Greens in the European Parliament

Green parties hold an ambivalent relationship towards the European Union (EU) and its institutions. On one hand, membership in the European Parliament (EP) offers greens a transnational forum in which to pursue reform of the EU institutions, and work towards their vision of a 'Europe of the Regions'. More concretely, the EP allows greens access to decision-making concerning EU environmental, energy, regional and single market policies. On the other hand, the EU represents much that greens oppose: technocratic policy-making; closed, often cloudy decision-making procedures; distant decision-making institutions, and the dominance of inter-governmental influence. Greens in Europe thus face a strategic paradox: how to work through institutions which inherently violate green principles. This Profile examines the current Green Group in the EP (GGEP) and assesses its attempts to achieve these green goals in the face of the strategic constraints outlined above.