Rainbow Group (1984–1989)

The Rainbow Group, officially the Rainbow Group: Federation of the Green Alternative European Links, Agalev-Ecolo, the Danish People's Movement against Membership of the European Community, and the European Free Alliance, in the European Parliament was a green and regionalist political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1984 and 1989.

Rainbow Group (1984–1989)
European Parliament group
Name	Rainbow Group (1984–1989)
English abbr.	RBW[1]
French abbr.	ARC[2]
Formal name	Rainbow Group: Federation of the Green Alternative European Links, Agalev-Ecolo, the Danish People's Movement against Membership of the European Community, and the European Free Alliance, in the European Parliament[3][4]
Ideology	Green politics, Regionalism
Associated organisations	Green Alternative European Link European Free Alliance
From	24 July 1984[3]
To	1989[2][5]
Preceded by	Technical Group of Independents
Succeeded by	Rainbow Group
Chaired by	Else Hammerich[4] Jaak Vandemeulebroucke[3] Bram van der Lek Paul Staes
MEP(s)	20 (24 July 1984)

History

The Rainbow Group^[5] was formed in 1984^[2] as a coalition of Greens, Regionalists and other parties of the left unaffiliated with any of the international organizations.

The German Greens and the Dutch Green Progressive Alliance were used a principle of rotation used by the Germany and Dutch parties, requiring its MEPs to sit for half their five-year term.

In 1989^[2][5] the Rainbow Group split. The green parties formed the Green Group, whilst the regionalist parties stayed a continuing Rainbow group, with the shorter official name of the Rainbow Group in the European Parliament.

Member parties

Country	Party	MEPs	Notes
Germany	The Greens	7	MEPs served for 2.5 years (half of a regular 5-year term)
Netherlands	Political Party of Radicals	1	Member of an electoral alliance and common delegation with PSP and CPN. MEP served between 1984 and 1987
Netherlands	Pacifist Socialist Party	1	Member of an electoral alliance and common delegation with PPR and CPN
Netherlands	Communist Party of the Netherlands	1	Member of an electoral alliance and common delegation with PSP and PPR. MEP served between 1987 and 1989
Belgium	Agalev	1	Common delegation with Ecolo
Belgium	Ecolo	1	Common delegation with Agalev
Belgium	People's Union	2	Member of the European Free Alliance
Denmark	People's Movement against the European Community	4
Italy	Proletarian Unity Party	1	Member of electoral alliance with Proletarian Democracy
Italy	Proletarian Democracy	1	Member of electoral alliance with Proletarian Unity Party
Italy	Sardinian Action Party	1	Member of the European Free Alliance

Nomenclature

The formal name of the 1984–1989 Rainbow was "Rainbow Group: Federation of the Green Alternative European Links, Agalev-Ecolo, the Danish People's Movement against Membership of the European Community, and the European Free Alliance, in the European Parliament".^[3][4] This is the longest name of any European Parliament Group to date.