CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND MIGRATION WILL BE THE MILESTONES IN THE EUROPEAN GREENS' 2009 EP-ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN

The Council of the European Green Party adopted important decisions concerning the preparation for the joint campaign for EP-elections – 2009.

From April 11 to 13, 2008 a session of the European Green Party (EGP) took place. At the meeting there were representatives of the Bulgarian Green Party – the only party from Bulgaria that is member of the EGP: Alexander Karakachanov – chairman of the party and Ognian Kovachev – member of the Executive Committee of the Young European Greens and of the Global Greens.

The 8th session of the EGP Council concluded in Lubliana, Slovenia, after three days of debate and discussions among delegates representing Green Parties from 35 countries. The major subject of interest was the preparation for the general elections for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in 2009. A priority for all parties shall be the election of MEPs from new EU member states.

Philip Lamberts, EGP spokesperson, expressed an opinion that the session has passed very well and thanked the Slovenian Green Party, host of the event, for the cordial reception and the whole organization of the event. Among the most important achievement of this Council was the adoption of three strategic documents concerning the climate change, the economic development and migration which shall form the basis for the common platform of the European Green Parties for 2009 European Parliament elections campaign. The contribution of all parties for drafting this document was recognized as well. The document will provide suggestions on policy-making and creative decisions-making regarding issues of special interest to European voters.

According to Ulrike Lunachek, EGP spokesman, the participation in the EP is of essential importance to European Greens because it presents parties with the opportunity to take part in resolving such global problems as the fight against climate change and social equality of rights. A guarantee for the success of the European Green Parties can be the mutual work aimed at convincing the largest number of EU citizens possible in order to increase the number of Green MEPs. The participation of European Green Parties in the EP gives them the chance to take part also in resolving world problems like human rights protection. In a special resolution the EGP calls for the release of Ingrid Betancourt – leader and presidential candidate from the Colombian Green Party, who has been held hostage by a rebel organization called Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for more than six years. A resolution on the Tibet issue has also been adopted in which the EGP calls for boycott of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in China by the governments of EU member states if there isn’t development on the Tibet issue and human rights protection in China as a whole. The European Greens require the International Olympic Committee to ensure freedom of speech for the participants in these Olympic Games who have to be able to express freely their opinion on human rights observance in China and Tibet.

The main goal of the participants in these discussions was the increasing of the political role of European Greens through their participation in the upcoming 2009 EP elections which can guarantee true democracy for European voters.