The Greens in the European Parliament elected Teri Rynteke and Nico Stefanuta as their new leadership team on Tuesday and promised to work energetically and focused on their campaign to revive the influence of this political group, which has declined since its peak in 2019.
Experience and Innovation in Green Leadership
Teri Rynteke was re-elected as co-chair, and Stefanuta, a Member of the European Parliament from Romania, won the second position over Sara Matthieu from Belgium and Isabel Laven from Sweden. Rynteke described this result as a mission for "two and a half very energetic years" and stated that the two will focus "very much on campaigning" in areas of climate protection, social justice, democracy, and the rule of law.
However, he also emphasized that innovation will not mean a fundamental change in political policy. Rynteke said, "We clearly have new leadership, but we will also continue our policy in this assembly to achieve everything we can in the next two and a half years."
Expanding the Scope of Green Activities
Stefanuta described the new leadership as an effort to expand the appeal of the Greens beyond traditional environmental agendas, mentioning younger people and economic concerns such as the cost of living. He stated that the group has decided to "invest in dynamism" and leadership that addresses concerns like "the reality of very high living costs" and issues with energy prices and economic stability.
This approach is a balanced act: providing a sense of innovation ahead of the European elections in 2029 without abandoning a strategy that has been maintained for years. Rynteke has led the Greens/EFA group since 2022, and Stefanuta has quickly advanced in its ranks since March 2023. Nine months later, he was elected as one of the vice-presidents of this group and appointed as Vice President of the European Parliament in July 2024.
Stefanuta's election brings a different geographical representation to the leadership, a topic Rynteke mentioned after the voting. He said that Stefanuta's election reflects a desire for greater regional representation and will bring "a broader perspective of the different realities in Europe."
One of the leadership positions became available with the resignation of Bas Eickhout from co-chairing and representing the European Parliament in May. Eickhout announced at that time that his relationships were unsuitable for his role and took responsibility for it. This resignation removed one of the prominent politicians from the group and initiated an unusual and open competition for his succession.
The two new co-chairs now have the task of restoring some of the political weight that the Greens had after the 2019 European elections, when the group returned 74 Members of the European Parliament and became the fourth largest force in Parliament. Today, the Greens/EFA has 53 representatives and ranks sixth.
Rynteke suggested that rebuilding these numbers could even begin before voters return to the polls. He stated that the group has a "growth strategy" and wants to attract new representatives, and discussions about the possibility of expansion are expected in the coming months.
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