S 6: Draft EGP Activity Plan 2021

1. Introduction

The COVID-19 crisis has brought all kind of unprecedented pain and difficulties,
and it remains to be seen how it evolves. Nonetheless, at European level, after
initial hesitations, we have also seen unprecedented action. Not up to the green
level we would have wanted, but commitment to shared debt, the will to increase
European own resources, and the clear green conditionality are unexpected very
welcome European answers to this crisis, which we hope can bring us further in
the development of the EU that we want to see.

The COVID-19 crisis has also merely caused a short pause to the system that is
destroying nature and biodiversity and is warming the planet at an unprecedented
pace. The current COVID-19 health and economic crisis call for even bolder
European action. The Commissions’ Next Generation EU Recovery Plan is an
ambitious instrument that should also commit to a transition to a social and
green economy, tackling the acceleration of the climate crisis.

The persisting COVID-19 pandemic created an environment of lockdowns and social
distancing that severely impacted our lives the way we knew it; many lives are
lost, our (mental) health, economy, jobs, education, social freedom, freedom of
movement, unhinged democracy, postponed elections, ….

We want to adapt, we want to continue our political work, mainly working from
home, holding meetings online, spreading our green values. Therefore, we will
work towards strengthening our digital presence and competences.

2. Political priorities

Climate Crisis – Green Recovery
Throughout 2020, the European Greens played a crucial role in raising the
ambition of the European Parliament, and we will continue fighting all together
both at National and European level to ensure the European Commission and the
Council align with this ambition.

Moreover, 2021 will be decisive in terms of climate ambitions because of the
postponed COP 26 at the end of the year, the Green Recovery, Green New Deal,
Next Generation EU, MFF; the implementation of the recovery budget will
determine if we will be able to achieve the climate targets. Making sure the
money is directed towards just transition should be a priority for the Greens.

Regional strategies and cohesion within the family
We will continue prioritising the efforts to strengthen the green message in
Southern and Eastern Europe and invest in supporting parties and partners
through projects at the level of capacity building and political cooperation.

Corona makes it difficult to be on the ground, but with the online tools we
manage to have very recurring contacts with member parties.

In order to keep the cohesion that has always distinguished our political
family, we need to also increase the communication and understanding between the
member parties; this will be done by joint work on specific policy issues and by
increasing exchanges and learning experiences between Greens, especially, but
not only, at local level, as past experience and feedback from parties show
there is a strong request in this sense.

Increase Policy Leadership
The new EGP Committee established this goal last year, and it’s strengthened
even more by the fact that the corona crisis imposes on us a collective
reflection on how to strengthen our answers in some essential fields, like
climate neutrality, work, health, trade and culture.

Relations with civil society
We want to keep on strengthening our ties with the civil society and collaborate
with them as we believe only through a strong synergy, based on the respect of
the respective roles, with all the forces currently fighting against climate
change and for a more just, equal and sustainable society, we can achieve the
ambitious goals we have set for ourselves. Moreover, we believe having strong
ties with the civil society can be an important element especially in countries
where a Green Party is not present and to keep relations with progressive parts
of the society outside of outside of EU and beyond Europe as well.

3. Tools - Mechanisms

European Ideas Lab (EIL)
We will kick off the year 2021 with an online European Ideas Lab, organised in
cooperation with Greens/EFA in EP. The main goals of the event are to show what
the Greens stand for in the debate around the Recovery Plans and show that the
visions we have for a more sustainable future also offer solutions to the
current crisis; we want to give space for civil society to give input to us
Greens for how the future should look like after Corona.

If the health restrictions allow, we will organise a regional European Ideas Lab
inBudapest, Hungary. With this project, we want to strengthen the ties between
the European Greens and civil society in the Visegrád 4 countries, and raise
awareness of the importance of the fight against climate change and the
illiberal tendencies of governments in this region.

Later in 2021, in building up towards the COP26 mobilisation, we foresee setting
up a European Ideas Lab within the framework of the climate campaign.

Greens in Government
The number of Greens in national and regional Governments is growing, six since
October 2020. This calls for an increased effort to establish consolidated and
stable contacts. Cooperation among them is essential.

Moreover, in order to keep internal cohesion of the family and improve the
mutual understanding, we consider especially important to strengthen the
exchanges between the parties who hold governing responsibilities and the rest
of the Green family: especially with growing European-wide public interest, what
happens in one country has consequences for the perception of Greens elsewhere.

Party Leaders Meetings
EGP will continue to organise regular online Party Leaders’ Meetings on relevant
issues on European agenda. These meetings play an important role in informing
and consolidating different views and perspectives, and consequently building a
stronger cohesion, within the European Greens. The shift to an online format has
made them more effective tools in several ways: it allows for more flexible
timing as and when the need arises because of urgent developments, and it has
broadened the scope of participants compared to purely physical meetings.

Policy Lab
In order to increase the EGP policy reflection around topics where Green answers
are needed due to the corona crisis, and beyond, the EGP Committee will start
policy labs on the following topics:

We will also continue the Discussion Group on Climate neutrality in connection
to the Climate campaign.

Research project
EGP will commission research to acquire better instruments to understand the
context of some member countries (especially in Southern and Eastern Europe) and
possibly to support the work of the policy labs.

Climate Campaign
The Climate Campaign will continue its development around its four pillars:
supporting and developing the capacities of member parties; work with the local
councillor project to continue the development of climate emergencies;
cooperation with NGOs to root the EGP as a strong partner; and EU level action
for a strong Green Deal. The main goal for 2021 is to have a strong presence
(Green Hub) during the postponed COP26 in Glasgow.

Fundraising
Fundraising activities will be tested and integrated within EGP’s
communications. The first ever EGP fundraising strategy is being finalised
towards the end of 2020 and will be implemented in 2021.

Tilt! The Changemaking Network
Tilt! will engage with the community of people who have taken part in its
different campaigns, offering tailored content and activities related to the
most successful campaigns. Moreover, Tilt! will further explore new tools to
grow the database of signees, such as rapid response campaigns (fast-tracked
campaigns on very specific issues high on the agenda) and non-featured campaigns
organised by external partners and hosted by Tilt!

Digital Engagement
A stronger pillar of our internal and external communication is going to be an
enhanced online presence: with the redevelopment of the EGP website as well as
increased and professionalised activities in social media channels we will be
able to reach out to more people more effectively. This is not only a big step
forward in ongoing Corona circumstances but it means that we will be able to
engage more easily with communities that would be harder to reach otherwise
(such as certain age groups, geographical spread).

Translations
Overall, the EGP Committee wants to invest more into translations by developing
a reliable network of freelance translators with the member parties to provide
translations and proofreading in line with Green policies.

Networks
Long standing: Gender, LGBTIQ, Local Councillors (Green Cities Conference),
ENGS.
More recent: Disability Network.

Through networks, we are able to enhance the involvement of Member Parties to
strengthen the Greens at the national and local level, and provide, promote and
transfer Green responses and concrete policies.

More specifically, a strategy towards 2021 is developed for the Local
Councillors Network; it will work on two big pillars of the network:

The first is an online platform, where Local Councillors, aldermen, Local
Councillor coordinators, find relevant information for their local work. The
platform aims at offering them a virtual space where they can find and share
information, local campaigns, inspiration, and also get to know each other.

The second pillar of the work of the Local Councillors Network are the exchanges
and meetings. Due to the current situation, these will mostly be done online.
The overarching theme of these meetings will be the climate emergencies as well
as post-covid crisis management. We foresee, if the situation hopefully allows,
an in-person event 'Green cities conference' in the second part of the year as a
finale of the series.

The dramatically increased use of online exchanges brought upon by the Covid
pandemic has led to easier access to and more varied formats of digital meetings
and networking. Whilst also recognising their limitations, the EGP Committee
sees this as an opportunity for enhanced exchanges between member parties also
between Council meetings and encourages members to pursue issues of common
interest at European level.

Working groups
The WG Revision of the Allocation of Votes started in autumn 2020 and will
continue its work in 2021. Hopefully a proposal can be presented at the first
in-person EGP Council that can be organised in 2021, most likely in autumn. The
intention is to report any significant findings at the spring Council.

Based on the built-up experience of the previous online Councils online, the
Committee will set up a WG to develop a chapter or annex for the EGP Rule Book
with meeting rules for online EGP Councils.

The EGP will, together with the delegates and the member parties, organise an
exchange of views on the 2019 election campaign, as a starting point for the
discussion with the delegates and member parties on the 2024 EU campaign
strategy.

4. Statutory meetings

EGP Councils
The EGP Committee proposes to hold the two Councils in 2021, online or hybrid in
the spring, between 29-31 May, and hopefully in-person in autumn, between 3-5
December 2020 (dates and locations to be confirmed).

EGP Committee meetings
In principle, the Committee meetings for 2021 are scheduled every six weeks –
retro planned respecting the deadlines for the Council decision making process.
In addition, there are additional shorter Committee meetings to enable us to
spread the workload and make it more manageable under Corona conditions.

5. Support and cooperation with EGP partners

Greens-EFA Group in the European Parliament
The Committee is pursuing a strong working relationship with the enlarged
Greens-EFA Bureau and Group in the European Parliament, seeking to complement
each other’s work. The EGP will continue to channel in-depth political content
to the Member Parties.

Federation of Young European Greens – FYEG
We will continue our enhanced cooperation with FYEG in 2021 and will promote
youth issues – the Youth Platform – as a high priority in our political work and
transversally through other topics.

The EGP is continuing its financial support to FYEG (as per the statutory
agreement in Copenhagen, May 2012). Moreover, we will continue to cooperate with
our very committed youth wing on joint activities. We appreciate the high level
of campaigns, political debates and trainings they manage to organise.

Green European Foundation – GEF
The Committee continues to build on the strong cooperation with the GEF on
transnational activities and highly appreciates their valuable e-training and
research capacity as well as the Green European Journal. The EGP Committee will
continue to channel relevant information to the Member Parties.

Global Greens
The EGP relationship with the Global Greens, with the four federations on four
continents as members, will be politically engaged and continued through
cooperation on specific European projects. The new (2020) EP rules on financing
European political parties changed the way we can contribute financially to the
Global Greens. An MoU between the EGP and the Global Greens establishes the new
financial and administrative support to the Global Greens.

Preparations have started for the next Global Greens congress, to take place in
South Korea and postponed to January 2022. The Asia-Pacific Greens Federation
will host the event. The EGP Committee will take an active part in the planning
process of this global conference from next year onwards, and will continue to
channel relevant information to the Member Parties.

European Movement International (EMI)
EGP is member of EMI since spring 2018. EMI is a key platform in the process of
European integration. It brings together civil society organisations, political
parties, trade unions and business organisations, local authorities and
academia. The EGP Committee continues to monitor the activities of EMI and
attends the annual congresses. The EGP Committee has put forward a candidate for
the election (November/December 2020) of the new board of the EMI.

6. Organisation

European Political Party (EUPP)
As an officially registered European political party, the EGP is entitled to
apply for European Parliament contributions. The distribution of the total EP
contribution to political parties was based on 10 parties. For 2021, the EGP has
applied for a contribution based on 57 MEPs within the Green Group in EP.

As an EUPP, the EGP must comply with the rules for financing its activities, as
laid down in legislation 1141/2014 and the multiple rules and guidelines adopted
by the Bureau of the EP.

For the main part, the ‘European” character of all events and activities
organised by the EGP must be apparent, alongside its lead role in every activity
and event it organises. Scrutiny by both the EP’s Directorate-General for
Finances and the Authority for European Political Parties and European
Foundations increases every year.

The EGP Committee has expressed its opposition to and continues to oppose the
interpretation of Regulation 1141/2014 which no longer allows the EGP to receive
any kind of income (membership fees or donations) from member parties in or
citizens of non-EU member states. We will join forces with the other EUPPs to
amend this legislation. Despite this regulation, the EGP Committee insists on
the pan-European character of the EGP and will continue to explore ways of
transcontinental cooperation while respecting the financial rules and guidelines
in relation to non-EU members.

EGP Office
Based on the increase in resources the electoral result in 2019 has provided,
the EGP’s political ambitions have grown. The EGP has enlarged its team in order
to implement the activities and projects that are planned in the best way
possible. This growth required a revised office structure, which was developed
in close cooperation between the EGP Committee, management, staff
representatives and the employees.

In particular, following the EGP communications strategy and more intense
orientation towards strengthening our online presence, a full digital team was
developed, gathering the competences and expertise necessary to its successful
implementation. In addition it will be possible to strengthen in particular the
policy work which will benefit all member parties.

The EGP has found new office space that provides suitable working conditions for
a larger team. The office was moved to Rue du Taciturne 34, 1000 Brussels, in
early May 2020. Though it must be pointed out that the meeting rooms currently
most used are provided by Zoom.