In France's wake to a green Europe?
Apart from the rout suffered by President Macron's LREM party, the most striking feature of the French local elections at the end of June was the excellent results of the Greens. A Citizens' convention had previously drawn up a series of climate protection measures. In other European countries, too, environmentally friendly measures such as wider cycle paths have met with widespread approval during the pandemic. Has the time come for green ideas to become tangible policies?
Environmental revolution in sight
Azonnali says that true to their revolutionary tradition, the French are striking out on new paths in European politics:
“It is quite possible that posterity will regard the recently held Citizens' convention for the climate as the first institutional step of the green revolution. ... This revolutionary green renewal can only be stopped if the green parties and politicians are integrated into the corrupt neoliberal power structure. Macron will no doubt try to do just that with his new government. Without exaggeration, it can be said that our future at the European and global levels depends on him not succeeding.”
Policies straight out of Marx's works
România Liberă is worried about the green trend:
“It's clear that after years of crises and austerity measures that kept capitalism alive, a new generation of politicians has become radicalised around the globe. They've adopted a green profile, want to preserve the environment and seek to implement utopian but attractive economic, political and social solutions taken straight out of Marx's ideological works. In fact one can say that under the green and 'clean' standard of the Green Deal, today's capitalist Europe is rapidly moving towards a radical eco-socialism which has even tainted the once sensible perspectives of the political right in the EU.”
An example for Johnson to follow
The government in London should do more to prioritise environmental policy, The Independent urges:
“Boris Johnson's record on the climate emergency pales in comparison to Macron's. ... France provides ample political inspiration. In 2016, it became the first country in the world to legislate against food waste. Britain ought to do the same. The British government ought to establish its own citizens' commission of randomly selected individuals to produce environmental recommendations in collaboration with experts. ... In last week's local elections, French voters showed the environment remains at the top of the agenda.”