“This is an excellent result and not only because it means that GroenLinks strengthen their position at local council level. They are now the biggest party in the city of Utrecht and consolidate their position as the biggest party in Nijmegen. Crucially, GroenLinks have also increased their percentage of the vote across the Netherlands .Were this to be repeated in the early parliamentary elections on June 9th, GroenLinks would increase their number of seats in parliament from 7 to 12. We European Greens hope that they will win even more seats. GroenLinks have waged a positive and imaginative campaign based on real solutions to the problems facing Dutch citizens and we know that they will do the same in the run-up to the national elections.”

“We share the shock of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament that Commissioner Dalli has today issued the first new cultivation authorisation for a genetically modified plant variety in 12 years. To do this is not only potentially dangerous; it is also an insult to the 70% of EU Consumers who are opposed to GM Food. We European Greens will continue to campaign against GMOs because they are unnecessary and serious concerns remain about their consequences on human health and the environment.”

The Greens/EFA Press Release can be found here:

http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/329/329653.gm_food@en.htm

“Today’s announcement , along with the recent announcement of loan guarantees for nuclear power of up to 54.5 billion US Dollars, is based on the fallacy that the new generation of nuclear power plants are “clean and safe” whereas the reality is that they continue to be extremely dirty and dangerous. There are several reasons why nuclear is not an option. Safety and security concerns are still paramount but the nuclear lobby also tries to cover up the real costs of nuclear power, including the problems of waste treatment  and the fact that the technology to deal with such waste safely and effectively does not exist. It is also a fact that the supply of fuel needed for nuclear power is no more infinite than oil.”

 “It is simply unacceptable for taxpayers’ money to be diverted from projects that really deliver CO2 reductions quickly and sustainably, ie, renewables, to nuclear which is neither sustainable, efficient nor safe. It is clear that Obama is trying to buy the support of Republicans for his plans to place a cap on carbon emissions and invest more in renewables by giving in to their demands for irresponsible and unsustainable investment in the nuclear, coal and gas industries. But Obama's admission that the US administration has to offer such huge financial guarantees to get the nuclear industry moving is also further evidence that nuclear power is bad economics; and that the government of the UK and Italy are lying to the public when they say that the plan to build new reactors will not cost anything to the tax payers. There can be no new nuclear plant without massive public subsidies. There is also a blatant contradiction between Obama calling, in noble sounding rhetoric, for a world free of nuclear weapons while supporting the so-called “nuclear renaissance” which actually increases the likelihood of nuclear proliferation. We call on the Greens and the environmental movements in the USand worldwide to launch a new global campaign in 2010 against the come-back of an old and dangerous technology and to vigorously resist the lie that nuclear will combat climate change.”

Petition to the President of RwandaH.E. Paul KAGAME, the President of Rwanda

Your Excellency,

In recent weeks there has been an escalation of attacks against members of opposition party members in Rwanda including the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda. Government opponents and critics have repeatedly faced obstacles to legitimate political activities in the country; they are facing threats, attacks, and harassment ahead of Rwanda's August 2010 presidential election.

As leaders of the European Green Party, we are deeply concerned about these recent developments and we expect the government of Rwanda to ensure that all conditions for an open, fair and democratic political debate are met.

We are therefore calling upon Your Excellency to use your offices in order to:

- Investigate the incidents referred to above;

-    Ensure that the State security agencies concerned actively provide security  and protection to the persons that have been threatened, especially the leaders of the opposition parties who could be targeted during the electoral process;

-   Ensure a level playing field between all contenders before, during and after the elections by amending various laws that hinder the process;

-   Establish an independent electoral commission comprised of representatives from all stakeholders from both the ruling party coalition and opposition parties so that the Presidential elections are free and fair.

We do acknowledge the traumatic history of Rwanda and we believe that free, open and fair elections can greatly contribute to healing the wounds of the recent past and providing each of its citizens with better living conditions.

We would very much appreciate a reply at your Excellency's earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully,

Monica Frassoni, Spokesperson European Green Party
Philippe Lamberts , Spokesperson European Green Party
Steve Emmott, EGP committee member responsible for Global Greens Coordination

« Alla vigilia della difficile campagna per le elezioni regionali, esprimiamo la nostra totale solidarietà ad Angelo Bonelli ; consideriamo l’assenza di spazio per una discussione séria su questi temi nella TV italiana come un’ulteriore dimostrazione dei rischi posti dal sistema di potere berlusconiano sulla qualità dell’informazione in Italia. Noi ci appelliamo ai media italiani, e in particolare alla TV pubblica, a rispettare le regole di parità di accesso di tutte le forze politiche al dibattito durante e dopo la campagna elettorale sulle grandi sfide ambientali che dovremo affrontare nei prossimi anni. Oltre alla libertà di informazione, é in gioco il futuro del nostro pianeta. "

 Angelo Bonelli has been on hunger strike since January 28th as a protestagainst the lack of media attention in Italygiven to the key environmental challenges facing Italy, the EU and the world.

“We support the non-violent protest of the leader of the Italian Greens,Angelo Bonelli, which seeks to draw attention to the lack of pluralism in the Italian media and the fact that almost no attention is given to crucial environmental issues such as the fight against climate change, the increasein pollution, the need to protect citizens’ health and the Italiangovernment’s decision to reintroduce nuclear power in Italy. The failure of the media to inform people about the true nature of the environmental degradation of the country, the very real threat to freedom of the media posed by the dominant influence of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's media holdings and the systematic exclusion of the Italian Greens from media debates has forced the Italian Greens to undertake this protest. We call on all Italian media organisations to urgently address the concerns raised by the Greens so that they can better inform Italian citizens about the many urgent environmental issues facing Italy, the EU and the planet as a whole.   

Il Comitato esecutivo del Partito Verde europeo, riunito a Bruxelles il 30 gennaio, esprime la più totale solidarietà con l'azione non-violenta di Angelo Bonelli di reazione e mobilitazione contro il fatto inconfutabile che le reti televisive italiane abbiano tralasciato in questi ultimi mesi di parlare delle grandi questioni ambientali come i cambiamenti climatici, la lotta all'inquinamento, la difesa della salute dei cittadini, la difesa del territorio, il ritorno al nucleare.

Noi condividiamo le ragioni che hanno spinto Angelo Bonelli ed i Verdi italiani ad aprire questa vertenza e siamo solidali con loro nella speranza che i problemi posti vengano messi al centro del dibattito di tutti gli organi di informazione e confidiamo che i responsabili di tutte le reti televisive diano risposte chiare e rapide visto che, oltre alla libertá di informazione nel nostro Paese, è in gioco il futuro del nostro pianeta e la salute dei cittadini.

 La reunión se llevara a cabo el 28 y 29 de enero en Madrid. Estos encuentros coincidirán con una conferencia sobre la Presidencia española del Consejo de la Unión Europea y propuestas para un “New Deal Verde” que realizará el Grupo Verde/ALE en el Parlamento Europeo anfitrionado por IC-V y La Confederación de Los Verdes.

 Monica Frassoni y Philippe Lamberts manifiestan lo siguiente:

 “Nos alegramos de tener este encuentro con La Confederación de Los Verdes, Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, y otros grupos de ecología política en España. Estamos convencidos de que esta es una gran oportunidad para los Verdes en España de reunirse para explorar nuevas posibilidades de cooperación y de inclusión de otros movimientos, grupos o individuales interesados. El discurso y el consenso sobre el “Green New Deal” y la lucha contra el cambio climático no se pueden dejar solo a los dos partidos verdes grandes de España. En este encuentro discutiremos nuevos caminos para que los Verdes se puedan establecer como una fuerza política independiente y significante en España a nivel local, regional, nacional y europeo”.

Monica Frassoni and Philippe Lamberts said:

 “We are looking forward to our meetings with La Confederación De Los Verdes and Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds and various other strands of political ecology active in Spain: we are convinced that there is a real opportunity right now for Greens in Spain to come together to explore ways of cooperating better and to open up to other interested movements, grouping and individuals.

In Spain,the discussion and the buiding of consensus around the Green New Deal and the fight against climate change cannot be left to Spain’s two big parties. The meetings we will have in Madrid will discuss the ways to establish the Greens as an independent and significant political force in Spain at all levels of politics, be it local, regional, national or European.“