The Green European Foundation is political foundation at European level

Political foundation at European level

A European political foundation, formally a political foundation at European level, informally a Eurofoundation, is a research and advocacy organization close to, but independent from a Europarty. They are funded by the European Parliament...

 funded by the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

. It is linked to, but independent of, other European Green actors such as the European Green Party

European Green Party

The European Green Party is the Green political party at European level. As such it is a federation of green parties in Europe.-History:...

 and the Green Group in the European Parliament.

Mission

The Green European Foundation (GEF) was founded in 2008. Modelled on many successful national green political foundations, the mission of GEF is to encourage European citizens to participate in European political discussions and to ultimately forge a stronger, more participative European democracy.
The Green European Foundation organises debates, conducts researches and publishes various documents concerning green politics

Green politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...

. Though its main office is based in Brussels, it aims to reach out to people across Europe and in 2010 organised events in 19 cities in 14 countries

Structure

Three stakeholders are at the heart of the Green European Foundation:

• the European Green Party;
• the Green Group in the European Parliament;
• national Green political foundations around Europe;

These stakeholders are represented in GEF's General Assembly, which meets on a biannual basis and which has the responsibility of electing the foundation's board. As of September 2011, the following national foundations are represented in the General Assembly :

• Alexander Langer Foundation which deals with peace and cultural exchange.
• Cogito Foundation constituting a Green Think Tank. It advances sustainable development
  Sustainable development
  Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
  
   and worldwide solidarity.
• Etopia looking for solutions of contemporary economical and ecological problems.
• Green Economics Institute concentration on economics from ecological perspective.
• Gruene Bildungswwerkstatt organizing workshops and discussions referring to civil society
  Civil society
  Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
  
   and political issues.
• Heinrich Böll Foundation
  Heinrich Böll Foundation
  The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German, legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with the German Green Party, it was originally founded in 1987 and rebuilt in 1997...
  
   being extremely active in the domains of democracy
  Democracy
  Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
  
  , ecology
  Ecology
  Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
  
   and gender equality
  Gender equality
  Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
  
  .
• Nous Horitzons involved in publishing, researching and holding discussions.
• Oikos interested in interdependency of ecology and social matters.
• Stichting Wetenschappelijk Bureau, GroenLinks active as a Think Tank
  Think tank
  A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
  
   for the Dutch green party.
• ViSiLi helping various nongovernmental organizations.
• Gréng Steftung, a Luxembourg
  Luxembourg
  Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
  
   based foundation which focuses on Green issues facing Luxembourg and the general region.

Directors

Its current directors (as of September 6th, 2011) are :

• Juan Behrend (European Green Party)
• Anne de Boer (Stichting Wetenschapelijk Bureau Groenlinks, Netherlands)
• Monica Frassoni (European Green Party)
• Ralf Fücks (Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Germany)
• Daniela Graf (Grüne Bildungswerkstatt, Austria)
• Heidi Hautala
  Heidi Hautala
  -External links:* * *...
  
   (ViSiLi, Finland)
• Pierre Jonckheer (Green Group in the European Parliament)

External links

• Green European Foundation
• Green Institute - Polish green political foundation Green Institute
  Green Institute Foundation
  The Green Institute is a think-and-do tank established in Bydgoszcz in 2009 by Beata Maciejewska, Dariusz Szwed and Karol Zamojski with its registered office in Warsaw. The Green Institute is aimed at implementation of the green political and social thought and promotion of work delivered by the...