A genuine triumph. The municipal elections of 2020 in France, whose second round was held on Sunday 28 June, recorded an unprecedented success for ecologist candidates. They conquered major cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. But they also effectively won in Paris and Marseille, albeit indirectly.

Urban Cycling Institute 🚲  @fietsprofessor

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BREAKING: @Anne_Hidalgo is reelected as mayor of Paris.

Choosing humans over vehicles in designing streets and cities pays of politically.

So: who's next?

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In Paris, an agreement between the Greens and mayor Anne Hidalgo

The party Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (Eelv), which had already pulled off a remarkable result at the 2019 European elections – when it came third – will govern the French capital thanks to a formal agreement signed with mayor Anne Hidalgo. In the first round, she had obtained 29.3 per cent, while the ecologist candidate David Belliard had come close to 11 per cent.

The two therefore decided to join forces ahead of the second round, agreeing on a joint programme in which the environment and climate occupy a prominent position. In the second round, Hidalgo was elected with 48.7 per cent of the vote, surpassing conservative Rachida Dati, who stopped at 33.8, and the candidate of President Emmanuel Macron's La République en marche (Lrem) party, Agnès Buzyn, who did not exceed 13.3 per cent.

Lyon will be governed by Grégory Doucet. Greens also win in Bordeaux and Strasbourg

In Lyon, the new mayor will be Grégory Doucet of Eelv, who won the position with 50.8 per cent, defeating Yann Cucherat of Lrem. "We will prepare our city," the new Lyon mayor commented, "to face the consequences of climate change. Ecology is not the enemy of the economy: on the contrary, it is its greatest ally."

franceinfo ✓ @franceinfo

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#Municipales2020 : Lyon passe au vert. Grégory Doucet (EELV-PS-PCF-LFI) élu maire avec 52,4 % des voix, selon une estimation Ipsos-Sopra Steria pour Radio France, France Télévisions et les chaînes parlementaires.

francetvinfo.fr/elections/muni…

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Another major success for the French Greens came in Bordeaux, with Pierre Hurmic, who obtained more than 45 per cent of the vote. The ecologist candidate thus overcame an alliance between the right-wing outgoing mayor Nicolas Florian and the Macron-aligned Thomas Cazenave, in a city considered a conservative stronghold. Strasbourg, moreover, will be led by 39-year-old Jeanne Barseghian, also a member of Eelv, elected with 42.5 per cent of the vote.

Eric Piolle confirmed in Grenoble, more complex situation in Marseille

Likewise, in Marseille an ecologist came out on top. This is Michèle Rubirola, who ousted the right after 25 years, backed by a coalition of socialists, communists, Eelv and the radical left party La France Insoumise (Lfi). However, in the port city the situation appears more complex, as Rubirola cannot count on an absolute majority on the city council.

Éric Piolle ✓ @EricPiolle

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Green mayors were also elected in Tours (Emmanuel Denis), Poitiers (Léonore Mondcond'huy) and Besançon (Anne Vignot). Finally, Eric Piolle was confirmed at the helm of Grenoble. Before this year's municipal elections, he was the only Green mayor of a major French city. In 2014, he obtained 29.4 per cent in the first round: after six years in office, his support has grown to 46.6 per cent. In the second round, moreover, the votes rose to 53 per cent (compared to 40 per cent in 2014).

Rossella Muroni: political ecology has a great opportunity in Italy

Now the Greens in France are setting their sights on the 2022 presidential elections. In Italy, meanwhile, the situation looks less rosy for political ecology. According to Rossella Muroni, MP and former president of Legambiente, "although work is under way here too, the problem is that people keep thinking about the containers rather than the challenges posed by local communities. In Italy too we have an extraordinary opportunity, in 2021, to face the forthcoming local elections with a networked proposal, built on urban policies in the name of sustainability, and social policies that tackle the issue of the suburbs. Climate policies that bring our urban centres into Europe. Only in this way will we be able to use the recovery fund to transform our cities and the lives of millions of citizens in a sustainable direction. Holding the environment and the social together, enhancing the role of women who are winning in many European cities by governing well and embodying genuine change." There is a year in which not to be caught unprepared in the face of the opportunity of