Radu Georgescu: Why Green? How would you describe this political option in the XXI century?
Marius Lazăr: Green is about life. Romanians lose, on average, 4 years of their lives to pollution and we, the Greens, are fighting to stop this from happening. Romania now lacks a Green party in parliament to address these serious environmental problems we face. And one that manages to push for a coherent national strategy on tackling climate change, the biggest global challenge. Other countries in the region, such as Poland, Bulgaria and Serbia, have green parties that have recently entered parliament. The year 2024, from our perspective, will be the year when Romania will also have a green force in Parliament – namely the Green Party (Greens).
RG: What is the current situation of the Romanian Green Party (Partidul Verzilor)? How do you position yourself on the Romanian political spectrum?
ML: At the end of last year, the Green Party relaunched under the new name of Green Party – Greens. The Green Party is now a party that is centre-left – a party that campaigns for both a Healthy Romania and a Just Romania, as our country is facing serious problems not only on the environmental front but also on the social front – the rate of poverty and the risk of social exclusion being the highest in the entire European Union.
On the Romanian political spectrum, the Green Party – Greens wants to be the representative in Parliament of those who do not feel their voice is heard – of the hundreds of thousands of young people who no longer find their place in Romania, of the tens of thousands of animal lovers, of poor communities, but also of entrepreneurs who understand that the only possible path to a sustainable future is the transition to a green economy.
RG: You worked a lot for promoting and growing the party, how are citizens reacting when they come in contact with the “green” option?
ML: Climate change is starting to affect people, and this is also reflected in their perception of green policies. Many in the countryside are asking for our support – the land they have farmed for generations is no longer producing the same as it used to, the bee population is steadily declining, desertification is already affecting thousands of hectares in the south of the country.
RG: How is your relation with the European Greens?
ML: The September 2022 Congress was a turning point in the EGP’s relationship with the Greens in Romania. The Greens in Romania – the country with the sixth largest representation in the European Parliament, with 33 MEPs – are watching the development of the Romanian Greens very closely. Both myself and Co-President Lavinia Cosma participated as delegates at the last European Greens Congress in Vienna at the beginning of June. There we discussed with both the Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler and the Co-President of the European Greens – Thomas Waitz, the latter assuring us of all the support the EGP can offer to the Greens in Romania in 2024.
RG: How about the Romanian local and parliamentary elections from 2024? Are the Greens ready for these competitions?
ML: The next few years are crucial in humanity’s quest to combat and adapt to global warming. The European Union has made great strides in this direction, including through the Nature Restoration Law- adopted this year by the European Parliament at the initiative and with the support of the Greens. From our perspective, a populist victory in the June 2024 elections could jeopardise the European Union’s green transition – and we risk losing the financial opportunities that the Green Transition can bring.
RG: Talking about political management – what was your biggest challenge during your co-presidency of the Greens?
ML: The Green Party (Greens) is on the rise. New people are coming in, including many young people choosing to join the party. In the local elections we aim to be on the ballot paper in every county in the country. We hope to win at least 25 seats in county councils and we aim to increase our number of local councillors who are members of the Green Party from 120 to around 1,000. I’m not saying it’s an easy fight – but it’s certainly a fight we’re preparing for intensively, taking important steps every day. In relation to the parliamentary elections, the last poll in which the party was polled showed us at 2.7% – an encouraging figure that shows the upward trend the party is on. We aim to reach the 4-5% area by next spring.
RG: From your point of view, how difficult is to grow an organization today (including the horizontal networks) compared to the past? Of course, we are talking about the Romanian political landscape.
ML: It certainly isn’t easy. The constant disillusionment and lack of trust that Romanians have towards politics is extremely high. Passivity has taken the place of activism among many citizens. Yet we are managing to build trust networks and organisations all over the country. The fact that we receive more and more messages of encouragement and that about 14% of Romanians want a green party in Parliament is a good motor for us!
RG: Thank you, Marius!
ML: Thank you, Radu!
Marius Lazăr (54 years old) holds a PhD in Philosophy-Political Sciences from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, is a former Secretary of State in the Ministry of Labour and from 2022 is Co-President of the Partidul Verde (Green Party).