ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) in the European Parliament. It explores the evolution of the Greens in the EP since 1979. The chapter considers the cohesion of the group across time and issues. It analyses the factors behind the cohesiveness of the group and focuses on external and internal factors, including the group's characteristics and structure. Evolution of the Greens focuses on voting behaviours although acknowledging that the Greens in the EP are also largely involved in nonvoting activities such as political campaigns, coordination with the European Green Party (EGP) and national parties. Focusing on the 2009-2014 legislature, it examine to what extent the structural characteristics and organisation of the group help explaining the remarkably high level of cohesion of the Greens/EFA group. The literature on the EP highlights the role of the intragroup organisational structure in fostering cohesion. Political groups in the parliament display different degrees of institutionalisation.
