Germany

The formation of a red-green coalition in Germany is a milestone in the history of the green movement. When the German Greens first entered the German Parliament in 1983, they were not the first party to make that step (the Swiss and Finnish greens had done so earlier), but it provided inspiration for the world-wide rise and spread of Green parties. Fifteen years later, again the German Greens were not the first to enter national government in Western Europe as Greens had been holding positions in central government in Finland, Italy and France. The German Greens’ entry into government could perhaps either provide the inspiration for green moves into government around the world or its failure in government could hamper the credibility of the Greens for years to come