Belgium and its Green Parties at the Crossroads

Following the May 26 2019 elections, Belgium's Green parties saw divergent results: Ecolo grew in Wallonia and Brussels, while Groen's performance in Flanders was viewed as disappointing. The author attributes some of this to 'climate reassurers'—right-wing parties like NVA and Vlaams Belang that downplay the urgency of climate action to maintain neoliberal economic models. The document explores two future strategies for the Greens: focusing on local governance in cities to demonstrate success or joining federal and regional governments despite the risk of compromising their radical climate agenda.

• The 2019 election results for Belgium's Green parties varied by region: Ecolo saw a 6 per cent increase in Wallonia, reaching 14.9 per cent in the Chamber, while Groen received 9.8 per cent of Flemish votes for the federal Chamber, which was below its polling of 15 per cent.
• In Brussels, the combined Ecolo-Groen force became the largest party in the federal elections with 21.6 per cent of the vote, making them likely participants in the next Brussels Regional Government.
• Groen's disappointing results in Flanders are attributed to a lack of clarity regarding proposals to reform the company car system and tax wealth, as well as NVA's framing of the party as power-hungry.
• Right-wing parties in Flanders, specifically NVA and Vlaams Belang, utilized 'climate reassurance' or 'ecorealism' to attract voters. This strategy involves implicitly denying scientific evidence and arguing that Belgium's small contribution to global emissions makes strict national measures ineffective.
• The author identifies two potential strategic paths for the Belgian Greens: remaining in opposition at the federal and regional levels to focus on successful local governance in cities, or joining governments to influence climate policy at the risk of maintaining a productivist system.

APA

Barbé, L. (2019). Belgium and its Green Parties at the Crossroads. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/belgium-and-its-green-parties-at-the-crossroads/

Chicago

Barbé, Luc. Belgium and its Green Parties at the Crossroads. Green European Journal, 2019. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/belgium-and-its-green-parties-at-the-crossroads/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barbé |first1=Luc |title=Belgium and its Green Parties at the Crossroads |publisher=Green European Journal |date=2 July 2019 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/belgium-and-its-green-parties-at-the-crossroads/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barb2019belgium, author = {Barbé, Luc}, title = {{Belgium and its Green Parties at the Crossroads}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/belgium-and-its-green-parties-at-the-crossroads/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }