Visions for Maastricht: “Between Idealism and Realism”, with Anne Lucas

Vote!

Are you a European citizen, and are you registered in the municipality of Maastricht? Then, good news! You can vote in the upcoming local elections on March 18th!

Our local coverage team invited candidates for interviews, and it aims to give keys to students to make their choice, without any editorial endorsement.

In this third episode, we explore the programme of GroenLinks with Anne Lucas.

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On this cold Friday afternoon, a warm drink at Paulus was highly appreciated. This is where we met Anne Lucas, in fourth position on the list of GroenLinks Maastricht. The livelihood of Brusselsestraat was an appropriate setting to discuss the party’s plans for student life, housing, and the local community. Here is what we talked about.

“If you feel that you’re part of Maastricht, then you’re part of Maastricht.”

Maastricht Diplomat (MD): Why have you decided to enter local politics, and GroenLinks (GL) specifically?

Anne Lucas (AL): I entered politics by accident. Before, I was engaged in several student associations, like Amnesty International Maastricht. This is how I eventually entered the political network. A councilor attended one of the protests we organized, encouraged me to join GroenLinks, and this is how I entered the party. I was close to their ideas, but it could have been another.

MD: You’re running for GL today. Why have you decided to stay?

AL: For me, it is one of the parties that is constantly on the border between idealism and realism. I like GL’s focus on social justice. For me, it is “less elitist” than traditional green parties (for example, in Germany).

MD: You are active locally, but why should people care about local politics? Aren’t the main decisions made in The Hague?

AL: The local community needs to build solid foundations for policies to be efficient. It is not by being a national politician in the ivory tower of the Hague that you understand daily realities. There is an urgent need to build contact with people. The effects are most strongly seen locally, because you actually see the people and their issues. When I was young, I thought that “either you get out of Maastricht as fast as possible, or you’re stuck for life”. Today, I love staying here, and I like being active for the people of Maastricht.

MD: How would you describe your experience in the City Council?

AL: Through the City Council, I get to know the city in all sorts of different ways and focus on sensitivity towards the social aspects. My favorite things about the job are constant human contact and reading policy papers, although this last thing might sound dull to many.

MD: Are there any challenges from the fact that you are a young woman in politics?

AL: Sometimes, I am still insecure about being the youngest in many meetings. Also, women are sometimes still not taken seriously, even though they can offer another perspective. Defiance is often very present, and there is a tendency for women to leave local politics more easily.

MD: At the national level, we often see a coalition between GL and Pvda (the Labour Party). Why are GL and PvdA still separate parties at the local level?

AL: We need to have a good balance of the left against the organization of right-wing parties.

Local politics are very “personality” driven. It means that you sometimes work more with the people you get along with best, regardless of the party they’re from. To answer your question, GL members voted to fuse, PVDA members voted against. Each of us has our reasons, but we all think that democracy within parties is very important.  

“They need to have the right to exist, without caring about surviving.”

MD: You are trying to reach out to voters of all backgrounds in Maastricht. For this, you mentioned the ‘sociale basis’ (EN: social basis). Which concrete measures will you take and have you taken to create this basis?

AL: The ‘sociale basis’ acts as a bridge between organizations supporting students, the elderly, and others. This link should be created in places like local community centers, neighborhood houses, or other places of expression. The idea of this ‘basis’ is that people can get support there, share community, and create culture. However, these initiatives need more framing and support to happen.

MD: Do some places already exist?

AL: Some spaces already exist in some neighborhoods. But they are sometimes not accessible to people with disabilities and can lack communication between the different entities, organizations, and communities. We want to make sure that they exist in every neighborhood, work properly, and can make the necessary outreach. They need to be turned into a larger network, where different institutions can share their knowledge. These spaces need to have the right to exist, without having to only care about surviving due to financial insecurity.

MD: Continuing with the basis, you propose ‘basisbanen’ (EN: ‘Basic jobs’). What exactly will those jobs entail?

AL: Many people with disabilities in Maastricht want to work, but do not find the support they need. Some people get stuck in a poverty trap, where when they earn more, they receive fewer subsidies, making their total income less than before. These jobs will allow people to earn enough money to live properly, for example, through art and community engagement.

MD: You want to make the city more affordable and propose ‘public terraces’. How do you see this working?

AL: As a student with your own food, you almost always have to pay to be able to experience community. We lack “third spaces” where people can meet without spending money, and the ones that exist are often not accessible to people with disabilities. We want to create accessible places for people to enjoy being outside without having to spend money in a cafe or sit in a park. This could take the form of benches with tables or spaces inside.

“Students are the future, and the future should be green and social.”

Now, it’s time for a little summary of the main figures of the Maastricht student population. There is over 23,000 students in Maastricht (according to UM, in 2024), and 61% of them (us) are international students with more than 130 nationalities represented. This makes Maastricht well above the share of international students in the Netherlands, which was around 15% in 2022, according to Statista.

Regarding the share around faculties, we see that some of them are far more international than others. According to the Observant, FASoS, FSE, and SBE all have around 80% of international students, while Law and Psychology are more balanced (around 50%).

MD: We know that there are many international students in Maastricht, as our newspaper team shows. What does GroenLinks propose to foster the feeling of community in the student population?

AL: Whilst everyone should be able to meet each other, in reality, there are geographical (different faculties) and language barriers. Students need more third spaces, especially as associations are sometimes nationality or language-based. We need to support initiatives that go over these barriers and make learning each other’s language easy.

MD: How does Groenlinks Maastricht want to keep young students, both Dutch and foreign, in the city after their graduation? Is this a priority for GL?

AL: This is a big priority for us, and it would also benefit the city that is growing older. We need to create an economic system that encourages students to stay by creating jobs and stability. Also, we need to create more cultural incentives, for example, in nightlife and culture. Strengthening the presence of subcultures and the variety in activities, such as sport or amateur art, would be a good start.

MD: What is GroenLinks' position on LBB? It is not explicitly mentioned in the manifesto.

AL: If we could, we would want to see the LBB stay. It is one of the only options in the city for counter-and subculture expression. We worry that if it disappears, we are not sure that something similar will settle. Anyone should be able to start their “own LBB”, their own cultural free space.

MD: Which concrete measures would that need?

AL: It needs three things. First, there needs to be a financial safety net in place so that they can do things they need to do, without being concerned about financial survival. Next, it needs a space to freely experiment, which would suit these communities. Lastly, we need to listen to the communities that want to create these spaces and ask what is bureaucratically needed to make it happen.

“A lefter world is positively green, and a greener world is positively left.” 

MD: GroenLinks wrote on their website about “New housing models, circular construction, addressing vacancy, regulating temporary rentals, and dispersing vulnerable households.” What do you mean by “new housing models”? And how do you plan to create more affordable student housing?

AL: There are still barriers to housing today, so we want to rethink pre-conceived ideas. We want to move away from traditional housing models like student housing or family houses. Following society changes, we want to create (for example) community housing, with individual and shared spaces, such as living rooms or kitchens. These are open to everyone, accessible, and offer a community. Housing needs to adapt to community needs, community should not adapt to available housing.

MD: You talk about enhanced cooperation with the Euregio. In which form do you want to make this happen?

AL: Public transport should be made easier and more affordable in the entire region, especially for students. We urgently need to increase connections at a reasonable price, because poverty and mobility do not exist only for students, but are a wider phenomenon. Hence, mobility measures should include students who struggle financially, instead of making separate measures just for students. Whilst the municipality should weigh in, the competencies often lie in the Province.

MD: Regarding the environmental question, what were the main achievements in the past four years?

AL: We have taken some decisions to reduce mowing and encourage pesticide-free areas in the city to strengthen the environment and natural cycles. Also, one big project is to promote green driving by offering more chargers for electric cars. There are already different models for low-emission zones, like bans on the most polluting vehicles to zero-emission zones for delivery traffic. This is in the works. Finally, we proposed to reuse the heat of industries for houses, which is beneficial for everyone. 

MD: Personally, what is your vision for a greener city?

AL: My priority, and that of GL, is a social green movement, where we encourage large initiatives towards a greener city. But this should be done in a way that considers social justice elements. Someone should not have to choose between a warm shower and a meal.  

“We want to rethink preconceived ideas of what is possible”.

MD: Many of your policies will cost the municipal taxpayer more. Where do you plan to save this money or increase the income of the municipality?

AL: To make changes, money is needed, and cities have delegated more competencies now from the national government (like youth care), but without making more money available, and sometimes even with less money. We also still need to make sure that local governments do what is expected of them, and lobby for a fairer money distribution. Whilst solutions still exist, such as the “dog tax” or “polluters pay” principle (where polluters compensate financially for their own pollution), it can be a challenge to make policies. This is one of the challenges we have to deal with, and our project is a constant balance between idealism and realism.

MD: Some of your policies regarding public transport and a green future will require some Maastrichtenaars to make sacrifices (less car use, investments in houses, or other inconveniences). How will you bring these citizens along with your plans?

AL: Our policies need to benefit people directly in their daily lives. When we work for the environment, we focus on how you will be able to pay your energy bill. We also need to balance the environment and accessibility. Environmental and social justice benefits everyone. An example is our automobile policy, where we need to take into account mobility issues to make the city still accessible for cars.

MD: In one sentence, why should (international) students vote for GroenLinks?

AL: Students should vote at all, even if it’s not for us. Students are the future, and the future should be green and social. If you want to join us, you are more than encouraged to do so!

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And with that, our late afternoon interview was complete. We had a nice time, and we hope this article series helps you think about the main issues of the campaign. Thank you, Anne Lucas, for your availability!