Swiss Greens back move to phase out fossil fuels

Green Party members met in Liestal, canton Basel, on Sunday. Keystone-SDA

Green Party members have backed a resolution calling for a clear roadmap to rapidly phase out fossil fuels in Switzerland.

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The resolution voted by party members who gathered in Liestal, canton Basel, on Sunday, also calls for a “socially just climate transition that is accessible to all and leaves no one behind”.

The party also decided to support a new mobility initiative launched by the environmental association umverkehR/actif-trafiC. This calls for the introduction of a tax on airline tickets to curb the growth of air traffic and promote more attractive rail alternatives.

Double ‘no’ on June 14

The party also adopted vote recommendations ahead of the nationwide federal vote on June 14. They rejected the “No to a 10-million Switzerland!” initiative, launched by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, arguing that it would isolate the country.

According to the Greens, the proposal to control immigration so that Switzerland has no more than ten million inhabitants by 2050 would marginalise the country during “an already tense geopolitical situation” and at a time when it needs reliable and stable relations with its European partners.

The Greens also rejected reforms to the civilian service. They argue that it is “an institution that is much more useful to Switzerland than the billions invested in the army”.

Léonore Porchet becomes vice-president

On Sunday, the party did not give vote recommendations for the Food Initiative. The text, presented by a citizens’ committee, calls for agricultural policy to be adapted to encourage the production and consumption of plant-based rather than animal food. The initiative is deemed “unrealistic” by its opponents.

During parliamentary debates, Green lawmakers had argued in vain for a “realistic” counter-proposal. The party now plans to act via the 2030+ agricultural policy.

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At the end of the meeting, Léonore Porchet, a parliamentarian from canton Vaud, was appointed a vice-president. She succeeds Nicolas Walder from Geneva, who was elected to the cantonal government.

Lisa Mazzone was re-elected as president and the other five vice-presidents – Sibel Arslan, Marionna Schlatter, Samantha Bourgoin, Michael Töngi and Magdalena Erni (co-president of the Young Greens) – were confirmed in their positions for two years.

Adapted from German by AI/sb

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