BELGIAN FRANCOPHONE GREEN PARTY GEARS UP TO FORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000792 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON SENV BE SUBJECT: BELGIAN FRANCOPHONE GREEN PARTY GEARS UP TO FORM POST ELECTION COALITION REF: BRUSSELS 659 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Wayne Bush, reason 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a May 28 meeting with the Charge d'Affaires, Belgian francophone green party Ecolo co-president, Jean-Michel Javaux, struck a warm and appreciative tone as he spoke of his relationship with the United States. He identified the election of President Obama and his more environmentally friendly policies as a factor in Ecolo's increasing popularity. A former exchange student at a New York high school, Javaux said he gained confidence and increased his interest in politics during his stay. He identified Ecolo as the largest green party in Europe. It has a surprising number of key supporters among wealthy industrialist families in Belgium, he said. Javaux said he sees improving insulation of Belgian homes and more public transport as both energy-saving imperatives and ways to create jobs to support the Walloon and Brussels economies. Recognizing that Ecolo will have a decisive role in the formation of the coalitions that will rule Wallonia and Brussels after the June 7 regional elections, he did not rule out joining a coalition with either of the major parties, Socialists and Liberals, but did seem to lean toward the liberal Mouvement Reformateur (MR). Javaux spoke sympathetically of Belgium's military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and said that the town of Amay, where he is mayor, has a large number of military families because of the presence of a major Belgian base. He said he has no strong opposition to resettlement of Guantanamo detainees in Belgium. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Javaux spoke to Charge warmly of his experiences as a Rotary Club exchange student in an upstate New York high school: "my most beautiful year," he called it. He said he remains in contact with his host families to this day. When he arrived in the United States, he said, he spoke little English. (Note: Javaux's English is now excellent.) Although he was rather shy at the beginning, he said, during his stay he gained confidence and learned to speak in public. He said that he appreciated the multicultural society in the United States and the fight against prejudice. Many Ecolo members see the United States as an enemy he said. He therefore as co-president has talked about the diversity of the United States and the important place of schools in American communities. He has tried to modify the party's international policy accordingly. Javaux mentioned that he has three small children and has promised his wife that while they are young he will balance his home live and party activism. His experiences have given him an interest in diplomacy and he said he would like to become active in international affairs some day. ¶3. (C) Ecolo used to be a very small party, Javaux said, but it is now polling 20-25 percent in Wallonia and 40 percent in the small town of Amay (near Liege),where he is the mayor. He said that the party is gaining 25-30 members per day. Belgium's Ecolo is probably the largest national green party in the world, he thought. (Note: We assume Javaux means measured by the percent of Belgian francophone voters who are expected to cast votes for it, rather than absolute numbers of adherents.) The party tries to rise above the traditional political spectrum of Christian, Socialist and Liberal, drawing adherents from all those philosophies and cutting across class boundaries. On a scale of zero to ten, left to right, Ecolo supporters range from three to eight, Javaux said. He said that some of the party's most important militants come from wealthier families who control large companies in Belgium, including RTL (a television station) and Umicore (a chemicals and metallurgy company) -- though he asked Charge not to publicize that fact. The party brings new answers to new and old problems, Javaux said. For example, he said, the population is aging. Where other parties focus on pensions, Ecolo talks about access to public services and seniors' ability to stay in their own homes. ¶4. (C) Asked why Ecolo has been so successful of late, Javaux said that the election of President Obama in the United States has been important. The election legitimized discussion of climate change, energy issues and use of resources. While the Socialists and Liberals focus on short term issues of property and social welfare, he said, voters are beginning to realize that environmental issues are not a problem with a horizon of 100 years but rather 25-50 years. President Obama's election shows that the American people are getting prepared, along with major corporations and local governments, for a new economic war against climate change. The President's saying that five million jobs can be created in green industries has helped. BRUSSELS 00000792 002 OF 003 ¶5. (C) Javaux said that as co-president, he has tried to be a breaker of taboos. He and his party talk to major industries that did not want to talk before, such as Electrabel, the Belgian utility. The party can talk about nuclear power without being perceived as "the Taliban", he said, using a term often applied to the more radical Ecolo activists. One of its main policies in power will be to add a new pillar of energy conservation to Wallonia's "Marshall Plan." The party wants to involve manufacturers, labor unions and public services providers in a big plan to upgrade insulation in homes that Javaux believes will create lots of jobs. He also promotes creation of new public transport in areas outside the major cities. He wants local governments to manage infrastructure projects such as paving roads to give opportunities to local businesses in the shortest possible time. A regional plan might take 4-5 years to implement, he said. He added that Ecolo needs a 15 to 25 percent vote total to push its plans for public expenditure reform through. He contended that public services in Wallonia are very politicized under the Socialists, with too many levels in an old-fashioned structure. Ecolo wants to de-emphasize the provinces, which have lost their significance as intermediaries between the federal government and the communes with the creation of the regions. ¶6. (C) Ecolo has progressive views but wants to be independent of the Socialists and the Mouvement Reformateur (MR). They can work with those parties however, and are in coalitions with MR at the local level in several towns, including Amay, his home, and with the Socialists in others. After the election on June 7, Ecolo will take a hard look at its potential coalition partners to determine which can adapt to the Green's priorities, Javaux said. He expects that the three traditional parties will try to continue the existing coalition at the federal level after the elections because they do not want to cause a governmental crisis at the same time as they and the government have to deal with the serious financial and economic crises. ¶7. (C) Charge noted the difficult tradeoff between phasing out nuclear power generation, as has been mandated in Belgium, and reduction of CO2 emissions that may cause global warming. Javaux admitted this was a difficult question for Ecolo. He expressed hope for the future development of fusion power, and disappointment that too much of Belgium's budget for scientific research is spent on fusion. He said the government needs to provide more support for development of biomass and other renewable energy sources. He believes it is possible to continue reducing CO2 emissions without resorting to new nuclear power plants. Moreover, he said, nuclear power is expensive and needs large space to build. However, he thinks that it will be necessary to delay closure of existing nuclear power plants for five to ten years beyond the currently mandated 2025 date, to give time to develop other energy sources. Belgium is low on energy efficiency, he said. By 2015, he expects that 20-30 percent of Belgium's electricity will be generated by windmills, many of them offshore and interconnected with wind farms in the Netherlands and Great Britain. Difficulties will arise in the 2020-2025 time frame, he predicted, and Belgium will be importing electricity from France, Austria and elsewhere in Europe. Fusion produced energy is coming in 80-90 years, he said, but there will be a gap in production in 50-80 years. ¶8. (C) Charge asked Javaux his opinion of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, noting that it is important that Belgians understand the connection between military operations and civilian development assistance on the one hand and Belgian security on the other. Javaux admitted that Ecolo party members are often critical of the military operations in Afghanistan. He said that Amay, his hometown, is host to a military base where 300 of the more than 500 Belgian troops in Afghanistan are based, and the military is the biggest employer in the area. He has good relations with the military leadership there. He observed that the fight against terrorism is difficult in Belgium because of its mixed population, and said that some try to import conflict and are suspicious of any United States initiative. Moreover, as immigrants become voters policy is increasingly constrained. Javaux said that he understands the need to prevent conflicts and rebuild in Afghanistan. However, he said, the government has sent soldiers and money without a significant public debate. Javaux said it is key to work with NATO and the UN to achieve the right policies in Iraq, Lebanon and North Africa as well. He undertook to do more to get the public to consider the linkage between Afghanistan and Belgian security. ¶9. (C) Charge explained the USG's desire to close the BRUSSELS 00000792 003 OF 003 Guantanamo prison and its efforts to find European countries like Belgium where some of them can settle. Javaux said he sees no big obstacles to hat. ¶10. (C) Javaux concluded by commenting that the United States playsa major role in the world. He and many other Belgians support Obama's model of America, he said. With regard to climate change, he said that Europe should ignore small problems if Obama comes to Copenhagen and by his participation takes a long view of the problem. Obaa's leadership will be appreciated by the European Greens, he said. ¶11. (C) Comment: Personable and energetic, Javaux steers a careful course between the traditional parties. With his American experience and experience governing at the local level with the Mouvement Reformateur, it is possible the Greens in Wallonia may surprise many with reformist efforts that are not necessarily left of center. BUSH .