The Belgian Greens Ecolo have entered into a coalition government in the Belgium Wallonia regional government and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation with the Socialist Party (PS) and the liberal Reformist Movement (MR) after an agreement was made in the early hours on Friday morning after months of negotiations.
According to Ecolo’s co-president Jean-Marc Nollet “the agreement to form a government is ambitious in its scope to tackle both social and environmental concerns. It will allow us to take on climate destruction and put us on course to meeting the challenges laid out in the Paris climate agreement. Our aim is to put in place concrete measures such as insulating our homes, improving sustainable public transport, increasing renewable energy sources and greening our public space. We also pledge to boost investment in higher education and improve early education.”
During the weekend Ecolo elected its two new co-presidents.
Rajae Maouane and Jean-Marc Nollet were elected with 92% of the vote as the new co-presidents of the francophone party.
“It is crucial that we offer citizens a concrete, strong and positive plan of action to combat the immense social and environmental challenges facing us. We must take on the forces that seek to divide us and work together to heal society by offering a realistic and desirable future on a sustainable planet. We are thankful for the trust that people have placed in us as a governing force in Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and will do everything we can to put Green values at the heart of government by accelerating a just Green transition,” the two co-presidents commented after the vote.
“We congratulate the new co-presidents Rajae Maouane and Jean-Marc Nollet who received near unanimous support to lead the party as a competent, fast-growing and pro-European Green force at the heart of government. Their agenda will put Belgium on track to meeting climate objectives as outlined in the Paris agreement and serve as another example of a growing contingent of Green leadership in Europe,” said the co-chairs of the European Green Party Reinhard Bütikofer and Monica Frassoni.
