Sara Matthieu (Greens) bids to lead European Greens on three priorities: heat protection, climate ambition and a lower energy bill

We want a European heatwave action plan, with cooling in hospitals and care homes, more trees in our cities, and protection against heat at work. Climate adaptation must become enforceable in every member state.

Brussels, 29 September 2026 - Belgian Green MEP Sara Matthieu is running to become co-president of the Greens/EFA group, the Green group in the European Parliament. "This summer we felt first-hand how unprotected we are against extreme heat. And because of our dependence on fossil energy, we're paying dearly at the pump, and every winter we hope for mild weather because gas prices are so high. I want to lead the European Greens so that people are better protected against heatwaves and can benefit from our own green energy as soon as possible", says Matthieu.

Three priorities for Matthieu

The co-president sets the group's political course and sits at the table with the Commission and the leaders of the other political groups to decide what goes on the European agenda. Together with the Christian democrats, liberals and socialists, the Greens form the pro-European majority in Parliament. Next Tuesday evening, 6 October, the 53 Green MEPs will vote on who will lead their group in the years ahead.
As a candidate, Matthieu puts forward three priorities: better protection against the next heatwaves, an ambitious climate policy, and a strong push for European independence.

Protection against heat

According to Matthieu, better protecting people against extreme heat is a matter of life and death: "This summer, the Hautes Fagnes saw the largest wildfire in our country's history, and people died from extreme heat across Europe", she says. "This must not become the new normal. We want a European heatwave action plan, with cooling in hospitals and care homes, more trees in our cities, and protection against heat at work. Climate adaptation must become enforceable in every member state."

Ambitious climate goals

For Matthieu, climate must return to the top of the agenda: "In mid-July I was with my family at a campsite in southern France, under the trees right by the beach. While my son was playing on the beach, we saw black smoke from the wildfires near Le Porge, right next to our campsite. A week later we drove through 10,000 hectares of scorched land. As Greens, we have the solutions, and we can still give the next generations a good future. But for that, climate needs to be back at the top of the European agenda, and that is what I will push for if I'm elected co-president."

Bringing down the energy bill

"My mother has a small pension, and the prices at the pump and the gas bill to heat her home are hitting her hard. Those prices are set by foreign leaders, and I want to be free of that as soon as possible. Europe depends too much on the US or the oil states for its energy and its security, and that makes us vulnerable to their whims and their wars. By helping people install solar panels or a heat pump, we take control of the price ourselves, and bills come down. We can pay for that by taxing the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies and finally ending fossil fuel subsidies", says Matthieu.

More Europe on the streets

To make those priorities a reality, Matthieu wants the group to operate more outside Parliament. "We need to be more visible on the streets, alongside the citizens who are already taking action today. As Greens, we offer the solutions for climate, for our health and for the jobs of tomorrow. Together with the European Greens, I want to win people over in the run-up to the 2029 elections."