Opinion polls suggest the Greens party in Germany will be the big winner in European parliamentary elections, even surpassing the Social Democrats
ADVERTISEMENTAccording to public opinion polls, Germany's Greens party will be the big winner in European parliamentary elections. It is predicted that they will surpass the percentage of the Social Democrats, the second biggest party in the country. In the state of Baden Württemberg in south west Germany, the Greens party is expected to poll above 30% and the local government is a coalition of the Greens with the Christian Democrats. One of the reasons may be a shift by the Greens towards more business-friendly policies.
"The course is pragmatic and realistic. There was a difference between the idealists and the realists in the party. But there are no longer idealists in the Greens," said journalist Gernot Stegert.
On a national level, the Greens movement is relatively new, but the town of Tübingen in central Baden-Württemberg has been governed by the Greens for more than a decade.
In recent months, the local council has approved rules whereby all new buildings must have solar panels. There's even talk of a special tax on takeaway food to avoid the use of disposable packaging.
Overall, Greens politicians appear to be satisfied with their cooperation with the town's business community.
"We need supplies for what we call the New Green Agreement. We cannot do this alone. And of course business people know that you can't run a company without people," said the head of the Greens on the town council Christoph Joachim
"This used to be a stronghold for the Christian Democrats but it's turning greener and greener. If the Green party of Germany does well during the EU elections then it's going to be in no small part because of the votes here in the south west of the country," said Euronews correspondent Jona Kallgren.