Dutch politician Jesse Klaver has been included by the American weekly magazine Time on the list of the hundred most important talents of the future. The youthful parliamentary leader of GroenLinks is the only Dutch person featured on the Time 100 Next list. According to the American magazine, the European Union is experiencing a green wave and Jesse Klaver is a key driving force behind this wave.
According to Time, Klaver is part of a group of young political leaders worldwide who are pushing back against the far-right populist and nationalist trend by tapping into new political activism and offering a radical vision for the future.
During his four-year term as leader of GroenLinks, Klaver has nearly quadrupled his party's representation in the Dutch parliament. A clear connection is also made with the National Climate Law developed by GroenLinks and Klaver. According to Time, Klaver has contributed to the establishment of a historic law that aims to virtually eliminate Dutch CO2 emissions by mid-century.
Promotion
The support for GroenLinks has grown by about a quarter since the 2017 Dutch parliamentary elections. In the following European Parliament elections on May 23, the Greens in many other EU countries also achieved remarkable gains. In Germany, the Greens are according to polls the country’s second largest party. In an increasing number of EU countries, the Greens are now part of governing coalitions.
Thanks in part to the Greens' efforts in the European Parliament, the election campaign earlier this year was almost entirely focused on climate, global warming, sustainability, and environmental protection. Striking students and the Norwegian Greta Thunberg were invited to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and youth turnout in these European elections was higher than ever before in May.
The Greens in the European Parliament have, over recent years, built a strong and expert environmental profile, partly due to efforts by Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout. He exposed cheating by the European car industry with their diesel equipment and led various investigations and negotiations on reducing air pollution.
Partly because of this 'green outcome' of the elections, candidate Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explicitly named her five-year program the 'Green Deal.' In the coming months, this is expected to lead to billions in budget shifts within the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, led by Dutch European Commissioner Frans Timmermans. Von der Leyen has granted Timmermans many extra powers to also address environmental issues within the portfolios of other EU commissioners.