80 years ago, Europe rose from the ashes of fascism and war to forge a new path: a union built on peace, democracy, and solidarity. The European project was, and still is, the antidote to nationalism and tyranny. It is our greatest achievement. Today, it is under attack.
As World War II ended, for much of Europe this was a new beginning. In Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics, the horrors of the war and the Holocaust were followed by a new totalitarianism. Several more decades were needed for Europe to be reunited as a free and democratic family.
Authoritarian powers and their allies want to dismantle this project. Putin fears a united Europe that stands for freedom, defends itself and supports Ukraine. Netanyahu and Erdoğan fear a Europe that upholds human rights and international law.
Trump fears a Europe that leads the green transition, regulates tech monopolies and protects the welfare state. Within our borders, autocrats like Orbán call themselves patriots but their loyalties lie not with their people but with oligarchs at home and autocrats abroad.
They fear Europe because it shows that democracy, equality, and the green transition works. That a different world is possible.
This is a defining moment. Europe must choose between retreat into fragmentation or moving forward together.
The road some Conservatives are taking, as they thoughtlessly cut and scrap social and environmental progress, is a dead end.
Europe’s social model is its greatest strength, protecting citizens, public services, and prosperity. It is the foundation of our peace. During the pandemic and the energy crisis, the EU worked together to answer difficult times.
Prosperity is also about security. Security in your work and your home. In clean air, affordable energy bills, and public services there when you need them. Freedom from fossil fuels sourced from authoritarian regimes. This is the promise of a Green Europe.
The Single Market remains our most powerful tool, but Trump’s tariffs expose the contradictions of our economic model. Giving in to Trump’s agenda by undoing progress towards a greener economy, a free and safe digital world, and stronger fundamental and social rights would be a fatal error.
To chart our own path, Europe must invest in itself: in innovation, green infrastructure, and a regenerative economy that strengthens ecological systems and social foundations. Not to turn inward, but to build a stronger base for global cooperation.
The EU has always sought to protect democracy and individual freedoms from nationalism and authoritarianism. As we resist their rise in the EU, we must stand with those struggling for freedom in our neighbourhood and beyond: in Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia, and Georgia.
Because Europe is not only the European Union but also something bigger. A shared space of values and hope. When we see the resistance, we realize that the dark clouds are our opportunity—to act with courage and unite with purpose.
We, the European Greens, call for a fundamental step forward to a more united, democratic, and federal Europe, starting from:
A fiscal union to tackle inequality, fund green public services, and ensure a just transition
A real industrial and energy strategy, grounded in the Green Deal, to make breaking free from fossil fuels and protecting nature an opportunity for communities and businesses
An end to veto politics, to isolate those who undermine fundamental rights and the rule of law so that Europe can speak and act as one
A common European response to defence and security challenges, protecting citizens through shared capabilities and cooperation, not duplication, and building peace
A credible enlargement process, and stronger ties with those who share European aspirations
This is about more than institutions, it is about people.
For young Europeans, this is your future. A just transition means jobs with purpose, a home you can afford, and a planet you can live on.
For working families, the European social model is not a cost but a lifeline. Universal healthcare and education, fair wages, and green mobility are not luxuries but your right.
For everyone, Europe must become the engine of fundamental rights, upholding and protecting our freedom to live life as we choose without fear of discrimination.
Because a more democratic, united and federal Europe will be a stronger one. Less divided and more prepared to remain open, not only to new members but the wider world.
We must not view migration and solidarity beyond borders as threats to our identity but as essential to what we stand for. When painful conflicts rage globally, in Palestine as in Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine, European unity is all the more urgent.
This May, as Poland, Portugal and Romania go to the polls, let’s remember what Europe is for. Let’s remember the Europe we strive for, even against the odds.
In the face of the dark clouds—Putin’s war, Trump’s chaos, disinformation, nationalist sabotage—Europe’s unity is our only bulwark.
This Europe Day, we remember those who resisted Nazism and fascism in 1945. Now, it is our turn to resist and take this peace project further. Let us build a Europe that truly takes care of its people and its future.
A federal, free, green, and democratic Europe—together.
Vula Tsetsiand Ciarán Cuffe, Co-Chairs of the European Green Party
Bas Eickhout and Terry Reintke, Co-Presidents of Greens/EFA
Anja Presnukhina and Luca Guidi, Co-Spokespersons of the Federation of Young European Greens
Werner Kogler, Die Grünen - Die Grüne Alternative
Bart Dhondt, Groen
Samuel Cogolati and Marie Lecocq, Ecolo
Daniela Bozhinova and Toma Belev, Zeleno dvizhenie
Zorislav Antun Petrović, Zelena alternativa - ORaH
Gabriela Svárovská and Matěj Pomahač, Zelení
Evelyn Sepp and Rasmus Lahtvee, Eestimaa Rohelised
Marine Tondelier, Les Écologistes - Europe Ecologie Les Verts
Franziska Brantner and Felix Banaszak, Bündnis90/Die Grünen
Rebeka Szabó and Richárd Barabás, Párbeszéd – A Zöldek Pártja
Agnese Lāce and Andris Šuvajevs, Progresīvie
Stéphanie Empain and François Benoy, déi gréng
Sandra Gauci, ADPD
Katinka Eikelenboom, GroenLinks
Urszula Zielińska and Przemysław Słowik, Zieloni
Anatolie Prohnițchi, Partidul Verde Ecologist
Inês Sousa Real, Pessoas-Animais-Natureza / PAN
Isabel Mendes Lopes and Rui Tavares, Livre
Rodica Bărbuță and Bogdan Botea, Partidul Verde
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party
Biljana Đorđević and Radomir Lazović, Zeleno-levi front
Urša Zgojznik and Uroš Macerl, VESNA – zelena stranka
Luca Bertolini and Elide Mussner, Verdi - Grüne - Vërc
Anna Martin Cuello and Andreu Mayayo, Esquerra Verda
Mar González and José Ramón Becerra, Verdes Equo
Erica Scott and Alfons Röblom, Hållbart Initiativ
Vitalii Kononov, Partiia zelenykh Ukrayiny
Katinka Eikelenboom, GroenLinks
