Lena Schilling:

“As a young politician, you need good allies”

Young, green and female. These three characteristics expose Lena Schilling to a lot of headwinds. She echoes her mother's saying: "Only a letter gets posted."(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Austria's best-known environmental activist is now entering politics after all. In this interview, Lena Schilling explains her motives, why she is fighting for mothers and what she is afraid of.

She is the face of the "Fridays For Future" movement in Austria and is only 23 years old. Just two years ago, Lena Schilling ruled out becoming a politician. The Viennese campaigned for climate protection at protest camps and demonstrations. But now Green Party leader Werner Kogler has presented her as the lead candidate for the EU elections on June 9.