Silvia Nossek, the chairperson of one of Vienna's districts, talks about the Green approach to local politics and about countryside versus city.

Alexander Van der Bellen's election as president was a boost for Austrian Greens, but many challenges lie ahead.

The Green Observatory provides a round-up of perspectives on a current political issue from the Green European Journal’s partners around Europe. This edition focuses its lens on the so-called ‘refugee crisis’: how is this crisis perceived and does the perception at all correlate to facts? Are the new EU proposals responding to the situation and are EU member states willing to shoulder each other?

Victory seems to be in sight for the movement against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The recent Austrian elections show there is a lot of discontent with the governing parties and their management of the crises of recent years; in particular the migration crisis, which is an obvious boost for the far right. Nevertheless, to really understand what is happening, one has to consider not only the past and the present, but especially the future.

The Green Observatory provides a round-up of perspectives on a current political issue from the Green European Journal’s partners around Europe. This first edition focuses its lens on Brexit: how is the referendum on UK membership being discussed in different countries? And what could be the potential consequences on the ground in the case of a vote to leave the EU?

Although Greens in Austria have made considerable electoral breakthroughs, the recent municipal elections in Vienna showed that a considerable portion of this support is liable to abandon Greens when circumstances change and the discourse becomes more polarised. If Greens are to cement their place in the political landscape, they need to consolidate this support base and expand it in a way that is sustainable.

A referendum to pedestrianise a street in Vienna, though successful, forced to Greens to examine their narrative for creating a greener city. How do they build support among those who are still suspicious of what a green transformation can offer?