The (''Federazione dei Verdi'', or just ''Verdi'') is the
Italian Green Party . Its leader is
Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio .
In the 2001 Parliamentary elections it formed a group called ''Il Girasole'' (Sunflower) with the
Socialisti Democratici Italiani . The combination, which in turn was part of the
Olive Tree coalition, gained 16 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
In the
2004 European Parliamentary Election the ''Verdi'' stood as a separate list, gaining 2.5% of the national vote and electing 2
MEPs .
In the run-up to the
2006 General Elections, the ''Verdi'' are integral part of the centre-left
L'Unione coalition under the leadership of
Romano Prodi .
The first official Italian Green political movements became electorally active at the 1985 local elections. Their symbol and political style was directly inspired by the Northern European environmentalist movements. The ''Liste Verdi'' then made their debut at the 1987 General Elections when they gained 2.6% of the votes. At the 1989 European Elections two were the competing Green parties: ''Verdi-Sole che Ride'' and the ''Verdi Arcobaleno'', close to the
Radical Party and featuring some Radical politicians (Alex Langer, Adelaide Aglietta and Francesco Rutelli, etc). In 1990-91 the two movements joined forces to form the ''Federazione dei Verdi''.
