A speech by Beniot Lechat

Benoit Lechat discusses the need to expand the social base of ecological politics in Europe, analyzing the 2014 European election results and the ideological barriers posed by neoliberalism and 'liberal productivism'.

• The 2014 European elections showed a stabilization of Green parties, with notable increases in Sweden and Austria, sharp declines in Belgium and France, and the emergence of political ecologists in Hungary and Croatia.
• The success of populist and far-right parties is attributed to the historical identification of the welfare state with the national state, which has hindered the European left's ability to influence European politics and move beyond a sovereignist framework.
• National Green parties often fail to advocate for a genuine common European energy policy because they struggle to integrate within the national-sovereign framework that still dominates the European left.
• Europe is dominated by 'liberal productivism', a combination of neoliberalism and productivism that views market self-regulation and the growth of productive forces as essential. This has led to a systemic crisis characterized by weakened redistribution and unsustainable lifestyles.

APA

Lechat, B. (2014). A speech by Beniot Lechat. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-speech-by-beniot-lechat/

Chicago

Lechat, Benoit. A speech by Beniot Lechat. Green European Journal, 2014. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-speech-by-beniot-lechat/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lechat |first1=Benoit |title=A speech by Beniot Lechat |publisher=Green European Journal |date=21 August 2014 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-speech-by-beniot-lechat/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lechat2014speech, author = {Lechat, Benoit}, title = {{A speech by Beniot Lechat}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-speech-by-beniot-lechat/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }