In the European Ecology Congress Les Verts, Marine Tondelier in the process of synthesis
It was in the forest of Compiègne, in the Oise, that Marine Tondelier decided to spend part of his weekend, between the two rounds of congresses. Regional councilor and elected member of the opposition in Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais), a city in the hands of the National Rally, Marine Tondelier joined activists from the association Ava, Abolissons la Vénerie Today, to act against dog hunting An action planned for months with elected environmentalists from the Hauts-de-France region. “I’m a bit scared of animals running towards me so that was the mental challenge of the day,” entrusted the attendee for the first time of such a hunt. “We have always supported actions in the green field, this is our militant history,” he explained. “Hunting with dogs is the quintessence of the unnecessary. Banned in England where this tradition was born, banned in Belgium and Germany, why is France the last country where it is authorized? It is a practice that does not participate in the regulation of nature at all, it is a privilege for the privileged and it is a real subject.
But other challenges await Marine Tondelier, who must succeed Julien Bayou and be elected national secretary of Europe Ecologe-Les Verts at the federal congress on Saturday, December 10. Arriving early in the first round, the 11,000 members of the EELV voted 47% for his motion, called La Suite. But to govern, the Marine Tondelier must form alliances. 50% of the votes are needed to elect the national secretary and 60% to make decisions in the Federal Council. “Our idea in La Suite is to seek to federate around ecology in France and therefore it starts by coming together within the party. But that cannot be done at any price, it cannot be done at the expense of a clear line” he warned. In fact, during the first round, members also voted for thematic motions. They approved the refoundation of the party defended by Marine Tondelier, who also wanted to clarify the relationship with Nupes, the New Popular Ecological and Social Union. “La Nupes exists, but we have to cultivate our garden. This does not mean autarky or hegemony, but it means that we have to strengthen the ecological camp. and the ecologists have won, everyone needs to strengthen,“He is defensive. Marine Tondelier intends to lead a General States of Ecology for six months, from January 2023 and aims to bring together a million EELV sympathizers in 2027.
Reestablish, strengthen and expand EELV
To carry out the refoundation and enlargement together, the future national secretary can be helped by Sophie Bussière. Bayonne lawyer and EELV member for 10 years, Sophie Bussière came second in the first round. His “Green Spring” motion, supported by MEP Yannick Jadot, attracted 18% of members. But before any alliance, the candidate sets his conditions. “There should be no confusion. We need to know who we are and what we want to do in the next elections, starting with the European elections. Let’s define what we are about Europe, this will allow us to differentiate ourselves from other political parties.” emphasizes Sophie Bussière who fears that political ecology will dissolve within Nupes.
Nupes to invest or not
If the six candidates for congress share a good number of convergences, the divisions will appear when we approach the report on the New Popular Ecological and Social Union. Supported by the eco-feminist Sandrine Rousseau, the motion by Mélissa Camara, representing the left wing of the party, came third during the decentralized congress with 13.5% of the members’ votes. Elected to the town hall of Lille, Mélissa Camara wanted as well as her political family “Nupes cultivates a garden of political ecology and invests at the same time. Faced with the liberal steamroller and the danger of the far right, we consider that the future is at stake within Nupes. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to conduct a common front, common battles and common path towards collective emancipation and green society,” he insists. But his priority during this in-between round is first “to set a clear roadmap”, on the question of the ways in which training within the party and the party’s openness to civil society, from feminist movements to anti-racist movements and civil disobedience movements, call for future leadership “to support biodiversity” inside the party.
