From wave to washout? Greens face tough time at EU vote
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00:00Across Europe, voters prioritised economic and migration policies over the planet,
00:05as Green parties were the biggest losers of this year's European parliamentary elections.
00:10After their best ever results in 2019, the Greens are now left with 53 seats, down from 72.
00:17I find it disappointing that the Greens perform so poorly. They're the only party that actually
00:21does something sensible, but they are being boycotted and sabotaged over again by citizens,
00:26because everyone wants to protect the environment, but not at their own expense.
00:30Traditionally a Green stronghold, the party's vote share nearly halved in Germany. In France,
00:35the main Green party, EELV, won just 5% of the vote.
00:39Yet not all was lost for the Greens. In Netherlands, the alliance of Greens and
00:44socialist leaders came out on top, while the Swedish Greens secured 13.6% of the vote.
00:50But analysts say that security and economic troubles drown out environmental concerns for voters.
00:57Like in Germany, or like in Italy, young people have moved from concern for the survival of the
01:05planet, Greta Thunberg, the Green, to concern for the identity of their country.
01:14As the Green faction loses momentum, the European Green Deal, a package of cross-party
01:19environmental policies, may also be up for debate. With policies for reducing greenhouse
01:24gas emissions and increasing renewables, the deal has already faced challenges in recent months
01:30by the centre-right European People's Party. A party now in the majority.