Register as an EGP Supporter
Who can join?
In theory all European individuals who sympathise with Europe’s Green parties’ European project can join, since a statutes’ change in 2004. But practice lingers behind. To be able to refuse people they consider as a risk, the member parties have adopted a resolution stating that you have to join through the party in your country of residence, which has the right to refuse. To our knowledge, no party has ever used this right. Still, only a small minority of parties have opened registration.
To date: six parties
To date, six parties have opened registration: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and GroenLinks have online facilities, for the Green Party of England and Wales mail to Michael Stimson m.stimson1@ntlworld.com; for Écolo (Walloon) and (from 1 January 2010) Miljøpartiet De Grønne (Norway) contact the party office. If you are a member of Déi Gréng (Luxemburg), you are considered an EGP supporter unless you have opted out.
Four other parties have formally accepted the individual supportership: Les Verts, Comhaontas Glas, Groen! and the Scottish Green Party, which, however, later withdrew its support. But those parties never took any further steps.
Rights and duties
As a supporter you don’t have the right to take part in the decision making, because the EGP’s confine voting rights to party delegates. But you are entitled to regular information about programmatic developments and policies of the EGP. On application you may attend meetings of the EGP and and regional networks and participate in discussions – limitedly; delegates have priority.
The minimum fee is 12 Euros per year, but parties may decide to ask more. Some parties issue EGP supporters’ cards.
What you get
EGP supporters receive the biweekly Update Flash, an e-zine offering a selection of press releases about the Green parties in Europe and elsewhere, and the Greens-EFA in the European Parliament. And you are very welcome to participate in the EGP Supporters’ Network.
Some parties have additional activities, most of which are run by supporters: GroenLinks organises occasional Think Meals on 9 May, Europe Day, and has an internal supporters’ network consisting of local activists. Contact Lin Tabak lynn@greenyourope.eu; in Bündnis 90/Die Grünen EGP supporters meet during party conferences and keep in contact through a mail list. Contact Christoph Becker Schaum becker-schaum@boell.de. GroenLinks issues a Supporters’ Newsletter about the party’s whereabouts in the EGP and sends new supporters an information package.
