Welcome!
In the cities, we are facing most of the challenges for Green politics: the struggle for a clean environment and against pollution, for social justice and integration, for sustainable traffic models, for local democracy… Being active on this level is very important, because the vast majority of European citizens is living in cities and urban areas. In nearly all European countries, the Green strongholds in elections are the capitals and University cities.
In 1996, the Viennese Greens took the initiative to organize a gathering of green local councillors on 21st June 1996 in the Town Hall of Vienna. In this 1st European Meeting of Green Local Councillors, nearly 200 people from 20 countries participated.
The 2nd European Meeting of Green Local Councillors took place in Vienna again, but more than seven years later – from 5th-7th December 2003. Thanks to the cooperation with EFGP, nearly 300 local councillors, MEP’s, vice mayors, mayors and party activists from more than 30 countries participated. A booklet with the results of this meeting has been published.
The Vienna meeting also helped to find a consensus on some contents of local politics. This resulted in a resolution that I tabled at the founding congress of the European Green Party in Rome, where it was adopted on 22nd February, 2004. The most important problems that Greens should address on the local level, are addressed in this document.
The local level is the basis on which the strength of the Greens relies. The meeting in Vienna reinforced and showed the significance of the political work on this level, and the focus on local politics has since been emphasized by the European Greens.
The 3rd European Meeting of Green Local Councillors took place from 9th-11th November 2006 in Barcelona, thanks to IC-V (Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds) from Catalonia. About 230 Greens from 22 countries took part in this conference. The main topics were the fight against climate change in cities and the presentation of best practices.
A 4th meeting might take place in spring 2009, but there has not yet been a decision on date and venue.
In September 2007, a Steering Group for coordinating this process has been set up at a meeting in Brussels, consisting of Juan Behrend (EGP, Brussels), Jenny Jones (London), Gerhard Jordan (Vienna), Susanne Rieger (Barcelona), Heide Rühle (Green Group in the EP, Germany) and myself.
Beyond this, several smaller initiatives have been taken to bring together Green local councillors: The so-called "Greens in Big Cities" meetings take place since 2001 and have so far been organized in Barcelona (2001), Berlin (2005), Amsterdam (2006) and Vienna (2007) – prepared mainly by the Greens in the hosting cities and covering issues like urban culture, traffic, drug policy, urban planning, budgeting etc.
In Vienna, we started to organize annual "Central European Round Tables for Green Local Councillors" that were held in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and attended by Greens mainly from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, but also by some participants from Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Party building, addressing Green target groups and campaigning on the municipal level were the main topics so far.
There are several other de-centralized initiatives, too.
In order to enable a better exchange, the Viennese Greens and I initiated this website as a service and a tool to link similar initiatives.
However, our resources are limited - a professional exchange of "best practices" and Green successes on the local level has to be provided and supported by 
EGP and Green Group in the EP. We are willing to support concrete steps into this direction.
With kind regards,
Monika Vana Green member of the city government in Vienna
Monika Vana,
Green member of the city government in Vienna
IMPRESSUM
Grüner Klub im RathausA-1082 Wien, Stiege 6
Tel: +43 1 4000 81800
Fax: +43 1 4000 99 81811
wien@gruene.at