As the European elections approach, the topic of environmentalism and the green idea will become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives. It is evident that green movements have a well-established role in the political systems of Western European countries, ranging from participation in government to being a vocal part of society that shapes the agenda. However, in the East, they are more of a political exotica, and we cannot expect any significant developments from them in the near future, despite the fertile ground for their growth. However, in Bulgaria, a country traditionally facing economic challenges in the EU, the Green Movement has demonstrated strong and systematic pragmatism. Despite receiving insufficient support to secure even 1% of the vote in parliamentary elections, the movement has successfully gained representation in both the legislature and executive. It remains to be seen how sustainable this model of green development will be.
Eastern Europe is not a bastion of the Green parties. While there are problems with ecological protection throughout the region, people are more interested in their economic well-being, which is often linked to the exploitation of fossil resources or their influence over other sectors of the economy, rather than intangible goals such as protecting the surrounding environment. This also applies to the political influence of Green parties, or more precisely the lack of it, who often struggle to recruit resources and establish themselves as institutional forces. In most Eastern European countries, with the exception of Latvia, green parties must join larger movements to gain real power, which often requires them to compromise on some of their values and ideas.
Bulgaria, like many other countries, is not an exception and also faces environmental problems. These issues stem from improper and sometimes uncontrolled disposal of industrial waste or old infrastructure, as well as the impact of actively developing industries in large cities on the air and water quality. Even recycling is still exotic. At the same time, sociological studies indicate that Bulgarians are not climate change deniers or so, but lack a deep understanding of the issue. Approximately 80% of Bulgarians consider climate change a serious problem, yet around 75% are not familiar with national or European policies in this area.
The lack of awareness is partially attributed to the slow development of the green movement in the country, which only began in the late 1980s within the framework of the dissident movement. The main focus of the movement was not only change and the defense of human rights, but also wider social change with attention to ecology, known as eco-humanism.The first mass protests against communist rule were distinguished as 'ecological'. This is a unique characteristic of the Bulgarian green movement in comparison to Western green movements. Traditionally, the Bulgarian green movement aligns with right-wing politics and places a strong emphasis on human rights. Notably, the Green Movement is the only Bulgarian party that officially supports equal rights for sexual minorities. However, despite their niche, they remain on the political fringe as a closed and, in many cases, divided society that is more concerned with solving local problems rather than national ones. This presents a major obstacle to the growth of the movement.
Their evolution from dissident through NGOs logically culminated in the formalization of the community through a political party. The Green Movement Party was founded in 2008 and became a full member of the European Green Party in 2013. We should say that this is not the only green party in the country, but it is the most successful one. Despite entering mainstream politics, their results were unsatisfactory, with their biggest success being only 0.75% in the parliamentary elections (with a 4% margin), equating to just over 26,000 votes. Two factors contribute to this issue: inadequate funding, which relies heavily on personal donations and member enthusiasm, and a lack of public awareness of the causes.
The "pragmatic breakthrough" came in the 2017 parliamentary elections, where the Green Movement formed a coalition with two other parties that focused on the so called 'urban right', which mainly consisted of the more cosmopolitan and liberal parts of Sofia and other major cities. However, they narrowly missed out on parliamentary representation. Their real success came in April 2021 when the same coalition, now named 'Democratic Bulgaria', won 9.31% of the vote and secured 27 MPs, including 4 from the Green Movement. Despite the country being in the midst of a series of elections, the Green Movement within the coalition has not only managed to solidify its participation in the legislature but has also significantly increased its funding from the state. Resource, which was previously unavailable to them.
The 2021 elections can be considered the most successful for the Greens. Despite having only two MPs, they have achieved their long-awaited goal of having their own Minister of Environment and Water after almost 30 years of democratic elections in Bulgaria. Furthermore, Borislav Sandov, co-founder and co-chair of the Green Movement, has been appointed not only as a minister but also as the country's deputy prime minister in charge of climate policy. This marks the first time that climate policy has been made a top priority by a Bulgarian government. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived as the ruling coalition fell apart after only six months.
The parliament managed to form a new regular government only after two new elections, in which the Green Movement, now part of an even larger right-liberal coalition, took second place and formed a national government with the conservatives. The Green Movement managed to secure four seats in the National Assembly and the Ministry of Tourism. During this administration, they appeared to have a weak potential to influence decisions not only within the large national coalition with the conservatives but also within their own union. Despite their success, the party faced new divisions at the national level and conflicts with the new Minister of Environment and Water, who is close to one of their other coalition partners.
Several conclusions can be drawn from the information provided. Firstly, it appears that the progressive views held by the Bulgarian Greens are not widely accepted by the general public, resulting in a weak electoral presence and hindering the implementation of their programme. Secondly, the frequent internal conflicts within the party have led to a loss of political and electoral capital, making it difficult for them to participate in power without forming larger coalitions. This may limit some of their ideas due to compliance with partners, but it opens up financial and political opportunities that were previously unavailable. This leads us to the third conclusion: it is not good ideas that win elections, but rather politicians and their decisions. Going to the people and explaining them why climate matters is not enough. Joining the larger right-liberal coalition could indeed bring a risk of the absorption of the party and their ideas by their partners. However, it lays the foundation for the further development of the green idea in Bulgaria and may possible serve as a model for other Eastern European green movements.
Image source: https://zelenodvizhenie.bg/partia/
Article by Stefan Stoyanov