ÖDP federal party conference in Bingen: A push for the environment and justice!

ÖDP federal party conference in Bingen: A push for the environment and justice!

On October 18, 2025, the 65th federal party conference of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) took place in Bingen, where federal chairman Günther Brendle-Behnisch thrilled the delegates with a rousing speech. In his lecture, he emphasized the importance of the ÖDP in times of political renewal and made it clear that unity and self-confidence are essential. “We need a political push,” said Brendle-Behnisch, who received support from his deputy Kirsten Elisabeth Jäkel. Together they highlighted local political successes in places like Elmshorn and Bad Drieburg.

The ÖDP has established itself as an important backbone of the environmental and public welfare movement. Brendle-Behnisch pointed out that the party is increasingly being perceived as a force to be taken seriously. Their central concern is the protection of public goods such as water, coupled with the clear rejection of the exploitation of common goods. The ÖDP sees itself not only as a political party, but also as the political arm of social movements that are committed to sustainability and social justice.

Plans for the future

With a view to the upcoming federal election in 2025, the ÖDP is calling for a broad social alliance to focus on priorities such as resource protection, transparency and democracy. “We want to become more politically visible and bring sustainable solutions into the public discourse,” Brendle-Behnisch continued. The unity of the delegates was reflected in the widespread support for his speech - which was described as “encouraging and wise”.

One of the ÖDP's central strategies involves expanding networks with civil society actors. The party, which emerged from the ecology movement in 1981, pursues conservative political approaches and is active in all federal states, with Bavaria as its stronghold. Here the ÖDP has over 500 municipal mandates and around 7,000 members. If you look back at the 2021 federal election, the ÖDP had to accept a bitter disappointment with only 0.2% of the vote. But the party has great ambitions for the future.

Demands for the 2025 federal election

The ÖDP has defined some central goals for the coming election. This includes:

• Konsequenter Klimaschutz und die Verpflichtung zur Klimaneutralität
• Ein Ausbau des öffentlichen Nahverkehrs
• Einführung von Erziehungs- und Pflegegehältern zur Stärkung von Familien
• Mehr direkte Demokratie durch Volksentscheide auf allen Ebenen
• Transparenz in politischen Entscheidungsprozessen und ein Verbot von Parteispenden von Unternehmen

The positive response to the party conference shows that the ÖDP is resolutely sticking to its political agenda and firmly believes in the power of community and environmental protection. The NABU, in preparation for the federal election, has also drawn up a catalog of demands and evaluated the parties with regard to their programs, especially with regard to nature and climate protection nabu.de. Interestingly, the ÖDP is seen as a serious player in this context.

At a time when many people are looking for a political alternative, the ÖDP offers a path that combines both tradition and progress. The delegates showed that shared commitment to a better, more sustainable future counts.