Statement on the Use of the Name and Symbols of the German Greens by a Political Party in Serbia
We as BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN want to state that our party is not formally nor legally connected to the Serbian party of the same name, nor is there any sort of cooperation that would allow the transfer of the German Greens symbols or political credibility to this party. The Serbian party Savez 90/Zelenih Srbije is not a member party of the European Green Party and no such efforts are currently being undertaken by either side.
The German Green party is known under the name BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN, which translates to Alliance90/The Greens. The party has an easily recognizable logo – a specific design of a yellow sunflower. It has been pointed out to us that there is a political party in Serbia that has registered itself under a comparable name, using the name Savez 90/Zelenih Srbije (i.e. Alliance 90/Greens), and using the exact same logo that we have registered as a trademark.
Therefore, we as BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN want to state that our party is not formally nor legally connected to the Serbian party of the same name, nor is there any sort of cooperation that would allow the transfer of the German Greens symbols or political credibility to this party. The Serbian party Savez 90/Zelenih Srbije is not a member party of the European Green Party and no such efforts are currently being undertaken by either side.
As BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN we support civil society stakeholders and political actors who stand for the Green agenda and our common values, which include the rule of law, human and LGBTIQ rights, feminism, and a truly European and transnational agenda amongst others.
We are proud members of the European Green party and within this framework we support and cooperate with Green partners across Europe, including in Serbia. The Heinrich Böll Foundation, a foundation affiliated to our party, also has an office in Belgrade and supports civil society and the green agenda in Serbia and the region through their work.
The origin of the name BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN, however, and the logo are specific parts of our identity as a party and we disagree with their use by unassociated political actors.
To be clear, our official name can be traced back to the origins of our party. In 1980, the party Die Grünen was founded in West Germany. Bündnis 90 was an alliance of citizens' movements and opposition groups in the GDR in East Germany and was transformed into a political party in September 1991. BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN signed an association agreement in November 1992. At an extraordinary federal assembly in January 1993, the association agreement between Die Grünen from West Germany and Bündnis 90 from East Germany was adopted with a few amendments and the two parties united to form BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN.
Regarding the sunflower logo: whereas a sunflower in general is the typical logo of Green parties across Europe and the globe, the specific sunflower used by BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN is distinctive. The latest design of the new party logo was developed in 2016. The sunflower design is protected as a trademark with DPMA under the following number: 302016209260.