Greens grow up
The arrival in power of growing numbers of green parties is as much cause for soul-searching as for celebration
THE double doors to the minister's office are flung jauntily open. Young men in black jeans, their shirt-sleeves rolled up, huddle excitedly in corners. The potted plants look freshly watered. Laughter echoes from a next-door room. This, the latest European government office to be occupied by a green party, belongs to Isabelle Durant, one of two green ministers in the new Belgian government—and the first ever in that country. But behind the greens' breezy informality lie some uncomfortable questions about the transition from pressure-group politics to participation in grown-up government.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Greens grow up”
From the August 7th 1999 edition
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The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
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Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
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