Opinion • February 22 2004

The European Green Party
Harry Vassallo is excited about the prospects of Alternattiva Demokratika in the enlarged EU, and outlines how the Green parties have been crucial in
creating a more socially just and environmentally friendly EU

As you read this I will be ending a historic trip to Rome. As always I will feel enormously refreshed by spending time among Greens from all over the continent. Many of them have become familiar faces, friends. We have met at such gatherings since 1989.
This time it will be very different for the Maltese Greens. So far we have been part of the European Federation of Green Parties (EFGP) but watched from the sidelines while our friends participated in EU politics. This time we are players too.
We are also participating in the creation of a transnational political party. We will be contesting the European Parliament elections together. We will have a common campaign. The purpose in this election is to participate in the European Parliament, to be part of the crucial Green Group.
So far we have benefited by sharing in the insider view from the outside. We have watched for close on a decade and a half to debates which made us envious: the finer points of life quality, health, food safety, consumer rights, public transport, workers rights. For Malta it was just out of reach for far too long.
From now on it will all concern us all directly. What the Green Group in the European Parliament holds is very likely to determine the outcome of EU directives which will be enforceable in Malta.
Half the decisions taken in the EP are reached through preparatory discussions where a consensus is formed. For the other half, where no consensus is possible, the outcome is determined by a vote. As in Malta, the PPE (PN) and the PSE (MLP) cancel each other out. The vote swings according to the support obtained from the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
It is a huge responsibility well borne by the Greens. We have every reason to be proud of the way we have influenced events to create a more socially conscious and environmentally friendly EU. It has taken considerable and consistent efforts behind the scenes to counter opposing lobbies. Not everything in the EU is automatically eco-friendly.
The EFGP secretariat has been hard at work for well over a year in preparing the ground for the setting up of the transnational campaign. With Arnold Cassola as Secretary General of the EFGP, the Maltese Greens have had a close view of the ups and downs involved. To a significant extent it has been Arnold’s achievement.
Also among Greens, diverse cultures and different political realities have made this a gargantuan task. We are the trailblazers for the other political families. The Rome meeting will be truly historic and not just for Greens.
With my batteries recharged by a weekend of omnipresent Greenness I will return to Malta to increase momentum in the campaign for the election of a Maltese Green to the European Parliament. It will be with a wry smile.
Arnold Cassola has earned the respect of colleagues and political rivals across the continent. Yet in his home political reality the challenge to elect a Green is still enormous. Success for Cassola in the EP elections in Malta will be comparable to the work he has brought to culmination and signature of documents at Rome’s Campidoglio this morning. Nothing is impossible.
The Greens have been the first of Europe’s political families to step towards Europe’s common future. In Malta only the election of a Green can take Malta a step forward towards real political pluralism and a fully articulated debate.
Our first opportunity to return to our task will be in the European elections. We are fielding a candidate with European stature, one well qualified to represent the Greens and Malta in the European Parliament. We will do well for ourselves and for our country.
Dr Vassallo is Chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party
www.alternattiva.org.mt