initiatives supporting refugees and protecting the environment are looking for parliamentary representation and I am confident that we can be the voice of that other Europe which is often overlooked.
Can the Greens/EFA expect a stronger representation in Central and Eastern Europe?
It is true that our biggest delegations are from France, Germany, Sweden and Austria. But we also have members from Spain, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania and many others.
For us it's very important to have all corners of Europe represented and to always keep in mind the situation of countries where we don't have MEPs. We're confident that we can have a substantial membership from the east and south.
Which number of seats could you reasonably expect over the upcoming mandate?
I would expect that we should be able to at least keep our current size despite Brexit which will deprive us of six MEPs.
What are the key points of your programme? Which EU do you want?
We're voting our European manifesto at the end of November. We will campaign for an ecological, social and democratic Europe. Getting ahead on climate protection is absolutely crucial, especially with Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement. We only have one planet to live on so we need to take care of it.
On social issues, we still have a huge difference between living standards both between and inside member states and the imposed austerity worsened the situation. Especially youth unemployment is at worrying levels. We need to finally get to binding social targets and minimum standards in Europe and invest into the economy to make it future-proof in terms of ecology and social justice.
We also need to get real on tax justice and shaping the globalisation – something that we can only do together. Finally, with many governments undermining democracy and civil liberties, the EU needs to stand up for citizen's rights everywhere and develop instruments to defend them.
What is the main difference between you and the two other candidates?
I think we have three good candidates. We differ in our profiles and in what we have done so far and where we would put priorities, but we all would work hard and with full energy for the greening of Europe.
What do you expect from the upcoming Parliament and Commission?
The majorities will be more unstable than in the past, so as Greens we will play an important role for reaching majorities and thereby will be able to increase our influence on EU policies even further. We will work on our path to defend European values and to change the EU.