SATURDAY: Extended Congress of the European Greens | Live from Lyon

10.30 CET: Green Speech
10.50 CET: Election of the Leading Candidates
12.45 CET: Press Conference with the elected Leading Candidates

#EGPCongress

I really feel introduced yeah yeah yeah as you see we are becoming more and more professional you need do you need this this is I don’t I don’t have anything else no I I don’t need anything you don’t need it okay so thank you um before we do what we are mostly

Here to do which is electing our spitzen candidat our leading candidates I wanted to give the floor to two very important people for the family and the first one is Jo Jilin he’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for mobility and the National Railway company he’s a committed politician he’s member of the

Family since forever today as Deputy Prime Minister he’s fully committed to a federal government that is The Greener that Belgium ever had as a minister he’s engaged towards Mobility that binds all badon together coming from the nonprofit sector George considers it essential to provide a link between Civil Society

Citizens and their representative and I give you the floor George [Applause] [Applause] please hello everyone thanks uh for having uh invited me Leon it’s so good to be here and to see so many friendly faces and so many greens ready to change the world um then

For those who don’t know me my name is George and I’m lucky enough to be Deputy Prime Minister in charge of mobility in the Belgian federal government since three years and four months now [Applause] together with my colleague from the flamish greens Petra we are representing the two Belgium green parties in

Government with seven parties two liberals Two Social Democrat one Christian Democrat and then two greens welcome in Belgium we had to wait for more than 20 years after our four participation to come back in a federal Belgian government the most green government ever in the Belgium history said or liberal prime

Minister when he present or art negotiated government program in November 2020 he was right and I will come back on it but I have also to admit that it’s not so difficult to be greener than any other Belgian government before and I can also admit that it must

Possible to do better to be ever greener in the future but it’s quite something and that’s the reason why our general assembly decided with a great and huge majority to embark on this adventure is it easy certainly not but we will talk about that another time

This is neither the time nor the place to complain and if it was so easy it wouldn’t have been so funny are there any more complicated issues for us yes migration Aviation increasing the defense budget nuclear but politics isn’t about simple things is it is it exciting is it useful yes it

Is certainly we are delivering on lot of issues are we perfect certainly not but we do more than our best are our partners loyal and Cooperative I think you can guess the answer but we are art negotiators too and it was our responsibility as long as our electoral

Score allowed us to do so to decide to work with them to make progress on the issues that are essential for the greens and to avoid traditional parties making too many bad decision is the international context favorable for the ecologist we have to admit that 2024 after covid with war in Ukraine

With Massacre of innocent in Israel or Gaza is not so evident for us not so as 2019 and the student striking for climate but it’s another good reason to keep fighting for ID in fact can we find Partners in other countries sometimes not when salvini the leader of the Italian fire fire right

Joins the Italian government and the European Council of Transport minister with an objective that is exactly the opposite of mine I want to connect Europeans and make their Mobility a freedom he wants to close its border and prevent boats of people who are simply looking for a better life from landing

At on the Italian Coast but but sometimes yes yes we can find Partners when I work with Leonor Austria fra Luxembourg eont iseland in the same European Council of Transport minister to put the train back on TR on on to put the train back on track or to promote active

Mobility or when I meet the leaders of the Polish green and a few weeks later I learned that they are joining a government for the first time a pro-european government and that Ula will be in charge of climate [Applause] policy is there a way and a need to do

Better that we have achieved in three years of course there is that’s for next time we’ll be even more ready to do do because we have learned a lot but I think I can already say that we have achieved result we can be proud of and which should Inspire us as we look

Ahead to The crucial elections in June we the greens have the right answer to current crisis the future needs greens and the greens are the future not only by ourself because because we can do everything on our own but in cooperation with other Democrats to change society

Whether in opposition to Monitor and put new issues on the agenda or in government to implement the change that is needed since our historic victory in 2019 we have been delivering this answer at both European and National levels we have succeeded to put climate transition nature biodiversity renewable

Energy green investment at the European agenda in Belgium in this Coalition of seven parties we achieve over the past five years past years significant green successes or green minister in charge of energy tin is closing nuclear power plants and tripling wind power in the North Sea in order to provide more green and

Affordable energy and a security of supplied for all Belgium our green minister of climate zakya is leading a European delegation in international negotiation is boosting circular economy and has managed to in include the crime of ecosite in Belgian legislation green Regional ministers in W and Brussel are doing a tremendous job

To insulate buildings plant trees make public transport free for young people bu build new bike lines and protect biodiversity as well as animal welfare and why those green step are evident we can also be proud of our social achievement thanks to the green presence in the federal government we made

Psychological care cheaper raised minimum wages and pulled up minimum pensions and benefits no other government has succeeded in doing so in the past 20 years this has improved the daily lives of hundred of thousand of vulnerable people during the energy crisis we protected more than two billion two million Belgian against energy poverty

While social tariff by financing it with the excess profit from the energy sector thanks to all secretaries in charge State secretaries in charge of equality between women and men we have passed a bill to stop feminicide and have opened all over ban treatment center for the sexual violence

To which women are all too often subjected as Federal minister of Mobility I turned a year-long degradation of our national Railways into a long longterm vision and billions of new investment night trains are making their comeback in Europe and Brussel is its natural up and is this challenge Leonor from Austria shows us

The way with obbe the nation the Austrian raway company thanks to her I’ve reformed our Highway code to give more space to active road user pedestrian and cyclist and to challenge the central World reserved for the queen car and together with Karima Karima Deli we pave the way for the first Au cycling

Strategy that will be officially adopted in April and we have thanks for the bike and and we have reinforced democracy by opening up parliaments creating committees open to Citizen relay in on cooperation rather than competition and granting the right to vote at 16 in European election those concrete green victories are

Unprecedented we would have never dreamed of them five years five years ago we can be proud of this achievement but their friend election are not one with past achievement and rightfully so this is what our voters wanted from us in 2019 so what are we offering in

20124 we need to go even further the response of the crisis in agriculture must not be opposed on environmental measures as the conservative parties are proposing but a radical review of free trade agreements we must reject the continuation of the mercosur [Applause] agreement and not signing new free trade

Agreements is not is one thing but we have we also need to review existing free trade trade agreements to ensure fair trade a decent income for farmers and a better protection of environment this is the same with the green deal our P primary goal as ecologist is to preserve and accelerate

The green deal where the Liberals and conservatives want to put it on hold or even to scrap it but more than a green transition we need to go further by proposing a green and just transition with the rise of extremism and populism I believe that addressing

The social crisis will be key in this coming election because more than purchasing power people want the power to live with dignity and I’m happy to read the green Manifesto that the in the green Manifesto that the fight against poverty for affordable energy and using policy are Central dear friend I finished for

The Belgian election also in June our slogan is choose the future choosing the future means choosing the green and the coming months will busy ones we will face attacks bad face and lies but with the record we have and the proposition we make we can make the difference for a green and just

Society we have shown since 40 years and especially in the five La last five years that we can do it and we can do it again in the future and do it even better because we learn from our struggles our victories and our defeats acting now will be far less

Costly than acting later or to late acting now will enable us to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the transition acting no mean preserving democracy the ability to live together in a peaceful world where everyone respects each other acting no is the only way to save the planet and ensure a

Good quality of life for our children and grandchildren our project is worst fighting for we can do it I wish you courage perseverance Lucidity intelligence and resilience in the campaign more than ever every vote will come account the world needs the green and the greens need you thank

You so the last person I’m going to call on stage before we finally vote on the leading candidates is before being an amazing politician and a Piller of the EGP a very dear friend and I think he’s a very dear friend of a lot of people here

Because it’s just impossible not to love this person he served as an MEP from 2014 and he left the European Parliament in 2023 everybody was completely happy that he was leaving but desperate completely desperate to see him leaving but he did it for a good reason because

He became the minister for culture in the Spanish government I’m calling on stage [Applause] Ernest good morning everyone well as you can imagine is a bit with a lot of emotion that I’m taking the floor this morning with you um but the first thing I want to tell you is that I feel

Extremely proud to see so many green people around Europe gathering in Leon ready to pick up the fight for the next European election and have a great result we will we will rock it I’m sure we will look when we when we started the whole adventure of sumar in Spain some

Some months ago uh it was around I’ve already forgotten maybe June even a bit a bit earlier everybody had the impression in Spain that uh when the when the elections were called that nothing was possible that the right wing was going to win and actually I remember myself

Going around the corridors of the European Parliament and every single person I was crossing was telling me I’m sorry you’re next in line I’m sorry you’re go you’re going to get the far right in government but I think there’s a strong Spanish lesson for the whole Europe after what happened the last

Months if we organize if we fight we can beat the far right and have Progressive governments in Europe we can do it we can do it and this is the lesson for July I think we can absolutely do it and we the greens will be the driving force making

The next European Parliament have a Progressive Majority I’m sure we will may we will manage to do it look I think as as any coalition government we have our our problems our discussions with our partners it’s it’s not always easy to be in government with the social Democrats I think lot of you

Have have that experience in your country but uh but I think we’re managing to do lot of important things and I’m extremely proud when I go outside Spain and explain what we’re doing to say that for instance after so many years of neoliberal policies in my country we have managed to raise the

Minimum statutory salary by more than 50% in the last three years more than 50% under the leadership of Yolanda di now we are in charge of Health you know that during for for for many years in Spain during the austerity years Public Health was massively cut and we had one

Of the best uh Public Health Systems in in the country in in Europe in the in in the last years but austerity really made made huge damage to our health system and now I’m very proud to say that we have one Minister from suar in charge of the health system which is massively

Investing again in reinforcing Public Health in our country and we are extremely proud of doing it and we are investing in Renewables more than ever and I think that also there’s another lesson from from Spain in the last year which is important for many years we we’ve been told that if we

Were doing policies in favor of the weakest if we were investing massively in Renewables we were going to put public finances in danger this is the whole Mantra of the neoliberals you cannot you cannot have massive investments in Renewables you cannot reinforce your your social system you cannot raise your minimum wage because

You put in danger the economy but we we have been doing all these policies in the last months and Spain is still one of the best performing economies in the whole EU so we actually neoliberals are wrong are a progressive policy mix that fights climate change and secure social

Social justice is important but of course now I think at the at um at the level of of the EU we will have um strong challenges and I think that one of the and I’m going to mention two which are I think are extremely important one I

Think is that the European green deal is under attack we’ve seen that in the European Parliament I’ve been in in the European Parliament until until until November and constantly and by knows that very well constantly like to say that well we need to slow a bit down the

Transition the transition is going too fast and we are here to say that no the transition is not going to fast we are the ones that are going to guarantee a fair transition for everyone that leaves nobody behind but the transition needs to accelerate because the planet cannot

Wait and all the data that we have from the United Nations say we cannot stop this we cannot stop this and sometimes it is in our responsibility also to say and to denounce when we have the so-called greenwashing from from uh uh from some political forces and look in our

Coalition we are we are living that every day the social Democrats say they are an ecological force that want to fight uh uh for for climate justice but on the other hand during this week we have had a huge discussion with our partners in government because they want

To continue enlarging the airport of Madrid and we are the ones saying that this is completely incompatible with climate change we cannot defend climate change one on on Saturday and on Sunday develop policies that are completely on the contrary of what needs to be done so

Yes we are the ones that are going to accelerate that are going to accelerate the transition and that the ones that that we are going to make it fair and on the other hand the second big threat for the next cycle of the European uh of the European

Elections is the threat of the return of austerity and I’m extremely worried about that I’m very happy to see a green group in the European Parliament denouncing that we’re go going towards a failed reform of the of the fiscal rules at the EU and we are also the ones who

Are going to say that there’s not there’s no possibility of making the the green transition if we go back to the old rules that that impose austerity to to Our member states this is not possible impossible and this is something that in these European elections we need to be

Very outspoken no we want we don’t not want to continue and repeat the mistakes we did 10 years ago and this is the the period when I became doing my my job at the European Parliament when we developed the troa when we developed the Cs to social serves no greens will be

The ones that will secure that these mistakes are not HP do not happen again at the European level this is going to be also our role in this European election and finally and I’m going to end here I think we are the ones who will secure the green deal the ones who

Will fight austerity but we are a key driving force also in defending democracy in the EU I’m very happy and very proud to see what we have achieved in the last years in the European Parliament being the ones defending our partners in Hungary our partners in Poland our partners who were on the

Threat because of their civil rights were being cut uh everywhere and also as a minister of culture I’m disc I’m I’m I’m discussing this a lot with our other ministers of culture by the way we have lots of of green Ministers of culture which is something we have to be very

Proud of and we are discussing a lot with our with the other Ministers of culture from the greens to see how we can reinforce our cultural values to defend democracy in the EU which is going to be also one of the key battles that we will have uh in the next in the

Next months look I will end I will end uh um with something um which is very important to me look I’ve been a European parliamentarian parliamentarian for nine years now I’m back to National Pol uh politics with lots of projects and trying to represent all of you also in

Spain because I’m trying to bring all the green values in in Spain uh but I want to tell you something um we need to be very proud of who we are what do we do and what we achieve Europe needs us Europe needs our family Europe needs this wonderful United Green family that

Is going to shape its future so let’s work together let’s fight together and late and let’s make the next European election a huge green success let’s go for it thank you and indeed we are almost ready to head to the voting but before that it’s the moment for the family picture a big

Group picture of all the people on stage so may I ask you to gather in the Centum of the stage and I’ll see where the photographers are you’re there so we’ll try to direct them and this is for the audience don’t leave the don’t leave the

Room because we need you people tend to smile more spontaneously when you give them a really warm and long Applause so please do it Now Jean come on [Applause] Front big cheers for every Everyone big science big hi encourage everyone all right so you are all allowed to go back to the room and now I will ask you again don’t leave the room and bear with me because there’s going to be a big setup change behind me um so

What we suggest now is you to rest your hands a little bit because you’re going to be uploading much more later on so we prepared um a green quiz for you just like interm medo light inter medo while we change all the stage setup and um

While we get ready for actually the big vote the big election of the leading candidates so you see on the screen behind me there’s a QR code use your smartphone to connect to to the quiz oh I see that uh many people are joining already little thumbs

Showing up up if the QR code doesn’t work don’t hesitate using the code on top of the screen m.com that’s where you will find it and we’ll test your knowledge about the history of the greens nothing serious if it doesn’t work immediately don’t worry we won’t use the same device for the election

Anyway so it’s really an intermetzo so I see that people are joining us let’s wait a little bit more before we start with the first question so how is it looking how is it going one well almost 200 players are ready good that’s good so more to come more to join

Yeah fine so you all need to choose a name an image to represent you a lot of dragons few crocodiles more and more people joining it feels cozy up there well I think it’s time for the first question let’s go to the first question so the quicker the faster you enter the

Right answer the more points you will get how many members parties does the EGP have so four options to that 19 29 39 49 we’ve got many answers almost ready everyone has voted let’s check for the answer what do we have what do we have what’s the results of this first

Question okay some people answered 1929 a lot for 39 only 35 people answered 49 which is the right answer 49 member parties it’s grown significantly in last year that why probably many of you didn’t know we’re gaining strength and that that’s great so let’s get to the next question but let’s first see

Leaderboard Wow first on top you got Venture who’s Venture where are you who’s on top of the leaderboard there you are let’s give him a big Applause and get to the next question the next question is the following so so so here it is where is the green Rave of FY taking

Place Amsterdam Berlin Rome or Belgrade so how many good answers will we we have this time I can already tell you that the participant call is closed so if you are not registrated yet for the Rave it’s too late everyone has voted let’s check do you think you got the right

Answer yes everybody does oh we have 76 right answers for Rome well some people seem to want to go to Amsterdam maybe for next time let’s keep it in mind mind so let’s have a look at the leaderboard Venture still on top F Joe is still second so not much oh

Yes it changed no Paul is now first elanar is second congratulations I remind you it’s not only giving the right answer it’s also being fast at giving the right answer so let’s get to the next question third question out of six which green politician had a Biblical nickname in the 2017 national election

Multiple choice yes clav clod Roth Iman Ryan or peeka havisto do you know this so almost everyone has voted you’re fast actually your quick answer you’re always welcome to join even if you haven’t been there for the first questions everyone has voted so what’s the result looking

Like what’s the reason what’s the re the answer for this third question let’s check we have 78 for yes clav yes indeed the jessiah he’s even he’s there with us at the Congress are you there the Josiah where are you you’re there hello gr links in the Netherlands thank

You for giving us the opportunity to have a question about you and so how’s the leaderboard looking like and change again Ventures back on top hello congratulations he’s still there sitting in the corner but now we are heading to the next question four out of six and meanwhile it seems that behind me

Everyone is more or less ready or fully ready you can also participate you know don’t hesitate taking your smartphone when was the last time that Leon hosted a European green Congress 82 93 2004 or 2015 so what’s your answer everyone has voted let’s see what your answer is big silence now let’s see

What is the right answer and who many people knew it actually it takes more time to get the results than to get your answers 2015 90 right answers congratulations to most of you so that’s very good and here is the team picture I think you’re going to be there

Going to be more people on the picture this year so let’s see what’s the leaderboard showing Venture is still on top or is there a change no change oh yes oh Joe is back on top that we really me it’s really between the two of you who’s Joe where are

You I I don’t see you well congratulations let’s get to the fifth question and the fifth question is coming up who is the youngest sitting member of the European Parliament is it Aina Kira Marie Kim or Nicholas so almost done everyone one has voted and I could tell you that that person is

Kira Maria at the age of 21 years three months and three days she’s the youngest ever MEP and the previous one was the German politician ilka Sher who was one month older when she was elected in 1999 what’s the leaderboard looking like let’s see we oh we’ve got a new top vote

Goat green L Eleanor and Rasmus that’s the top four for this quiz right now and we have a very very last question for the quiz and I’m quite sure that people who were there in Copenhagen will know what to answer which type of animal was famously featured during the party of

The Copenhagen Congress was it snakes Birds fish or Panda who was there in Copenhagen raise your hands so you normally you should know what type of animal was featured during the party of the Copenhagen Congress everyone has voted um I don’t have um more details about did Jean sing

Along with the birds because Birds is indeed the right answer congratulations and we got a picture of this amazing band so dance and La is an electronic electronic music group from Copenhagen and they mixing electronic sounds and real bird song so who’s the big winner for the quiz the ineda quiz

Vote go vote go for with 5,749 points where are you vote go who are you show yourself so we can make noise for you oh it’s a shy winner well I think we are all set we’re all ready the microphones are connected everyone all the beautiful faces are on

Stage already all the other beautiful faces are almost all seated so please to sit down get ready for the election of the leading candidates and I would like to give the floor back to benedetta as soon as we are ready Are we all ready benedetta one more minute we need more and more

Minutes okay so I didn’t prepare any joke so I was considering more giving you a minute of Silence so you can sit back take your chairs make sure you got your voting devices and I will be back as soon as we’re ready oh and the mic is almost connected

Now I thought it was done so very important thank you javanna for telling me um if you are voting please come closer to the stage as we said earlier we really want to make sure that your voice is recorded that your voice is heard and that your voting will

Be registrated so if you’re voting come as close as possible to the stage so does everybody have their voting devices has everybody found a seat closer to the stage to make sure they can vote welcome back or welcome for the people who are just joining

Us I’m sorry I promised you a moment of silence and actually I just can’t keep quiet benedetta ready for you well dear audience are you ready yes I’m afraid you fell asleep a little bit we’re going to need a lot of energy so are you ready Benedict at the floor is

Yours thank you but I normally do this directly from the table so but I’ve never been introduced for a vote with such enthusias so thank you very much get my microphone back sure okay okay okay so We Begin this part of this morning in a very nice Ambiance thank you to everybody for

Organizing this morning please sit we need the attention of everybody if everybody can come in the room because it’s a very important moment we need really your attention thank you and uh we will begin uh with uh benedetta who will explain the procedure first okay thank you very

Much hello again everyone um you um might have heard no none of you heard it this morning because you were not there at 8:30 only Austrian maltes Swedish and H and grun were there so I have to repeat again the procedure no I’m joking uh I didn’t name and shame

But this time I named and put in value the delegations were there so um in the upcoming vote for the leading candidates uh only the EU full member parties um will and can vote uh therefore the number of the allocated votes for the election of the leading candidates is

368 votes uh for information four of the votes have not been uh allocated due to uh suspension of voting rights uh and four votes uh could not be delivered this morning so uh in total we have 368 allocated votes um the uh majorities needed for re-election of the leading

Candidates is a simple majority 50% plus one of the votes cast um the majorities uh needed are indicated in the voting list so uh we will uh stick to a simple majority of the votes cast um the voting proced procedure will be as follow uh if one

Candidate gains more than 50% of the votes cast in the first round the person is elected should no candidate gain more than 50% of the votes in the first round a second round will be run between the two highest scoring candidates the candidate who receives more than 50% of

The votes cast in the second round is elected we are now going to do a test vote to establish the Quorum and I will give the floor to Bert as I said earlier in the earlier voting session the closer the people with vote the delegates with

Voting devices can be to the stage the better it is because of the connection uh of the devices I heard that somebody lost their device um but uh which I mean you really needed some ability to lose their device between nine and but it solved it so congratulation to you for solving the

Problem [Applause] um okay good morning again some people from Holland knows me so they Applause you all are allowed to Applause so okay for the second time as soon as we start to vote you will see the text you can vote now then the system is open you can press number one

Number two number three or four or five you will see the number of your chosen choice in the screen and the green and the the vote is casted casted to the system what I’ve done with the red button I’ve disabled it it so don’t you

Can press on it if you want but it doesn’t work so for now please press exactly the button you want because you can’t change your number I will go behind the curtains and I will start the vote success any questions no [Applause] success okay I will start the vote you can vote

Now the number is rising I hope all the candidates are in the room people we need a few more votes so please press is 2024 a leap year yes no or are now SL abstain we need still a few votes more so okay do you want to tell us who are the

Delegations that have issues or okay just individuals um I will see which delegates it will be coffee just I mean 13 vs is fine but it’s fine only during we are waiting so and Mass from we are naming exactly the people now no no names okay M Marin Bayan from

Alv Individual members of Delegation we don’t have any problem with a specific delegation as a whole so that’s already good uh in case you you see members of your delegation who should be here but are not can you please send them a message that they should come in I mean

We can proceed with this number of votes of course the Quorum is there we have a very high number of votes but I we think it’s important to proceed uh once all the delegates can express their vote of course so if you still have a couple of

Delegates that are not here please send them in or that are not down enough and then uh send them down and also please never push the red button I said it earlier but I will say it again don’t push the red button otherwise your vote is cancelled and our life is at risk

So now we will proceed to a second uh vote no to would you close the vote to let’s do another test vote to see if everyone came in now so we do again people who are not there we put the names on the screen of [Laughter]

Course that’s way okay you can vote now again and as mentions earlier the red button is disabled everybody is voting again please you called the people who are not there in your delegation I hope otherwise we do without them it’s less than before were 11 Bert you give me information is it

Okay or not we are processing it because they begin to be nervous I feel that we do it on purpose some delegations of the uh green uh Germany are not voting and French Queens the Dutch and the French sorry the German and the the French we’re we’ve got a fewer number of

Votes we still have 32 outstanding and the last delegates please vote please press the button of your desired choice and if you are at the back of the room your device will probably not work you need to come closer if you’re at the back of the room voting with your

Devices it doesn’t work in the back rows Lou sorry the back rows you need to come forward if you have a voting device it’s too far away you need to come closer please come closer okay Bert we close the vote okay so we close the vote the close

Will be vote will be it will be voted now so this is the result so only to explain yesterday you accept the presidium with uh Gan Ed oras and me so as you can imagine we divide the work so Ed and me we are chairing this morning and tomorrow

Morning oras and Jean but we stay together are on the table so I give you the floor Ed for the first part thanks aene H I’ll be chairing the session for the election of the first female leading candidate so there will be three candidates in

This and best of luck to all of them those candidates are Elina Pinto Terry Ranka and benedetta sideri so those names are going to be okay I’m just going to make it clear to you the procedure here what we’re going to do is we’re going to have the three

Names up on the screen if one of those candidates secures 50% that candidate is deemed elected um if not then we’ll proceed to a a vote of the two highest ranked candidates and and we’ll we’ll take a second vote um so is that clear I’m going to ask everyone to start

Voting very shortly I’m going to ask Bert to open up okay if everyone can just keep it down now this is the important part this is what we’re here for so hush now so shush okay so three candidates going to be up on the screen voting using your

Numbers let’s get 100% of the vote that’s 368 votes let’s make sure every vote is is included so the candidates are up on the screen now and I’m going to ask Bert to open the vote the vote is open very good thanks let’s keep voting we’re almost there I’ve been corrected the the

Maximum is 364 so we have very very few votes outstanding let’s get the eight votes that are outstanding come on people let’s get the last votes in offers more it just makes the math easier for me so I kind of need your help six votes outstanding final chance final

Chance and the vote is closed wow be better He [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] okay so congratulations to Terry ranker who is elected as the first female leading candidate for the European green party campaign congratulations Terry I I’m going to ask Bert to put the result back on screen because I do have to read it out for the minutes officially so if we could have the

Result back on the screen please Bert if possible okay so that result is Elina Pinter with 88 votes um Terry REO with 197 55% of the votes and benedetta with 72 and one exstension so the total amount of votes was 358 and congratulations again to Terry

Rano so that that does mean of course that um Elina and benedetta do go through to the next round and for that I’m going to hand you over to my codium Evelyn go ahead yes you have work to do more now for the second tour so bot is now also running

And we have to ask to Elena and benedetta let us know whether you want to run for this election or not benedetta yes elen gone wonderful well done so now it’s your turn for this second tour uh you have to select one of the three Bas Elina benedetta or abstention

Okay I confirm the vote is open I repeat normally we have 364 persons who vote don’t push the red button say Benny she’s really very anxious with this red button go on go on go on 364 364 we don’t go over 300 6 57 no 57 somebody’s waking up

Yeah we who is under the table or under the chair no no no hey I want to make more than Ed you you already did he was at 358 I win I win okay okay we close the vote W I [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] pleas please please sit down I have to follow the procedure so I have to read it for the minute so Bas Echo has has 204 vote so it’s 57% uh benedetta scuderi 80 vote 22 uh three% and elen Pinto 74 it’s 20 7 I don’t know how to say V

And one uh abstention and no yes uh please return turn your voting devices to the fer outside at the end of the session thank you benedetta and now I call not the leading the the and candidate but uh melan and Thomas on the stage please and we disappear thank you

The thing is that I’m going to call Terry so that she can come on stage that means means means it’s my turn to call bus I could on stage bus come out come out come you’ve got some flowers already how comes there you go congratulations turn it off on the table [Applause] come Yes yes it’s time to take some pictures now come come [Applause] Come [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] W can the comic team please join join us can the comittee please join us we need to take some photos now the member of the committee and all together we’re going to have a nice photo uhuh can I also call Elina and benedetta on stage ask you to applaud [Applause]

Them that’s for you this is for you congratulations Elena congratulations thanks for running you this was a real hard choice I would say what excellent candidates that we have thanks so much for [Applause] running it was a hard choice for many of you I [Applause] know we’ll do it this direction so we

Have all of you on the picture now can we have the four of you yes that’s what they okay sorry other people yes yes Yes thank you very much now I’m asking the committee to leave thank you you were amazing thank you very much and I’m asking yes clav who is the proud party leader of bus party to come on stage normally he’s there he’s coming thank you so we can have a Picture [Applause] yes sir big [Applause] Sure call on stage the Secretary General of German greens Emily B congratulations well congratulations to [Applause] Your and now we are going and now we are going to call on stage the national leading candidates that we have here in the room because we also have a lot of leading candidate from nationalist who are there and I’m starting with Austria we have the honor

To have Lena sheiling with us today this famous climate [Applause] activist [Applause] for Belgium for Belgium I call on saska bricko please join us MP in the European [Applause] Parliament now we have from the Czech Republic yanova ah here she comes here she Comes and for Denmark the spitzing candidate of SF Danish greens Kira Marie Hansson please join [Applause] [Applause] Us and from France I’m asking you to applaud Mari TUS And for our friends from Hungary papet I call on former MP benor please come on [Applause] stage Now we have the people who want to make it difficult so it’s Island because they won rugby yesterday whatever but they don’t have one leading candidate they have three it’s like this so it’s Kieran it’s Grace and [Applause] poine thank you Hey go for the photo go for the photo yes yes yes yes fantastic and for latva our lvan friends from Privia elen [Applause] [Applause] Pinto And now we have the Fantastic leading candidate from Luxembourg and also an amazing DJ from time to time Tilly [Applause] [Applause] Mets [Applause] and from Malta malti green Sandra gchi please join us on stage she’s coming here she Comes and now from Slovenia Vladimir [Applause] prelich hey come there you Go and from Sweden Alis [Applause] bker and now I’m calling on stage a lot of people because we have I’m sorry now I’m calling on stage from Spain Flora marchel [Applause] okay and to complete the picture the next Generations the fyg participants also in the young candidates platforms come up

On stage please now read the names out van kman Susanna pav kova Julia Sano Petra duosi Mina Jack too benedetta scuderi Lena Schilling Magnus flansburg Amy winandy Florian Chul Kira Marie pet Hans she’s here already Emily Shanker FAS Ros Francisco ran dreams Rosa and Leia Chalet this is

All candidates you can vote for in European elections from The Young candidates platform welcome on stage please come and join our [Applause] Picture Now new lead candidates to hold their speeches so please take the floor and give us the messages we need for this election campaign the floor is yours please ter thanks a [Applause] lot okay so I suppose I start once again thank you so much from the bottom of my

Heart um for this election and I I want to say something personal because being in the EGP is always very personal to me I don’t come from a very political family and it’s not that you know my parents since I was little always told me okay you are going to stand in the

Spotlight and be a politician but ever since I have come to events of the European green party I have been part of this European Green family there have always been people who believed in me and this means the world to me I wouldn’t be the politician that I am

Today without all of you and I will be internally thankful for this thank you so much for this election I can tell you I will put my heart and soul into this election thank you so so much I want to use this opportunity to speak about something which apparently

Is very important to all of us it’s standing there it’s courage and H I want to basically uh talk about the courage that I think we will need for the election campaign that is ahead of us but before I go into this I I want to speak about two people who together with

Bas and me had a lot of Courage because putting forward a candidacy in an election like this is not something that you just do you need to have courage to do that so I really want to thank Elina and Benny for doing that you have been fantastic contendant and we are so happy

That you ran in these election thank you so so so so much but I also want to speak about other people who have shown courage and one of them was on stage here yesterday SW swana tianos who is one of the people in Bellos who is standing up to brutal

Oppression we have hundreds of people in prison we have hundreds of people uh thousands of people all across the world who are political prisoners we have women in Iran who are standing up to oppression we have people all across the world that are fighting for freedom and

I want to make sure that in this election camp campaign as greens we say we are your allies we are standing by your side no matter where you are from no matter where you are we are in Europe but all across the world the voice that fights for Freedom that fights for

Democracy and that fights for human rights so this goes out to all the world greens stand by the side of the people that are fighting for freedom but I also want to speak about the courage of the Brave ukrainians who are standing up against a brutal aggressor

We know that the green deal is not only about climate policy it is also about our common security and the people who are defending our security and our freedom in Europe right now are most of all ukrainians and I want to make sure I want to make sure that there is

One thing that is crystal clear that comes from this Congress Congress greens will stand by the side of Ukraine no matter how long it takes we are there we are in solidarity with you we see your struggle and we are not giving up fighting for you but also inside of Europe there are

Hundreds of thousands millions of people who are showing Courage the wonderful women in Poland that I’ve already paid tribute to yesterday lesbians in Italy who are standing up to anti-lgbti policies in Hungary the lgbti community the millions of people who are shaping our democracies every day and yes today we know that

There is a very big demonstration that is going to happen in Berlin but I especially want to basically declare this moment devote this moment to the people in the small villages the people that are standing up for example in eastern German Villages where there is a big majority that is

Voting for IFD and these people in the last weeks have taken to the streets sometimes only in the dozens sometimes in the hundreds but these are the people that we have to support these are the people that are shaping our democracies that are defending our values and these

People are the ones that are showing exactly this courage but I also want to speak about the courage of those people who speak up about children who grow up in poverty who go to school without having had breakfast who are still struggling with their livelihoods and I want to make

Sure that in this election campaign we are going to stand up to this cycle of inequality because Europe has to do more and we know and everybody in this room knows that having austerity again is not the answer to this we have to stand up to the dogma and the ideology of

Austerity we are going to fight for a socially just Europe that is leaving no one behind that stands up against against poverty and that gives people hope and a vision for a better life but you know what also takes courage it takes courage to change our ways for example to make steel with

Renewable energy or to invent new methods of producing items without using polluting chemicals or for example to do sustainable agriculture to redesign the way how we are building our inner cities so that they are also U more accessible to bikes or to create millions of jobs that the green transformation can bring

All of this deserves courage and I want us to be the Ally of all of those people who are already doing that as we speak because EP and the Liberals are wrong when they say that the green deal is something that goes against our economy

The green deal is going to be the basis of a future economy that is built within the boundaries of this planet that is built on social justice and that is the kind of economy that we are going to fight for in this election campaign but I also want us all of us to

Have courage to go out of our comfort zones in this election campaign I want us to speak to people that we are usually not speaking to people from heavy industry people from areas that feel abandoned uh people who might not be convinced of green ideas yet I think that we have the

Concepts that we have the empathy that we have the abilities that it needs to convince these people and this is the kind of Courage that I want all of us to have in this election campaign to stand up for what we believe in and I’m sure

With the support of all of you that we are going to make [Applause] that and last lastly and I have to say it one more time because many of you know that this is something that is very close to my heart I think that there is

A real threat that on the 10th of June we are going to have a search of the far right in the European Parliament there is this threat we cannot deny it but I think aness was speaking today when we look at Poland when we look at other

Examples that one thing has also been proven if we give up now and just believe that it’s going to happen anyway we are going to lose but if we stand up to the search of the far right like the millions of people are doing across Europe already then it is absolutely

Clear that we can turn this around we can win back the momentum move forward on the green deal stand up for our values for social justice and against the far ride and this is the kind of election campaign that I want to run with you I have all my energy to run an

Election campaign that does that and to stand with you for an equal for a social for an ecological Europe I know that we can win and I want to fight side by side with you thank you very much thank you Terry rer that’s a way to open up right first

Of all I really would like to thank Benny and Elina for a great campaign and a really tough campaign and you I was really I’m not going to swear I was nervous leave it to that I was really nervous but it was a great campaign and

It shows we can campaign we are a green family and I’m proud to be a green family and I’m proud to have done this campaign together with you Terry Elena benedetta thank you very much and thank you of course thank you for your trust and making me proud to be

Part of this green family it’s really always great to be back home and you come sometimes from circumstances in your countries where sometimes you might feel alone but then we see here how strong this family is how strong we are united and how strong we can be if we

Stay to United and going to pick this fight together thank you very much for that and we have something to be proud of we really have something to be proud of and I want a couple I want to mention a couple of examples which really defines the

Green courage and something to be proud of first of all and I see in the room and I thank for that you did Santini but also Gwen when heads of state were just coing up with Victor Orban they were fighting to get article 7 being launched in the European Parliament that’s green

Courage thank you you but what also makes me proud is when I see an election campaign in Germany where analena bebok is explaining to boring old white man PS thank you for your support but where analena bearok is explaining exactly what the danger of nordstream 2 is and you see these two

Old men looking at her ah woman we will tell you about politics later on but she was right from a to zed that’s green Courage and I’m proud to be in Leon uh I seldomly speak French um so I continue in English this was for you Marie this was for you Marie but it’s I’m proud to be here in Leon in France where this country being obsessed with nuclear power and where everything is breathing

Nuclear power and where maon is only doing one thing in Brussels is strengthening nuclear power here we are fighting against that and that is green courage Mercy [Applause] the so I’m proud to really start this campaign and it will be an uphill battle Terry already said it and we said it

More it will be a tough campaign it will be a campaign where the extreme right will go for the message of hatred and exclusion we will have our liberal democracies being challenged and the conservatives they will fight for walls around a backward-looking museum where we think our polluting combustion engine

Is still something to hold on to that’s the setting of a campaign that we are going to [Applause] fight and I am proud to be part of that family that is going to fight for a green deal 2.0 a green deal that is truly circular and clean a green deal

That provides an Innovative new industry a green industry and a green deal that is really going to change our agriculture system that is delivering honest earnings for our Farmers that is that we don’t need pesticides anymore that are causing Parkinson for the same farmers and where the retailers don’t get all the profits

Because that’s our green deal a green deal is only a green deal when it’s a socially just green deal we want big polluters to pay the price for what they are polluting we want the wealthiest Elite to contribute to the our society what they should and where everyone in

This transition will the have the right for a decent job and can afford a good house and is also looking forward to pay and to get your education your health care and your pension that you deserve that’s the real socially just green deal that we are fighting

For and yes there is fatigue there is fatigue about all these policies but I think SED Lana said it yesterday very clearly in b us and Ukraine you can’t afford such a fatigue and they are fighting for our democracy and as Terry said we will always stand by your

Side so we will stand for a democracy we will fight the fascist we will fight for inclusion and tolerance and we will fight for our future I’m really looking forward to a campaign a campaign that will show that 2024 is the is the year of Courage our green courage let’s make

This our bloody good campaign I’m looking forward let’s do it together thank you [Applause] Congratulations again Terry and bass well this is it for this very intense and emotional morning there has been a lot so now I think it’s time for every want to have a break have a lunch but don’t leave yet because I’ve got a few very practical and important

Informations to tell you so first of all if you have if you still have your voting device if you have headphones for the simultaneous translation don’t take them away with you outside leave them at the table outside of the room I mean not outside of the Congress Center but

Outside of the room you can please bring them back to where you took them thanks a lot that’s a very important thing already um then I will also invite you to uh check for the rooms of your sessions of the afternoon on the website just make sure just have a look uh you

Got the the QR code on the back of your badge just have a look at uh the website to make sure the room where you supposed to go is the one that’s announced I don’t know if I make myself clear but just make a quick check before uh

Heading to your session rooms for this afternoon so I remind you too that in the catering area you will all always have the possibility to meet the painter osmo and to check in with the VR team um while eating after eating before eating or during breaks and if I have to

Remember one thing from this uh all morning is whether you’ll be a dermatologist or a world leader don’t press the red button see you again this afternoon and thank thank you for your attention bye-bye and people on stage you’re free to go thank You Want Want I love the flower yes okay let’s go hello everybody Welcome to this press conference just after the vote the vote who was a bit ahead of schedule um the structure will be very classic um first of all Melanie will say some words on the importance of the leading candidate process for the

Greens on and then we will have introductory statements over two new leading candidates boss and Terry and that will be followed by questions from all of you thank you very much okay um hello everyone thanks for being there um I just wanted to start with a very short introduction about why

We are here and why we are organizing this big Congress uh first of all to tell you that it’s the biggest Congress we have ever organized um we have more than 1,200 people in this Congress um it’s a congress where and you saw it during the

Session I think and you will see it if you stay tomorrow during the vote we managed to show our Unity as a family I think we we have still we have always been and will remain uh the most United European family this uh is the case even if we have been

Growing and changing as a family because since 2019 we have entered into different national government we are currently in seven national government you have seen some session with our ministers explaining what the greens are already delivering also with Mayors today um and this Unity is just exactly

The same and maybe even stronger even though we are growing and strengthening in this Congress we are also doing other exciting stuff like adopting our Manifesto this is going to be our common framework for this campaign and also the common priorities for this campaign and I’m sure you will

See by the result of the vote tomorrow that the family is very very United on both the manifesto which is a pretty big piece of text um contrary to other political family that tend to have really few pages because it’s not so easy to agree on everything we really um

Manag to cover all the the field of policies uh and also common priorities which means that we not only agree on the topics but also on where we want to go as a family um and the other thing that we did that is also very important

To us is to elect our leading candidates now I think you know the leading candidate process that started in the EU in 2014 is today and Still Remains the only tool you can give as European politician to citizens to have a say about who will become the commission

President there is no other tool we have in 2014 it was a success story for the European democracy 2019 everybody who followed the EU politics remember and the greens stand still behind this because we believe in a transparent and Democratic way to choose because we believe that we have

To use the only tool we have and that if we the most Pro European force in the European political landscape give up on this then it’s over so since the beginning we have stand firmly behind it and we have designed a democratic transparent process and this process led

To the election of those two wonderful leading candidate who will be the face of our campaign I had it over to Tom who is going to talk to you about something also very important that we did during this Congress and yes we did it already

Today yes we did we did indeed thank you Melanie um first of all just a short addition to the spitsen candidate process just to make one thing clear we’re advocating for the person that has led a political party that finds a majority in the European Parliament to to stand the commission president so

This may be somebody from another political party or it may be one of our two green contenders whoever finds a majority shall be nominated for the commission president and we’re having a substantially different situation than 2019 the fact is that we’re meanwhile covering all EU States little exception is Slovakia but

All except Slovakia everywhere citizens will have a choice to vote green and Progressive all over the European Union so that has substantially changed secondly uh as mentioned by Melanie we are in seven governments and we have shown to Citizens what happens if greens take responsibility uh we have shown to

Citizens that we deliver on content we deliver on what we have been campaigning on and that we’re able to deliver also in coalitions that might not always be e easy so there’s a substantially different situation also for our spitsen candidates uh with with I would say uh

Massive back winds in the sales and with this motivation and with this optimism we’re going into these elections and over to Terry please we decided that b takes because I gave the speech first so we have a very equal way of working with each very equal relation of course so

Good afternoon everyone I think we both will be short because uh you’ve you’ve heard already our uh our speeches and and many things that we said already in the interview yesterday so we’re not going to repeat that I think I think what I would like to add here now is

That that I hope you all felt the energy in that room because I know that sometimes the feeling is a bit like well it’s going to be a tough campaign but you do see and you do feel here this is a very strong United Family and ready to

Campaign and that energy we are going to translate to the streets and we are very much looking forward to do that campaign starting today and we will continue until June to really bring that strong green social message forward and we are really really really uh motiv motiv at

And I would say feel the energy and you will keep on feeling that this campaign will make sure of that thank you I think in that Spirit um as you know uh when we look at the situation right now and it’s U unfortunately across the European Union um probably

The next month uh we are going to have a uh quite challenging political debate U we know that there is a far ride um that is growing in a lot of member states of the European Union but I think also with the spirit that Bas described we are

Ready to take up this challenge uh we want to um be a strong political force in the next European elections we want to get even bigger than we are we are right now with the biggest green group that we have ever been in the European Parliament and we want to top that even

Um and for us it is important that uh obviously we are political force that um you know comes from the streets we have been fighting in demonstrations um for a lot of very important political demands but now and Tom has mentioned it we are in a number

Of EU governments and also the role that we have been playing in the last four years in the European Parliament I think it’s clear to everyone that we are also ready to take responsibility um and this is uh for us going to be um also in this campaign a

Very important point that the things that we are saying um you know we are not only saying them screaming them from the sideline but we are actually the political force that also goes into the difficult negotiations and then uh brings home the important wins the last very obvious example um that you U

Probably have all heard of um that we fought for also uh very specifically Bas and I was the nature restoration law and in this Spirit we want to run this campaign obviously a very mobilizing campaign a very energetic campaign but also a campaign with a Clear Vision of

Sitting at the table negotiating and then also influencing the policies for the next 5 years yes thank you all if there are any questions uh please raise you your hands yes go ahead don’t they need a microphone I just think for the interpreters can can can

Yes can someone from the staff do the okay distribute the mic it’s it’s it’s open okay yes I wanted to a question actually on your last sentence you want to influence uh the next mandate um of the commission and the Parliament so how do you want to influence it do you think

You should be part of a a majority uh support a next maybe Coalition uh so-called vandan or uh and uh at under which conditions would that be shall I start yeah I mean you know this this Congress is not over now uh the Congress is continuing and as was

Mentioned tomorrow we are going to decide on a Manifesto on a program and also on priorities that we want to put forward and obviously any kind of negotiation that might happen after the election will be based on these priorities um and as you can see obviously there will be a very clear

Green deal Focus because the green deal is under heavy attack um but we also make sure that in terms of fighting for social justice um you know higher wages better working conditions for Europeans um we are going to be a force to be reckoned with in these negotiations and

And I think if you have followed a little bit the debates um you could also clearly hear that when it comes to defense of rule of law democracy standing up to people like Victor Orban we will definitely have demands on the table that is to be decided eventually

By the European Green family tomorrow um but these these issues that will be in the priorities will then be the starting point for the negotiations and we don’t know how the election is going to go so it’s always a little bit of a speculative question about how will

Majorities look like and but as I said um and I think that this is also not something that anybody in the European Parliament is surprised by we are a political force that stands for a constructive a critical but constructive way of doing politics so yes we are

Ready to go into negotiations and then also to be compatiable majority maybe just to add on onto that I think this is going to be the most important question for the EP right we are very clear we will never go into a coalition where the far ride is we will

Never do that and I think this it’s about time that the EP is going to answer to that question very clearly because they need to make a choice do they want to go and look to their right or do they want to look to their left

And on their left they can find us and we are ready to negotiate but you know our program but if they look to our right we will not be part of that and we will and we will go against that and so I think uh it’s about time it becomes

Clear there who is now leading the EP I’m lost a bit but uh let’s let’s hope that somewhere in this campaign it becomes clear yes Lucas from E from table media thank you um ter rank you said that uh the goal is to increase the

Numbers of of seats uh if you look at the the polls and the projections uh especially in France and Germany It’s seems like it’s more a fight of um how how big or how little the decrease of seats is going to be so what’s going to be different in the strategy during the

Campaign and the runup to the election uh compared to last to uh last time in 2019 thank you well you know I remember the campaign in 2019 quite well and a couple of months before the election it also looked that we would massively decrease in the European Parliament um and then

It turned out we didn’t we became the biggest group that we ever were so we are going to fight for that and I can can tell you for Bas and me but I think for the whole EGP with all the energy that we have um as I said it’s not going

To be an easy campaign we are fully aware of that um there are a lot of political narratives that are very specifically targeted as at us um we obviously take criticism and also discuss about our positions as we do here um but at the same time um I

Believe we also um have shown in the past that um when we pick that up now for example with agricultural debates and that we can also convince people that we were the ones who were actually fighting against this common agricultural policy that we want to have an agricultural policy on the European

Level um that gives subsidies to especially small scale Farmers on the basis not only of the size of their Farms but also on for example conditions like um social issues like ecological issues so we believe that we have good Concepts to convince people and with

This kind of spirit we are going to run this campaign and if you were present today it is true that um you know with the uh some of the member parties that we have maybe we are not ping as high as we had a result in in 2019 but we are

Welcoming more and more um political parties in uh the European green party we now have the colleagues from lva who joined one year ago they are already in the government in lva it’s very likely that we are going to have or hopefully we are going to have MEPS from lvia um

We have a similar situation in Croatia um we have a lot of um other countries where we have welcomed new uh parties inside of the political family and with this reinforced also geographical diversity because you know that right now the group is very much from the

North and the west of Europe with more support from the East and the South especially and we hope that we can not only consolidate on a high level but become even bigger okay Louis from party party and then yeah so I don’t know it works it

Works yeah just talk speak to it great so uh I’m Lou from party party and then we cover actually more the campaign side so my question is about the current protests that were happening actually in France in in Germany in in the Netherlands and then my question is

Actually in in this climate there’s a lot of misinformation that is going towards the farmer community and then a lot of people in the agricultural industry they actually are getting not the message that the greens are actually fighting for them and then my question is on the campaign how do you have plan

To maybe fight these uh these threats that are obviously interventionist and then they’re they they they’re threat to democracy shall I maybe to start off with uh because the first reaction of a lot of uh Center politicians like Ura Vaya uh is to immediately show I’m going

To talk to the farmers and then she’s going to talk to kopaa then you’re not talking to the farmers then you’re talking to the chemical industry you are talking to the pharmaceutical industry you are talking to the ferti F izer industry that those are not the farmers and I think we will

Show we will talk to the farmers not to the Agro industry that is pretending to represent the farmers when they are in their Brussels bubble I think this is one key thing get out of the Brussels bubble and really talk to the farmers and for example if you look at the

Organization of the young Farmers the future they are making very clear we understand we need to change but we want to have a Clear Vision from politicians that doesn’t change on a daily basis and see what this week happened there’s a protest and what are politicians doing

Like maon or also at the European Union we’re changing one law and now you should be happy that’s exactly creating the unclarity what they’re problem with but the second biggest problem is how can they have an honest earning at this moment we have had a European policy

That is only making large scale farming larger as already said 80% of the the direct income goes to the 20% of the richest Farmers we have been campaigning against and all these politicians that now are pretending to be on the side of the farmers they defended this model

Where the Richer get richer and that is not helping because at the same time it’s the supermarkets it’s the retailers they are getting the benefits they are getting the profits this is really an obsolete model and I do understand very well if now you will say to a farmer who

Feels this pressure and is with the back against the wall and then you say yeah I want you to change then of course the first reaction is well maybe not but those that say yeah I want to change but then I need to know where to go to and

Can you help me and can you make sure that can that I can do an honest living and that’s exactly where the greens are fighting for consistently and we are going to bring that message exactly to the farmers outside the copao jaka bubble can can I also because for me

This is a very emotional topic because I come from a farmer family myself so my father grew up on a farm and I still have a lot of uncles aunts cousins great cousins who are actually on farms and when I talk to them you know now there

Is this whole narrative that it’s the green fault that the farmers are suffering because there is too much regulation but when I speak to I mean one of the people who supported my candidacy actually to run for being European leading candidate was my my great cousin AA and she runs a small

Farm in lower Bavaria and she is completely in favor of climate and biodiversity protection she says that you know I work with the soil I know how much damage has already been done so I need to have the support to make this change happen and I think having these

Kind of interactions exactly as as Bas was saying to go to the farms and to speak with the farmers and then obviously you know to go to organic farmers but also to go to Conventional farmers and to see that this this whole system that we have built our

Agriculture on of the past decades is just not going to work anymore this either you have to grow or you basically you’re lost and you cannot live off of your produce anymore that this is not a system that can last and I think this is

The message that we want to go into the campaign with we have always been very strong in the agricultural debate in the European Parliament but also in the member states it’s a topic that is really close to our hearts um and this is why I think everybody and you could

Feel that also here at the Congress is very ready to go in to listen to the concerns of the farmers and then to find common Solutions okay Le hello uh two question two question if I if I may uh first question oh you can you know the yesterday with you your

Speech you talk about contrary wins and these days for the green deals and you know the demonstration so oh what what kind of message or maybe will change you will deliver during the campaign during also May maybe your mistake during the form to for strategy is I don’t know so

If you have a new strategy for that to and my second question who if you win who will take the commission may maybe just to start off with the last one uh I’m always for female commission president so and then then we have had that one at least and

Then and then on the first one here exactly this is the interesting on Farm to Fork right when it was launched in 2020 all the political parties welcomed it all the political families said yeah we support the farm to Fork strategy I think then they start reading it

Afterwards I don’t know because the farm to Fork strategy was exactly that attempt what I was talking about just now the young farmers were asking for give us a vision where you want to go to and basically the farm to Fork strategy is that but then you need to ask

Yourself the question what did we do with the farm to Fork strategy not so much and then there was one law here one law there one law failed the other one maybe but was hollowed out and that was it if you now look at the reality of the farm to Fork

Strategy it’s still a strategy on paper but all the politicians that welcomed it and gave a signal to the farmers hey this is your future and this is the direction then did not deliver on it so those farmers who were like okay I need to go in that direction maybe looking

Into how to do that then was again being traded because nothing was changing and this is exactly the problem we politicians well I would say a lot of other politicians are making great speeches and great promises and when there is a green tide then suddenly they

Talk green but then when there is a bit of change they immediately back off from it like now makon saying oh no maybe PES sites are okay to use again I mean this is such an unpredictable behavior and that is the problem we greens we have a

Vision we will stick to it but we know that we will have to do it together with the farms and we are happy and ready to do so but they know where we want to go and I think this is exactly the predictability and Clarity that we need

To give and there are too many many politicians who changing course as soon as the wind is changing a bit and that’s our biggest problem as Europe in general I would say that would be my strategy go ahead thank you very much yor um in the recent years here you have

Rote a green wave that that was launched by OA fine uh you have not only been big in the parliament you you have been very successful uh now she’s at least rhetorically shifting away from supporting the green deal making sessions to her part family uh to gain

Their support will you still support her for a second term because like she has been your partner in recent years is she still your partner and um on what does it depend you you know I think OA feline did not propose the the legislative package that she did because you know

She’s so green at heart and she just you know wanted to do it by herself she did it because she could see that there was a massive demand coming from the streets coming from political forces that were strengthened after the European elections in 2019 and I think she did it

You know like that there there are good aspects of it and it was right to do it and we can you know very clearly say that however she’s faced with a situation where if she’s going to be leading candidate which we don’t know yet um she will face a political party

Uh behind her that is going completely against her own legacy against the things that she has achieved so I believe that if there is a chance to continue the green deal it will only be if you will have strong greens at the table who are going to push for it and

That is absolutely clear and you can also imagine that if there is going to be no continuation of the green deal or even a reversion of the things that we have achieved so far we are not going to be part of that we don’t want to take

Back things that we have fought for together with you know millions of Europeans um and then say and in the next legisl we do the uturn and support that so for sure this is going to be one of the most priority issues that we will put forward um but I think that there

Also is a political opportunity so yes it can go that way they can take you know a votes from the ECR and they can try to appease parts of the EP and go against the Green deal move further to the right but there is another option

And I think this is for us the important message to be sent we can also have a possibility where the green deal continues where we continue on the path of implementing green policies social policies standing up for democracy and rule of law and that’s the offer that we

Are making as European Greens in this election campaign okay thank you are there any lost questions Lucas didn’t like the first maybe just for for clarification who is the far right when uh bot when you said uh the the if funer line is looking or the EP is looking to the far

Right who exactly is that well I mean uh there was always a a bit of a weird attitude by the EP to say okay the ID we don’t work with by the way they did work with then quite often but officially they didn’t they and then uh and but ECR

Is okay in ECR you have Vox from Spain that’s for me far right uh in ECR you have the piss party from Poland on the edge we now hear Orban might join well good luck EP to look to the ECR and still call them okay so I think it’s

Getting darker to the right of the EP so again this is now also a question for the EP they pretend some of them at least to not work together with the far right where are they going to draw the line because I think the line is getting

Closer to their Epp group and that we will make very clear and if indeed Orban will join the ECR group I don’t think you can work with the ECR group anymore and then EP you will have only one direction to watch unless you are going to uh for a a right-wing Coalition but

Then I wish them good luck but that will not be with us but if if they look towards the ECR is that already the line for you to say they are talking to the far right and we’re not part of that anymore you’re now asking us to get into

Account kind of a setting where we are doing Coalition negotiations which we do not even know so I’m not going to I mean let’s maybe maybe we should now first say let’s first bring on this campaign and as Terry said there’s a lot at stake so this campaign matters and

These elections matter and then after these elections we’ll see but I think we are very clear where we stand and I think it’s about time that we know where the other parties stand but if you asked the question if we would be part of a majority together with the ECR we would

Not that’s sorry if I think that there was a little bit of an unclarity but that’s that’s for us I think I said that already yeah I just wanted to yeah Lucia um so we have also heard a lot about um avoiding far right fighting against the far right and you just said

You wouldn’t go into a coalition with the EP if you would have to go against the Green deal if you would have to make a choice avoiding the far right by going into a coalition with the EP even though it would mean that some things of the

Green deal you would have to backtrack on what would you do is climate still your core business or is the far avoiding far right now your core business look I have negotiated two governments one with an EP party the CDU and one with an snd and a and a renew

Party SPD and fdp you cannot completely predict exactly how these negotiations are going to go um but I think they will know if we go into these negotiations that we will need to see progress on the green deal that we will need to have certain elements that we discuss

Tomorrow to be part of it and I think that then exactly how the negotiations are going negotiations can also fail we are not going to go for any cost that’s the point and then there will potentially be a rearrangement and then we will see but these are a lot of ifs

And buts we will be ready on the 10th of June to see what the election result is and then we are ready to negotiate we will be prepared I think with the support from hopefully I mean this is also a speculation but we hope that the manifesto and the priorities are going

To get a majority tomorrow um and and then this will be the base for our negotiations but we are ready to take this responsibility and can I just challenge now again right I mean look at our future industry that is going to be one of the the big issues

For our future how is our industry going to look like and I’m telling you here the greens are more an allies of the industry than this this unpredictable behavior of the far right and the right for example now the EP wants to turn back the the ban on the combustion

Engine they want to turn it around what’s what’s what’s exactly your impact there first of all the car industry finally had a Clear Vision where to go to where to invest in now they get a mixed signal again oh maybe not secondly do you really think by turning that back

That then suddenly we are not going to import any Chinese electric car in anymore that is more efficient that is cheaper in eventually and is in the end superior to the combustion engine you can of course pretend that you are living in a museum and that’s what the right is

Doing the conservatives I’m not talking about the far right I’m talking about the conservatives or you can see the green deal as the core for our future competitiveness and it’s very clear there will not be an industry if it not Embraces and works on the green deal industry and when some politicians are

Saying ah we need an industry and we need not only a green deal but an industry deal well we are saying the green deal is your industry deal and as I said this Clear Vision this direction and then we are willing to also put an investment program next to it which is

Another problem if should talk to the conservatives because Investments maybe need something also on public Investments so that is exactly the fight we’re going to take and that is our message and we are a better Ally for the future industry than the conservatives and why would we give that away in negotiations yes

Please just wanted to Jun banelli from Linka Italian Journal uh we just wanted to ask a thing about the recent letter from civil public servants from Europe and uh the United States about Gaza and Israel I wanted to know also your comments on this like I don’t know if you have heard

Guess you heard about this yeah which letter exactly that they are unhappy the open letter that they are unhappy about the foreign politics like is there a a position from you on this topic well I think I think I think you’ve heard Melanie yesterday in Her speech making

Very clear demands where we stand on this matter so I think we are very clear uh and uh I think it is good when civil servants are making their opinion known but I think the the biggest vulnerability here is that you see how how fragmented Europe is so that we have

You know we have seen now un resolutions and you got all the colors from the European countries on on voting there and we understand very well where that comes from however this is not in the favor of a strong Europe and in the end a strong Europe is needed in order to

Have a two-state solution in Israel and that’s where we stand for and that is the biggest challenge and we know very well that we want the bloodshed to stop we want the hostages being freed that’s exactly what we’re fighting for but in the end we need a sustainable enduring

Peace and a two-state solution and we can only achieve that if we are credible as Europe and if we are much stronger United as Europe and now we are all over the place and I think that is our biggest that is really a big concern as well okay

Leonel just a followup of the question of Lucas uh when you answer about ECR you don’t talk about fra Talia okay but I can if you want I can use all the members I can I can mention them it’s an important member so I I know but relation between I know I know

I know but I’m I’m not so sure where they are going to they they they are a bit of an unpredictability at the moment so I thought I I don’t even know whether they will be ECR later on so I thought let’s not mention them but I’m happy to

Throw them in the ball okay unless if there are still any questions we can wrap it up uh just to yeah go we’ll take one last one and I already say that uh there will be the possibility of course as we announced to one-on-one interviews with the leading

Candidates my wi okay it’s good you you started and you end it’s Nice uh yeah I had a question on uh So you you’re you’re calling for a green and Social Deal now so uh May question was like how do you think uh what what can Europe do more uh to you know make the green transition fairer and do you

Think that Europe is the right level to act on this topic well I I think there are of course a couple of issues where we do see that sometimes you need unanimity if you’re looking at that in the in the uh in some of the solution talking about taxation

Policies talking about social policies which are of course all need to be part of this this entire answer on a green and social deal but this is also why we are also very clearly saying that of course also how we govern Europe that needs to change because at this moment

What we see too often is that the companies are profiting very much of an internal Market where they can also get the cheapest labor in this internal Market but then at the same time they can choose the country where they collect the taxation they can even do

Some tax evasion outside Europe so that their actual levels are close close to 0% and and that all together is not a social Europe and I think what uh what we have seen previously in the green deal was kind of okay then we throw in a

A fund at the end but if you have a fundamental problem and then at the end you try to fix that with a fund that’s maybe not the most efficient way and that’s why we really say it should be at the core of your green and Social Deal

That’s really where it starts and you do not fix that by throwing in a fund at the end and I think that is really that’s going to be our campaign that sometimes also requires some changes in how we how we deal with Europe but quite often it’s also a matter of political

Willingness right I mean you can have also European taxation if all the 27 countries agree there’s just no lack of willingness because some of the countries like this competition but in the end that competition is not in the benefit of us people it’s only in the benefit of mainly the multinationals and

I’m not sure that is the the right way to go if you really want people to go along with the green deal and if I can add to that I mean you are you are obviously addressing a problem that we very often face because the European

Union has quite a lot of competence when it comes to you know making certain regulation when it comes to climate policy whereas then having the balancing out with the much bigger National budgets for example that is supposed to happen on the national level so in a way

We are kind of dependent on National governments making good policies some of them do some of them don’t so we and I think maybe even when we look across Europe it’s not done in a sufficient way so I think what we will try as B was hinting to give Europe uh more

Responsibility and more possibilities especially when it comes to taxation but I think also we really have to push the limits of what we can already do now I became an MEP in 2014 and I can tell you there were a lot of very very experienced people who said that a

Minimum wage directive on a European level that’s impossible it’s so clearly in the treaties that this is something that the the member states decide and now we have a minimum wage directive so I also think we need to take these examples where we can see sometimes with you know very obvious possibilities that

We have in the treaties already today but sometimes also with Creative Solutions we have to do more because the citizens demand more fairer policies also from the European level and I mean you will see tomorrow we have a lot of proposals in our Manifesto we are going

To make this a priority and you know especially for me I come from a rather poor area in Germany to have something that we also address to people who are struggling will be key for us in this campaign because we don’t want people to be left be it because of changes due to

Climate change or be it because of the social inequalities that we are already seeing in our societies anyway um so we are really going to make this a priority and really push the commission to do more also in what can also be already be done today okay thank you very much very interesting

Questions conat the possibility for interviews you can do it here we would organize it uh first uh cameras and then written press but take your time we’re still ahead of time yes we have toist to each other all the time going oh no not that again but you have a more variety of

What stories you tell like when you have the press conference with believe he always tell exactly the same stories and it’s like IED to do a bit of variation

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@Andriottis on February 3, 2024 3:30 pm

Our whole Congratulations to Terry and Bas – our new elected leaders – from your Greek fellow party's – ECOGREENS (OIKOLOGOI PRASINOI) – members (Franjesko Kallis)
@OlegBrega on February 4, 2024 5:46 pm

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SATURDAY: Extended Congress of the European Greens | Live from Lyon

‎⁨🇫🇷 Cycling through tunnels near ‎⁨Villefranche-sur-Mer⁩, ⁨Côte de la Riviera⁩, ⁨France⁩

Moselle Bike and Boat – Day 6 – Remich – Schengen | Schengen – Thionville | Thionville – Metz

‎⁨🇫🇷 Cycling to the top of Mont Caume near Toulon⁩, ⁨Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur⁩, ⁨France⁩

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SATURDAY: Extended Congress of the European Greens | Live from Lyon

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‎⁨🇫🇷 Cycling through tunnels near ‎⁨Villefranche-sur-Mer⁩, ⁨Côte de la Riviera⁩, ⁨France⁩

Moselle Bike and Boat – Day 6 – Remich – Schengen | Schengen – Thionville | Thionville – Metz

‎⁨🇫🇷 Cycling to the top of Mont Caume near Toulon⁩, ⁨Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur⁩, ⁨France⁩

2 Comments