Green European Journal

War Ecology: Can Ukraine’s Green Transition Neutralise the Russian Threat? Although the conflict has been devastating, it provides an opportunity to make Ukraine more resilient in the long term.

Russia’s war on its neighbour has caused widespread damage and destruction, but it has also revealed that Ukraine needs to transform its energy systems. Building a greener, less centralised, and more efficient power grid is a matter of national defence, writes Martin Vrba.

Greens and Pirates in Czechia: Elective Affinity or Marriage of Convenience? Greens hope to return to parliament after a more than 15-year absence. But their future remains uncertain, as does the country’s direction.

With Czech elections days away, the Greens and Pirates are running together for the first time. Can this cooperation bring back a Green MP after more than 15 years?

Land Stewards: Farmers Resisting a Broken System Once the motor of European integration, the CAP now rewards productivity and punishes sustainable agriculture.

Italy’s agricultural holdings have halved in twenty years. The Common Agricultural Policy has fostered a system in which many farmers “cultivate the subsidy rather than the field.” Small farms that care about sustainability barely survive.

Greens and Pirates in Czechia: Elective Affinity or Marriage of Convenience? Greens hope to return to parliament after a more than 15-year absence. But their future remains uncertain, as does the country’s direction.

With Czech elections days away, the Greens and Pirates are running together for the first time. Can this cooperation bring back a Green MP after more than 15 years?

Have you ever had to deal with the #ChillDude prototype? 🕶️

In our collaboration with @greeneujournal.bsky.social, we discuss the weaponised disconnect of those white guys who think that dealing with climate is too stressful, amirite?

Read more 👉 thegreenfix.substack.com/p/white-guy-...

Moravia-Silesia: What Future Without Coal? Despite efforts to facilitate the Czech region’s green transformation, its future remains uncertain amid political corruption and social exclusion.

Once referred to as the “boiler room” of Europe, Moravia-Silesia is preparing to phase out coal production. But amidst political corruption, social exclusion, and the absence of a coherent vision, can the Czech region build a viable future for its inhabitants?

Full article on our website:

How Chill Guys Are Holding Back Change Men often hide behind indifference to protect their mental health from the world’s many problems, but this helps no one.

Has a male partner, friend, or family member ever told you to “just chill” when you were angry over politics or climate change? You’re not alone. Cass Hebron breaks down how men resort to indifference to hide away from the many problems of our world.

📖This article was featured in Head On: Facing the Far Right - our winter 2024 edition - Read it now: www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/imitation-ga...

But normalisation isn’t inevitable.
Progressive politics should focus on practical solutions to everyday struggles, but without abandoning minorities.

Denmark’s Social Democrats pioneered Europe’s harshest immigration policies under Mette Frederiksen. Their ’’paradigm shift’’ law focuses on sending refugees home, with no space for integration. Now, countries like the UK and Austria copy Denmark’s approach as the new norm.

In Bulgaria, the Socialist Party embraced “traditional values” and backed laws banning LGBTQI+ content in schools. This policy backfired strongly, as the party went from 27 per cent support in 2017 to just 7 per cent in 2024.

In Germany, Sahra Wagenknecht split from the far-left Die Linke to create her own party, mixing socialism with anti-immigration rhetoric. In European elections, her BSW party won more votes than Die Linke’s, but she has not been able to slow the far right’s momentum.

A new political hybrid is emerging across Europe. Known as “conservative socialism”, it mixes socialist economics with anti-immigration views and opposition to minority rights. This unusual combination has blurred the traditional lines between Left and Right.🧵

Moldova’s Next Crossroads Moldovans are heading to the polls for parliamentary elections. Will they choose to keep their country on its European course, despite well-documented Russian interference?

On 28 September, Moldovans will head to the polls for parliamentary elections. Amidst well-documented Russian interference, a fragmented political landscape, and competing media narratives, will Moldova continue on its European course?

Full article on our website:

Active Non-Alignment: Engaging with the Global South on Ukraine How can Kyiv and Europe improve their diplomatic outreach to Global South countries without appealing to a supposed moral superiority?

Many Global South countries no longer feel bound to major powers and are prioritising their interests over strict alliances. How can Europe and Ukraine reach out to these nations without appealing to a supposed moral superiority?

Also in this issue:
📈 “Not growing but thriving”: The Beginning of a Paradigm Shift
💧Who Controls Water?

📖Read it here: us7.campaign-archive.com?u=fbf70df867...
📝Sign up to The Sprout: www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/newsletters/

As Langer understood from his work and life in South Tyrol, wars begin long before bullets fly, which means peace movements must expose connections between our lifestyles and the interests that fuel conflict.

This month’s main story of The Sprout, our ideas-driven newsletter, explores Langer’s approach to “ecological conversion” – transforming how we live, consume, and relate to nature and each other for genuine sustainability.

Thirty years after his passing, Italian Green politician Alexander Langer’s vision of making peace desirable rather than merely necessary feels remarkably prescient.🧵

How the Gaza Disengagement Set the Stage for Genocide Israel’s failed Gaza evacuation 20 years ago is being used to justify permanent occupation. But without Palestinian sovereignty or reciprocity, European recognition of Palestine risks repeating the sa...

In 2005, the EU welcomed Israel’s “Gaza disengagement” plan, which froze rather than mitigated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Europe risks repeating the same mistake by offering symbolic recognition without concrete steps to transfer Palestinian sovereignty.

Who Controls Water? Water scarcity is often the result of unequal power relations rather than a natural phenomenon. Post-growth can help ensure more equal access.

Climate change contributes to water scarcity, but like abundance, scarcity is often the result of unequal power relations rather than natural limits. Could post-growth approaches help us reimagine our failing water systems? An Interview with Lyla Mehta.

On Sale for One Euro: Will Albania’s Forests Go Private? The government’s touristification drive is likely to have profound implications for the residents in Albania’s lush northern woods

Read the full story, by Emma Belmonte, on our website⬇️
www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/albanias-for...

Muco calls instead for support to local-led agrotourism projects, which are more likely to involve locals, respect the land, and sustain rural economies.

As researcher Elda Muco warns, “If you dispossess people from these lands through privatisation, they won’t care for it.”
Only those rooted in the community, she argues, have a reason to protect it.

Yet doubts are mounting. Who exactly will benefit from this scheme? Local communities in Albania’s lush northern regions, already hit by depopulation and economic marginalisation, now fear losing access to ancestral lands vital for foraging, shepherding, and traditional livelihoods.

The controversial initiative, which targets members of the Albanian diaspora, allows for public forests to be sold for the symbolic price of one euro in return for investments in tourism infrastructure.

In a bid to attract tourists and tackle rural depopulation, the Albanian government has launched the “Mountain Package”.

Compared to other European countries, Albania has the largest share of public forests.
However, this may soon no longer be the case. 🧵

The Unravelling of a Success Story: How Politics Is Killing Europe’s Wolves The EU’s fresh support for culling threatens wolves and bears and fails to ensure co-existence between humans and large predators.

Conservation brought back Europe’s wolves and bears from the brink, but politics is threatening them once again. The EU has moved to weaken protections despite evidence that coexistence with large carnivores is possible. Read the investigation on our website⬇️

📖This article was featured in Head On: Facing the Far Right - our winter 2024 edition - Read it now:
www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/business-as-...