View online version

Hi John!

This Sunday, Turkey is holding its most significant election in the past two decades, with the possibility of a major political shift. President Erdoğan, who has been ruling Turkey in an authoritarian style for 20 years now, might be unseated in favour of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu who is promising a democratic shift. 

In a show of solidarity, European Greens officials Mélanie Vogel, co-chair, and Mina Jack Tolu, committee member, are in Turkey to support our member party which is in a coalition to defeat Erdoğan. 

The Green Left Party (Yeşil Sol Parti) is currently polling at 10 – 13 % and is one of the main components of the opposition. 

We will send you a detailed report from Turkey next week, but in the meantime, you can follow Mélanie’s and Mina Jack’s trip on Twitter!

 

We will live stream a press conference of the EGP together with our Green partners on the ground on Monday at 12:00 Turkish time (11:00 CEST).

Good luck to our Green partners and everyone working for a more democratic Turkey!

Updates from the European Greens

European Elections 2024

European Greens start listening process with civil society organisations

• Last week, Greens met with civil society representatives in Brussels to discuss the most important issues for the Green election campaign.

• We listened to experts on climate & social justice, rights & democracy, and international affairs.

• Take a look…

 

Local Councillors Network

Navigating the Controversy: Strategies for Dealing with Russian and Soviet Heritage in Public Spaces

• Join us for a discussion on how to embrace Eastern Europe's rich cultural heritage while dealing with the remains of Russian and Soviet influence in our municipalities, as we exchange insights and perspectives from local councillors.

• Sign up now!

 

Climate change

Heatwave in April

• An exceptionally early heat wave in Spain and Portugal is just the latest proof of the climate emergency.

• Join the debate on Instagram…

 

Green New Deal

EPP is undermining the Green New Deal

• The EPP is trying to get rid of new rules on pesticides and nature restoration arguing that this could lead to famine in Europe.

• But they are wrong: Climate change, loss of biodiversity and soil degradation are the actual threats for food security.

• Read more…

 

Campaign Handbook

How to Create a Winning Manifesto for Local Elections: A Step-by-Step Guide

• Looking for inspiration on how to craft an inclusive and participatory manifesto for local elections?
• Check out this case study based on the Green Party's experience in Wuppertal, Germany, where they involved citizens and NGOs in the writing process.
• This article is a 7 min must-read for those looking to engage their community. Log in or sign up for the Campaign Handbook to discover more!

Updates from our member parties

England

Historic success for Greens in English local elections

• The Green Party of England and Wales made a record 200 gains of Local Councillor seats in England – the highest ever growth in the party’s 50-year history.

• This great result in last week’s local elections is taking the total number of Green councillors in England and Wales to a record 738, on a record 166 councils.

• Congratulate our member party…

 

Germany

49 € ticket introduced in Germany

• Everyone in Germany can now use local and regional public transport for just 49 € per month.

• The so called ‘Deutschlandticket’ is now valid and a great political success of our German member party Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen.

• Read more…

 

Latvia & Estonia

Party conferences in Estonia and Latvia

• Our Latvian member party, Progresīvie, elected a new elected new co-chairs and a new board. Justīne Panteļējeva and Andris Šuvajevs were elected as co-chairs. Mairita Lūse, Antoņina Ņenaševa, Dāvis Lodziņš, Kaspars Briškens, Zane Pūpola, Atis Švinka and Niks Derums will serve as board members in the next 2 years.

• In Estonia, Evelyn Sepp and Mihkel Kangur were elected as co-chairs of the Estonian Greens, Rohelised. Johanna Maria Tõugu, Marko Kaasik, Rasmus Lahtvee, Timur Sagitov, Marti Soosaar, Alina Lerner-Vilu, Tuula Raidna, Egle Olesk and Marek Mühlberg were elected as board members.

• Congratulations to everyone who got elected!

tilt! petition

Help us protect our rivers: Test your water quality!

Mining, industrial agriculture and other polluting activities are killing our rivers – a high price to pay for short-term financial profits. Extreme temperatures caused by climate change make these ecosystems more vulnerable. This results in environmental catastrophes like the ones we saw last year in the Oder River in Poland and elsewhere. Human activity is causing this destruction. 

 

It’s urgent that we act to protect our common rivers around Europe! We invite you to be a part of the solution. 

 

We will test the water quality in rivers across Europe to see the scale of pollution. Sign up for your free testing kit to start protecting your favorite river! We will send them to you by mail in May and June.

Upcoming Events

• 30 May | Local Councillors Network Webinar: "Navigating the Controversy”

• 02 – 03 Jun | 37th EGP Congress (Extra-Ordinary), Vienna

• 08 – 11 Jun | Global Greens Congress, Incheon, South Korea

Updates from our partner organisations

Beyond Growth

 

Want to read Kate Raworth, Commissioner Gentiloni, Philippe Lamberts and Joseph Stiglitz on postgrowth? Follow our coverage of next week’s Beyond Growth Conference.

Europe on the Ballot

 

A new column by Filipe Henriques starts looking ahead to the 2024 EU elections. Read it now!

Take charge of your future.
Donate Green.

If you enjoy reading our updates, consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend or colleague or inviting them to subscribe.

European Greens © 2023
Funded by the European Parliament. Sole liability remains with the author.