This is a delicate moment for the European Greens, who see the politics of Trump and the European right as a threat to democracy, society and green policies.
It is during the 40th Congress taking place in Lisbon that Vula Tsetsi and Ciarán Cuffe, the current spokespersons of the party in Brussels, expressed their concerns and relaunched the need for a green and progressive policy.
Concerns that are making their way in a period in which the party is also on the crest of the wave, after the conquest of Copenhagen, whose newly elected mayor belongs to the green camp and is the fifth ecologist mayor among the European capitals, together with Budapest, Riga, Amsterdam and Zagreb.
“Manfred Weber’s European People’s Party (EPP) no longer just flirts with the far right, it governs us. By normalizing this cooperation in the European Parliament, it is actively bringing extremists affiliated with Orbán, Meloni, Le Pen and Ventura to power. These are not just attacks on climate action. They are attacks on the European project itself: on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. The biggest political scandal of 2025 is that the EPP is now doing so openly, week after week, while still pretending to defend European values,” said co-president Vula Tsetsi of the European Green Party.
Tsetsi sees the red line of the border with democracy already crossed: “Because if you sit at the table to negotiate with the fascists and the far right…”. The Greens pledge not to remain silent, since “silence is complicity”.
Even on Palestine the position is clear and unequivocal. “There is a genocide going on in Palestine and there is no other way to describe it.” It calls for decisive action by the EU, the recognition of the State of Palestine and denounces the lack of unanimity and the “double standards” of the EU regarding its active reaction to the war in Ukraine.
The congress relaunched strongly on social issues, housing problems, work:
“As our victories in Europe’s major capitals demonstrate, we continue to respond to Europeans’ desire for a Europe that protects people and the planet, by investing in clean energy, resilient infrastructure and fair, green economies. We want to further develop solutions that protect people from heat waves, droughts and forest fires. Our vision empowers those most at risk, ensuring that climate justice and social justice go hand in hand,” concluded Cuffe.
A pan-European campaign is planned for 2026, starting as early as next year, with the aim of regaining the trust of young people who feel disillusioned with politics.
One strategy “could be based on connecting environmental concerns to concrete social solutions, as demonstrated in Portugal,” said homeowner Rui Tavares, from Livre.
The video intervention by the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, was particularly appreciated, perceived as hope against the advance of the European right.
