contact persons
party profile
current government
election information

Eloi GLORIEUX
Edgard Sohiestraat 21
B 1560 Hoeilaart
Mobile: +32 475 98 20 93
Fax: +32 2 305 87 05
eloi.glorieux@groen.be

Members in the European Parliament

party profile

Groen! (before Agalev) is the Green Party of Flanders (Belgium). There is also a Green Party in Wallonia (French and Geramn-speaking part of Belgium) called Ecolo. The two parties work closely together.

Groen! entered the national parliament in 1981 and the European Parliament in 1984. Groen! increased its members in parliament in the national elections of 1985, 1987 and 1991. The 1995 elections were the first, after the institutional reform that transformed Belgium into a Federal state. Next to the members of the Federal parliament, the members of the regional parliaments (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels, and German-speaking areas of Belgium) were elected directly for the first time.

Groen!'s leading principles are those of democracy, ecology, social justice and pacifism. Groen! has never been an "environmentalist" party in the narrow sense of the word. Its direction has always been based on ecology. Over the years, the Flemish Greens have formulated a wide range of proposals dealing with ecological transformation of the economy, social security, transport, nature conservation, redistribution of labour, activation of democracy, peace and security, sustainable energy and women's issues.

The Belgian Greens have had a profound impact on the "greening" of the political agenda and have established themselves as a relatively stable force in the political landscape. They participated in the crucial "Saint Michael Agreements," which resulted in Belgium being reformed into a Federal state. During these negotiations, the Greens succeeded in introducing a system of ecological taxation as legislation. These "eco-taxes," however, have been almost completely stripped of their effect by the government.

Since their first appearance in parliament, the Flemish Greens have called for strict rules that guarantee the independence of deputies. The successive political, judicial and corruption scandals that emerged in recent years and led to the so-called massive "white marches" proved the Greens' point. Although they remain very critical towards the European Union due to the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, the Belgian Greens of Groen! and Ecolo can in general be described as pro-federalist. We are strongly in favour of a European Political Union that strives for democracy, collective security, and socially and environmentally sustainable development.

On a national level, Groen! has a chairperson. The Party Bureau consists of 12 to 15 members. Party volunteers make up the majority of staff in the Party Bureau. They occupy seats next to the parliamentary group leaders and national secretaries. The volunteers are elected by Congress. The Party Bureau meets once a week. The Congress is open to all members, and meets at least twice a year. In between the congresses, the Political Council holds the responsibility for the general political course of the party. The regions are represented by regional political secretaries in the Political Council, along with a delegation of members in the local and provincial councils. The Political Council has between 35 and 50 members.

On a local level, groups have a political and a party secretary. The local groups work together in regional political structures, which appoint candidates for both the Federal and Flemish elections. Currently the party has about 6 000 members.

Since the local elections in 2000, Groen! has managed to get 298 members into the local councils and 26 members in the provincial councils. On the local level, Groen! takes part in the administration of 31 cities/towns, including Antwerpen, Mechelen and Hasselt.

The national elections of 2003 were a disaster. Groen! disappeared in the Federal Parliament and Senate. Since the regional elections and Euro-elections in 2004 Groen! has 6 members in the Flemish Parliament and one member in the European Parliament.
Since the Federal elections in 2007 Groen! has 4 members in the National Parliament and 1 senator.

 current government

Parties Represented in National Parliament (183 seats): CDH, CD&V, NVA, Ecolo, Front National, Vlaams Blok

 election information

Next National Elections: 2011

Latest Green Party Election Results:

National Election Year: 2007
MPs: 4 (+ 2 senator)
Total No. National Votes: 265.828
% Gained: 3.9 (in Flanders: 6.2)

European Elections: 2004
MEPs:1
Total No. European Votes: 321.062
% Gained: 4,9 (in Flanders: 7,9)

Flemish Elections: 2004
 MFPs: 6
% Gained: 7,6