Germany, the Greens are in power. They're decisive in nearly all the federal states and aim to govern the country.

A step forward at every electionAnd the day of a possible landing in the heart of Germany's power, the Chancellery building, is approaching for the Greens. The last two results they were above expectations. In Rhineland-Palatinate The Greens have increased their support at the expense of both the Social Democrats and the People's Party. In the state of Baden-WurttembergInstead, Winfried Kretschmann, 72, was confirmed as president by popular acclaim. He has held this position for 10 years.

In the case of this state, to defeat the chancellor's party, the CDU, the Greens, the Liberals, and the SPD (German Social Democrats) joined forces. This alliance has been nicknamed "traffic light coalition" to represent the three symbolic colors of the three parties: green, yellow, and red. This very coalition, in the end, could be the one with the best chance of winning the national elections to be held next fall (the ones that will decide Merkel's heir). Because at the moment in German politics, only one certainty is: whoever wants to form the government will it will not be possible to do without the support of the Greens if it wants to have a solid majority. Furthermore, to test the political weight of the Greens, it is enough to consider that, in the case of a traffic light coalition, It would be up to the Greens to express the name of the chancellor, considering that in voting intentions they have more consensus (between 17%-21%) than their probable allies.

GERMAN GREENS

The vote in these two states, which took place last March, is just the latest example of an inexorable rise, especially within the federal states. In recent years, for example, in elections in the eastern part of Germany, in Brandenburg and Saxony, the Greens have followed closely behind. CDU and the Social Democrats of SpdBoth parties, albeit for different reasons, are in free fall. In contrast, the Greens, in both Saxony and Brandenburg, have almost doubled their vote share compared to the previous elections, rocketing to 8 percent in Saxony and 10 percent in Brandenburg. And both state governments must maintain their electoral weight, their seats. Starting first and foremost with their programs inspired by comprehensive sustainability, carried forward by capable leaders.

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In fact, it is not only the numbers, the programs, the objectives, but also and above all the faces, the leaders, that make things happen. German greens the most important new development, now only and ever growing, in the European political arena. While the Greens are, according to all the polls, the leading political force in Germany, their co-president, Robert Habeck, is at the top of the approval ratings of the front-line figures in German politics, right after the unshakeable Angela Merkel. In practice, Habeck, considering that Merkel is walking with extraordinary national and international authority towards retirement, he is the most popular politician in Germany, with shocking percentages for the two now former major parties, the CDU and the SPD. Just to give you an idea: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who has already taken Merkel's place at the helm of the CDU, has a rating in the polls half that of Habeck. The other co-president of the German Greens is Annalena Baerbock, with studies at the London School of Economics and a truly impressive grit, even in language.

TO KNOW MORE: Our website's editorial manifesto: Don't Waste. The long-seller on sustainability.

GREENS IN GERMANY

The Baerbock is a character to study to understand not only the roots of the Greens' success in Germany, but also the depth and modernization of their political program. Widely shared by the younger segments of the population and the electorate. For example: the German Greens are pushing for Germany's total exit from the carbon, even if they are aware that it is a journey to be done in stages; they share the compass of the 17 goals of theUN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable DevelopmentThey don't accept any backtracking on the Paris climate agreement. They fight for social rights, especially for young people: from education to housing and social housing, from work to the enjoyment of free time. And to find resources to finance national and European welfare, the German Greens are very explicit in demanding taxes paid, not tax evasion, to the web giants. Taxes to be paid in Europe. Like the taxes, intended to discourage a certain type of consumption, proposed by the Greens on much of the very long list of disposable products still in circulation. Objects, let's remember, almost always plastic bags. On the contrary, according to the German Greens, the development of theThe circular economy it cannot fail to also pass through forms of incentives and tax benefits.

ALSO READ: Greens: Here's where they're making a difference in Europe for sustainability (photos)

GREEN PARTY GERMANY

And now we come to the Greens' presence on German soil, in the various states. The wave of this political alignment in Germany began to swell in October 2018, when the Greens were the second most voted party in the German state of Bavaria, doubling the number of preferences compared to 2013. An exploit that was repeated a few weeks later, on October 29, also in Hesse, where they went from 11,1 to 19,8 percent. Two results that certify the evolution of a movement that in recent years has begun to propose a vision which is increasingly attracting Germans throughout Germany. The Greens, in fact, presented themselves to voters with a balanced program, completely in antithesis to the narrative of the sovereignist, populist and anti-European parties, which is gaining popularity in various corners of the old continent.

To succeed in this undertaking they emancipated themselves from ecological radicalism from the very beginning, while continuing to push forward numerous environmentalist demands, and have broadened their scope of action by proposing a government programme based onintegration and controlled immigration, policies in favor of women and a moderate economic proposal and liberal. Completing the winning recipe is the deep crisis of traditional Western parties and an empathetic and capable leader like the Bavarian. Katharina Schulze.

TO KNOW MORE: The Sustainability Manifesto and our website. Don't Waste, a book that marks a new era.

THE HISTORY OF THE GERMAN GREENS

The German Greens, as we know them today, were born in 1993 as an aggregation of two previous movements. One of these (which had the same name as the current ones, 'The Greens') was active in the West Germany and, in the seventies, he had managed to bring together environmentalists and pacifists who opposed the use of nuclear energy and fought to improve the quality of life in large cities. After the merger with Alliance 90, the second movement born in the German Democratic Republic, the party experienced fluctuating fortunes until 2011 when concerns about nuclear power after the Japanese nuclear disaster Fukushima have strengthened their electoral base. Starting from this hard core of consensus, the ruling class has begun to shape a party capable of proposing itself as a governing force, putting the demands of sterile protest into the background.

THE POLITICAL SPACE OF THE GREENS

In Germany, in the past decades, two forces have alternately dominated, the Social Democrats (SPD) and conservatives (CDU and CSU), with marginal space for a third force (the liberals of the FDP, the far-right AfD, Alternative for Germany, and the Greens themselves). But now everything changes. The Greens have been able to draw you vote for both the right and the left, managing to intercept the rising tide of consensus leaving the conservative and social democratic areas. And they did so by countering the populism of AfD, and not by chasing them on their own ground as the moderates of the CSU and the drift of the Social Democrats have tried to do. Today the Greens are an institutional party, who wants more Europe and more balance in the Union, moderately left-wing, and deeply ecologists. With a form of good and liberal moderation, which protects the institutions, and defends men and thetechnology.

This is the political space of the German Greens, who are today very far from the stereotype which associated them with the far left. So much so that the group was also able to dismantle another cliché of declining politics, namely the irreversible crisis of the 'People's Party', the popular parties. The Greens, on the contrary, demonstrate that popular parties, when they have good ideas and a good leadership, they are more alive than ever.

THE GREEN PROGRAM IN GERMANY

To achieve this feat they presented a program very articulate which addresses the main critical issues facing all major European countries. For example, to overcome the crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the party proposes to invest over 50 billion euros to provide Germany with broadband and neutral infrastructures in terms of environmental impact. A mountain of investments that, in order to be mobilized, cannot ignore the overcoming of thearticle of the Constitution, which prohibits the federal government from incurring more than 0,35% of GDP annually. This battle, to begin "going into debt," is among the most important in the Green Party's platform and should be accompanied by the introduction of higher taxes for large fortunes. Naturally, the most ambitious proposals in the program are reserved for climate policy. For example, setting the price of CO2 emissions at 60 euros per ton as early as 2023, and reduce greenhouse gases by 70% compared to 1990 by 2030 (the outgoing government has set the target at 55%). In general, the Greens aim to align all future German policies with the target set by the Paris Agreements to limit global warming to 1,5 degrees Celsius by 2100. This result can only be achieved through aggressive policies such as the ban on all petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

Their program, however, also includes much more. On the topic immigration, for example, have proposed recipes to improve the integration process of those arriving and at the same time propose to control the flows, but without pre-established entry limits. Finally, in the government recipe, the Greens also propose thebreaking down barriers for the benefit of disabled and elderly people, and equal opportunities for women and men. One of the proposals, for example, is to open more nurseries to allow mothers to go to work. The positioning is also very strong against discrimination of race and religion, and of homosexuals. Finally, I am for the digitization but at the same time they declare a no-holds-barred fight to defend users' personal data.

WINFRIED KRETSCHMANN

Beyond the program, however, the success in various elections around Germany is also due to very capable leaders. This is the case of Winfried Kretschmann in Baden-Württemberg. The 72-year-old governor, in fact, in being confirmed as head of the state for the umpteenth time, he demonstrated that an environmentalist can manage an industrial land, gaining support from both the right and the left. The capital of Baden-Württemberg is Stuttgart, one of the beating hearts of the German automotive industry. Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are headquartered here, and a large portion of the region's residents earn a living from the related industries. Yet, a Green party governs here. Evidently, the citizens believe more than analysts and observers in a ecological transition increasingly imminent and necessary.

KATHARINA SCHULZE

Another highly influential leader is the young Bavarian Katharina Schulze, undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures in the German Green establishment. Thirty-year-old Schulze has embodied a symbol of change for many Bavarians and a promise for the future. Her Green membership dates back to 2009, when she was elected leader of the Bavarian youth movement. In just two years he managed to become head of the Bavarian party and in 2013 entered the regional Parliament, where since 2017 she has led the Green deputies. Before embracing politics she studied psychology and in her "curriculum" boasts an American presidential campaign as a volunteer following Barack Obama in 2008. A great orator, during her election campaign she preached Europeanism and greater safety on the streets, while at the same time calling for greater integration policies and controlled immigration.

PRISKA HINZ

Each German state has its own leader, its face of change and the new economy according to the Greens' program. Thus in Hesse, the other region where the Greens triumphed after Bavaria, Priska Hinz She is the most popular Environment Minister ever seen in a German state. In just five years, she has managed to increase organic farming by 50 percent, making farmers, retailers, and consumers happy. Among her battles, which also go beyond the old, ideological confines of 5s environmentalism and are firmly anchored in the broad idea of ​​sustainability, are those against high-rent in all the most important cities of Hesse and the animal welfare at risk.

ROBERT HABECK

The party's national presidency is entrusted to Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck. The latter, 49, decided to close his Facebook and Twitter profiles in January 2019 after receiving widespread criticism for a video he had posted online and following the publication of private conversations stolen in the recent hacker attack against several German politicians. The decision, Habeck explained, was a difficult one, because Facebook and Twitter are still among the easiest ways to communicate with the electorate, but it was inevitable because, according to the politician, they were the difficulties are evident who had had to use the two platforms. “Twitter,” Habeck stated in the note announcing his suspension from these social networks, “is more aggressive than any other digital medium, and there is no other social network with so much hatred, malice and incitement" and that "it triggers something in me: it makes me more aggressive, louder, more cutting." A true instigator, capable of bringing out the worst. This is why it's best not to use these platforms, even in the face of potential electoral disadvantages. A courageous and unconventional choice.

The photos are taken from the social media profiles of the three political representatives.

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