Green Europe

Green Europe (, EV), officially Green Europe – Greens (''Europa Verde – Verdi''), is a green political party in Italy.

EV, whose leader are Angelo Bonelli and Fiorella Zabatta, was established as an electoral list to take part to the 2019 European Parliament election in connection with the European Green Party, including the Federation of the Greens, Green Italia, Possible and, locally, the Greens of South Tyrol. EV later fielded candidates under its symbol in several regional and local elections, before becoming a full-fledged political party in July 2021. In 2022 the party was a founding member of the Greens and Left Alliance, along with Italian Left, in order to run in the 2022 general election.

History

In the early stages of the campaign for the 2019 European Parliament election, the Federation of the Greens and Green Italia formed an agreement with Italia in Comune of Federico Pizzarotti to form an electoral list for the 2019 European Parliament election. However, in March, Italia in Comune abandoned the alliance with the Greens, instead joining More Europe. The Greens subsequently made an agreement with Beatrice Brignone's Possible, whose members approved it in a vote. The Greens of South Tyrol also joined the alliance.

After that an article by ''Il Foglio'' reported that two candidates on the alliance's electoral list, Giuliana Farinaro and Elvira Maria Vernengo, had received support from the Green Front (led by Vincenzo Galizia, former leader of the youth section of the neo-fascist Tricolour Flame party), Giuseppe Civati informally withdrew his candidacy and suspended his election campaign.

The list received 2.3% of the vote, which was an improvement from 2014 but still not enough to exceed the 4% threshold for proportional representation in the European Parliament. Civati received the most votes of the list, with 12,247 preference votes.

In the 2020 regional elections, EV won seats in Veneto, Marche and Campania.

In July 2021, EV became a full-fledged political party, with Angelo Bonelli, a long-time member and leader of the Federation of the Greens, and Eleonora Evi, who had switched from the Five Star Movement (M5S), as its leaders.

In the 2021 local elections, EV won 0.9% of the vote in Rome, 5.1% in Milan, 3.2% in Naples, 0.9% in Turin and 2.8% in Bologna.

In January 2022, EV and Italian Left (SI) formed a "consultation pact", aimed at co-operating in the 2022 Italian presidential election. In that context, the two parties decided to jointly support Luigi Manconi, a former lawmaker for the Greens, the Democrats of the Left and the Democratic Party (PD), and an expert on human rights issues. In June 2022, SI's national assembly formally approved the alliance with EV.

In February 2022, four deputies hailing from the M5S, formed the "Green Europe" sub-group in the Mixed Group of the Chamber of Deputies. In March, a fifth deputy and former member of the M5S joined the party.

In July 2022, EV and SI held a joint convention in Rome named "New Energies", promoting their cooperation and a unitary electoral program. The alliance deliberately took inspiration from the New Ecological and Social People's Union, the left-wing coalition formed in the run-up of the 2022 French legislative election. Following the fall of Draghi's government, the early dissolution of the Italian Parliament and the calling of the 2022 general election, the AVS was officially launched and its logo presented. In August 2022, the alliance formalised an electoral agreement with the PD.

In the 2022 general election AVS obtained 3.6% of the vote, 12 deputies (including seven Greens) and four senators (including one Green).

In November 2023 Evi left the party in protest with Bonelli, accusing him and the party of patriarchy, and in April 2024 she joined the PD.

In the 2024 European Parliament election AVS obtained 6.8% of the vote and six seats, including two for Green members and two for independent greens.

In December 2024, during the party's national assembly (congress), Bonelli and Fiorella Zabatta were elected spokerspersons.

Ideology and platform

The party's main ideology is green politics. The party, which is broadly progressive, also supports pro-Europeanism and feminism.

Original composition

On the occasion of the 2019 European Parliament election, the list was composed of the following parties:

Election results

Italian Parliament

European Parliament

Regional Councils

Leadership

*Spokespersons: Angelo Bonelli (2021–2024) / Eleonora Evi (2021–2023), Angelo Bonelli / Fiorella Zabatta (2024–present)
*President Guarantor: Marco Boato (2024–president)
*Presidents of the Federal Council: Marco Boato / Fiorella Zabatta (2021–2024), Filippo Zaratti / Elena Grandi (2024–present)

References

{{Green parties

2019 establishments in Italy
Federation of the Greens
Green political parties in Italy
Left-wing parties in Europe
Left-wing politics in Italy
Political parties established in 2019
Progressive parties in Italy