{{Short description|Austrian climate activist (born 2001)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Lena Schilling | honorific_suffix = MEP | image = Lena Schilling MEP (2024).jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2024 | office = Member of the European Parliament | term_start = 16 July 2024 | term_end = | constituency1 = Austria | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|01|08|df=y}} | birth_place = Vienna, Austria | death_date = | death_place = | party = {{flag|Austria}}:<br />The Greens – The Green Alternative<br />{{flag|EU}}:<br />European Green Party | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | website = }}
'''Lena Schilling''' (born 8 January 2001) is an Austrian climate activist<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bischofberger |first=Conny |date=2022-02-06 |title=Rettet man so das Weltklima, Frau Schilling? |url=https://www.krone.at/2620945 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Kronen Zeitung |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Amalthea - Radikale Wende |url=https://amalthea.at/produkt/radikale-wende/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |language=de-DE}}</ref> and politician. She was the Austrian Green Party's top candidate for the 2024 European Parliament elections<ref>{{Cite web |last=red |first=ORF at |date=2024-01-22 |title=EU-Wahl: Lena Schilling wird grüne Spitzenkandidatin |url=https://orf.at/stories/3346401/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> and has been a Member of the European Parliament from Austria since 16 July 2024.
== Life == Schilling was educated at {{ill|lt=HBLA Herbststrasse|KunstModeDesign Herbststrasse|de}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hofer |first=Sebastian |date=2022-06-18 |title=Wie stellt sich Aktivistin Lena Schilling die Welt vor? |trans-title=How does activist Lena Schilling imagine the world? |url=https://www.profil.at/gesellschaft/wie-stellt-sich-aktivistin-lena-schilling-die-welt-vor/402045901 |access-date=2025-07-28 |work=Profil |language=de}}</ref> She studies political science at the University of Vienna. She was a climate activist in the Fridays for Future movement. In 2019, she appeared at the Austrian Association of Municipalities conference, alongside the president and the chancellor of Austria, as well as the president of the National Council.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gemeinden sind die Konstante in der Republik |url=https://kommunal.at/gemeinden-sind-die-konstante-der-republik |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=KOMMUNAL.AT |language=de}}</ref> She founded the organisation ''Jugendrat'' ("youth council"),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-03-09 |title=Women in Protest: Wer ist Lena Schilling? |url=https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3012695/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=fm4.ORF.at |language=de}}</ref> which occupied the Vienna Lobautunnel construction site in protest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jugendrat droht: Wird Lobau-Tunnel gebaut, machen wir zweites Hainburg! |url=https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20210516_OTS0003/jugendrat-droht-wird-lobau-tunnel-gebaut-machen-wir-zweites-hainburg |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=OTS.at |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=josef.gebhard |date=2021-06-05 |title=Warum eine 20-jährige Studentin die Lobau besetzen will |url=https://kurier.at/chronik/wien/warum-eine-20-jaehrige-studentin-die-lobau-besetzen-will/401402919 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=kurier.at |language=de}}</ref> She is the spokesperson for the “Austrian Supply Chain Act Initiative” with Veronika Bohrn Mena and Daniela Brodesser. At the beginning of 2021, she was described on FM4 as “perhaps the most politically active young woman in the country.” <ref name=":0" /> At the end of 2021, she took part in a panel discussion in the “Im Zentrum” series.<ref>{{Cite web |title="IM ZENTRUM": Wie teuer muss Klimaschutz sein? Was die Energiewende uns alle kosten wird |url=https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20211001_OTS0220/im-zentrum-wie-teuer-muss-klimaschutz-sein-was-die-energiewende-uns-alle-kosten-wird |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=OTS.at |language=de}}</ref>
On 22 January 2024, she was selected by Werner Kogler, and on 24 February confirmed by the Green Federal Party Congress as the top candidate of the Austrian Greens for the 2024 European Parliament elections.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hofer |first=24 02 2024 um 17:50 von Elisabeth |date=2024-02-24 |title=Die Grünen gehen mit Schilling in die EU-Wahl – und mit Sartre |url=https://www.diepresse.com/18209943/die-gruenen-gehen-mit-schilling-in-die-eu-wahl-und-mit-sartre |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Die Presse |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grüne wählen Schilling mit 96,6 Prozent zur EU-Spitzenkandidatin |url=https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000208908/schilling-stellt-sich-bei-bundeskongress-votum-der-gruenen |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=DER STANDARD |language=de-AT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bunke |first=Christian |date=2024-01-22 |title=Lena Schilling: "Politik ist kein Spiel" |url=https://www.news.at/a/lena-schilling |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=news.at |language=de}}</ref>
In May 2024, Schilling dropped to the second last place in Austria's APA-OGM politician confidence index,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lena Schilling stürzt im Vertrauensindex ab |url=https://www.meinbezirk.at/c-politik/lena-schilling-stuerzt-im-vertrauensindex-ab_a6697925 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=meinbezirk.at |date=17 May 2024 |language=de}}</ref> after it became public that she had talked to associates about leaving the Greens and switch to the Left party after the 2024 European Parliament elections. Schilling denied the allegations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grünen-Kandidatin Schilling überlegte, nach der EU-Wahl zu Linksfraktion zu wechseln |url=https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000220916/gruenen-kandidatin-schilling-ueberlegte-nach-der-eu-wahl-zu-linksfraktion-zu-wechseln |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=derstandard.at |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria's Greens in shambles as EU election nears |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/austria-greens-eu-election-2024-lena-schilling-affair/ |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=politico.eu |date=28 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
As of May 2024, Schilling states her official occupations as author and dancing instructor.<ref>Official candidate list of the 2024 EU election in Austria: https://www.bmi.gv.at/412/Europawahlen/Europawahl_2024/files/Verlautbarung_der_Bundeswahlbehoerde_EU_Wahl_2024.pdf</ref>
The MEP Awards 2025 recognised Schilling as the Youth Champion of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners 2025 |url=https://www.mepawards.eu/winners-2025/ |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=MEP Awards |language=en-US}}</ref>
As of 2026, she was in a relationship with Bas Eickhout, a Dutch GroenLinks MEP 24 years her senior. According to a party spokesperson, the relationship was made public to avoid conflicts of interest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=red |title=Neue Liebe für Lena Schilling – Er ist 24 Jahre älter {{!}} Heute.at |url=https://www.heute.at/s/neue-liebe-fuer-lena-schilling-er-ist-24-jahre-aelter-120194775 |access-date=2026-05-13 |website=www.heute.at |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-05-13 |title=REGIO on the rocks |url=https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/regio-on-the-rocks/ |access-date=2026-05-13 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Controversy == Since a report by the newspaper ''Der Standard'', Schilling has faced criticism regarding her integrity.<ref name="derstandard worum">{{cite web |author1=Katharina Mittelstaedt, Fabian Schmid |title=Worum es bei den Vorwürfen rund um Lena Schilling geht [What the accusations against Lena Schilling are all about] |url=https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000219374/worum-es-bei-den-vorwuerfen-rund-um-lena-schilling-gehht |website=derstandard.at |publisher=STANDARD Verlagsgesellschaft |access-date=21 May 2024 |location=Vienna |language=German |date=9 May 2024}}</ref>
On 7 May 2024, ''Der Standard'' published several allegations against Schilling following extensive research.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000219202/lena-schillings-eu-kandidatur-geraet-in-turbulenzen | title=Lena Schillings EU-Kandidatur gerät in Turbulenzen }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://orf.at/stories/3358372/ | title=Fraktionswechsel?: Schilling bestreitet Vorwurf | date=21 May 2024 }}</ref> The investigation uncovered that Schilling falsely claimed that the partner of her former friend was to blame for a miscarriage due to domestic violence. A court injunction was signed by Lena Schilling. In another case, Schilling allegedly accused a TV journalist of sexual harassment; this was refuted by internal investigations. Schilling was reported to have invented her own love affair with television journalist Martin Thür. When this was refuted, she accused the journalist of having relationships with other Green Party members. After the European elections in June 2024, Schilling apparently signed a document, admitting that she had no relationship with Thür.<ref>[https://www.puls24.at/news/politik/affaere-erfunden-schilling-entschuldigt-sich-bei-orf-moderator/335686 "Affäre erfunden: Schilling entschuldigt sich bei ORF-Moderator"] puls24.at, 11 July 2024</ref>
In June 2024 ''Der Standard'' was found to have violated the Austrian press councils code of honor in their reporting on the then-candidate,<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/world/europe/lena-schilling-austria-greens.html| website=The New York Times| title=At 23, Surviving Scandal to Take a Green Seat in the E.U. Parliament| date=20 December 2024| last1=Safronova| first1=Valeriya}}</ref> while the outlet itself insisted that every statement made in their article about Schilling was based on solid research and would hold up in court.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kurier.at/kultur/medien/presserat-der-standard-lena-schilling-verurteilung-medien-politik/402918702 | title=Presserat verurteilt "Der Standard" in der Causa Lena Schilling | date=24 June 2024 }}</ref>
== Works == *{{cite book |last=Schilling |first=Lena |title=Radikale Wende |date=2022 |publisher=Amalthea Verlag |isbn=978-3-99050-231-0 |publication-place=Wien |language=de}} <ref>{{Cite web |last=red |date=2024-03-30 |title="Radikale Wende": Schul-Auftritt von Grüner regt auf |url=https://www.heute.at/s/radikale-wende-schul-auftritt-von-gruener-regt-auf-120028396 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Heute.at |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Radikale Wende - Weil wir eine Welt zu gewinnen haben - Übersicht - Salon International |url=https://www.w24.at/Sendungen-A-Z/salon-international?video=30295 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=W24 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=WHL/HAR |date=2022-10-21 |title="Radikale Wende": Buch von Klimaaktivistin Lena Schilling |url=https://www.tt.com/artikel/30835198/radikale-wende-buch-von-klimaaktivistin-lena-schilling |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Tiroler Tageszeitung Online |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=krone.at |date=2024-03-30 |title=Debatte um Lesung von Lena Schilling in Gymnasium |url=https://www.krone.at/3316816 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Kronen Zeitung |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Junge Klima-Aktivistin stellt ihr Buch vor |url=https://www.tips.at/nachrichten/gmunden/land-leute/592832-junge-klima-aktivistin-stellt-ihr-buch-vor |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Tips Online |language=de}}</ref>
== References == <references />
{{EP Political Group Greens–EFA (2024–2029)}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schilling, Lena}} Category:Climate activists Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:The Greens (Austria) MEPs Category:MEPs for Austria 2024–2029