EGP Supporters: NetWork in Progress

Malmö, 16 October – Practical guidelines is what parties need when they consider to introduce and promote the individual supportership of the EGP, representatives from the Austrian and German Green parties told the Supporters’ Network in Malmö, where the EGP council took place: who decides about admitting supportership applicants, who are the contact persons, how does the Supporters’ Network fit into the EGP. Equally useful would be guidelines about how an activists Network can be  organised within a party. The Network’s list of participation possibilities was received quite positively, and completed by a number of useful additions. EGP Supporters: NetWork in Progress - report fringe meeting Malmö

by Lin Tabak

Purposes of the Network:

Mentioned here because some participants are new to the issue)

* Offer grassroots members of Green parties a European platform for common action and the exchange of experiences and views

* Facilitate cross border cooperation and action, both Europe wide and on a regional and local scale,

* By doing so give European Green politics a stronger basis in (Green) society

Priorities

As part of the EGP structures the Network has a unique opportunity to enlarge its scope in many ways. Identifying priorities and working methodically from what we have is called for now

• Parties:

-   Expand, together with EGP and Green Group in the European Parliament, the number of parties that implement the individual supportership and encourage it.

-   Write a set of guidelines for parties that consider inmplementing the individual supportership, containing information about rules & structures – who decides about membership, contact persons, settling within the EGP etc. – and about best practices of and tools for the work of the individual supporters.

• Grassroots members:

-   Reach out to them, offering concrete participation projects and space to propose their own ideas

-   Develop a model structure or guidelines for supporter networks in parties

-   Turn electronic communication tools into platforms of interactive exchange.

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Activities

The existing ones: • annual ‘Heerlen’ meetings, • Supporters on Tour, • site & newsletter, • cross border campaign & participation, will be improved.

• Cross border cooperation:

An explanation proved useful. Such cooperations are in most cases not ORGANISED by the supporters’ Network – local and regional Greens are at the core – but encouraged or facilitated by it. The Network puts best practices online, collects useful dos and don’ts, and may help to establish contacts. Some good examples were provided by Alexandra Medwedeff (Austrian Greens): they regularly organise a cross border action on topics that ‘concern not only our country but also South Tyrol (Italy) and Bavaria (Germany), like the plans for the Brenner Basis tunnel, or a power plant at the border of Bavaria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Those actions are organised on a political level and generally initiated by a general secretary or politicians from the regional parliaments, but usually activists also take part.

• Contribute to a Green European citizens’ initiative as soon as the Lisbon Treaty  comes into force

This suggestion from the Round Table in Brussels, was received with enthusiasm. Includes helping to identify an issue that ‘works’ in a maximum of member states, collect signatures, maybe organise local debates.

• New suggestion:

Help to fill a new web tool on best local practices, launched by the Vienna Greens and linked to the ‘Greens in Big Cities’ initiative. At the moment only a test front page and an example from Vienna are available.

Network Team

Kristien Lesage has to stop because of lack of time. Annette Muggenthaler and Rafael Font will look for replacement from the Hondarribia initiative.

Picture: Remco van der Stoep (GroenLinks), the first ever candidate for the EGP committee presenting himself as an individual supporter. He didn’t get elected because a party mate, Jacqueline Cremers, was elected secretary general.