Europe and religions: The dialogue between the European Commission and churches or religious communities

Social Compass

Volumn 47, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 103-112

  Jansen, Thomas ^a  

^a NONE

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 0034344978     PISSN: 00377686     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/003776800047001011     Document Type: Article

References (12)

1. Declaration No. 11 annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam.
2. See Louis-Léon Christians, "Droit et Religion dans le Traité d'Amsterdam: Une étape décisive?", in Yves Lejeune, Le Traité d'Amsterdam, Espoirs et déceptions, Bruxelles, Ed. Bruylant, 1998.
3. Transnational structures of Churches, Religious and Humanist Communities consist of: Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the Member States of the European Community (COMECE) Commission for Church and Society of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) Bureau de l'Eglise orthodoxe auprès de l'UE European Conference of Rabbis Conseil Musulman de Coopération en Europe (CMCE) European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) European Network of Pentecostal Churches Quaker Council for European Affairs Union Bouddhiste Européenne World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) European Humanist Federation. There are also organizations representing national churches: Büro der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) Informationsbüro der Österreichischen Bischofskonferenz Représentation de l'Eglise de Grèce auprès de l'UE - and religious orders: Centre de Recherche des Dominicains (ESPACES) Office Catholique d'Information et d'Initiative pour l'Europe des Jésuites (OCIPE) Unio Conferentiarum Europae Superiorum Maiorum (UCESM) Représentant des Franciscains auprès des Institutions Européennes
4. See Note 1.
5. In June 1982, President Gaston Thorn accepted the recommendation of the Secretary General, Emile Noël, to set up a system of liaison with churches and religious institutions. This task was confided personally to Umberto Stefani, Director at the Secretariat General, named Special Counsellor on 13 September 1983 and instructed to: take a census of religious organizations; establish an exhaustive inventory of existing contacts (inside and outside the Commission); define the modes of a more systematic cooperation; study the setting up of a liaison structure; represent the Commission at unspecified events. In conformity with the wish of President Jacques Delors and following the instructions of the Secretary General, David Williamson, these duties were transferred on 18 June 1992 to the Cellule de prospective under the direction of Marc Luyckx, who exercised them until September 1996. In October 1996, the task of monitoring and developing the Commission's relations with churches and other communities of faith and conviction was confided to Thomas Jansen.
6. In the run-up to the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona (27 and 28 November 1995), the Forward Studies Unit organized a meeting in Toledo between representatives of the religious communities of the Mediterranean Basin, with a view to stimulating dialogue between the faiths and cultures and using this as a force for peace in the whole region. The Barcelona declaration explicitly recognized this initiative as a good example of what was needed and acknowledged the importance of religion in international relations. Within the limits of the resources at its disposal, the Unit participates in initiatives and projects in this field organized privately or by the various governments.
7. This programme is implemented in close cooperation with the partners. The representatives of the religious and ideological communities examine the projects proposed in a selection committee that meets several times a year. The selection is made on the basis of criteria defined in conjunction with the Commission's representatives. The current Chair of this committee represents the non-religious humanist groups, while the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society is in charge of the Secretariat. The methods used to administer this programme thus presuppose the existence of a dialogue between the Commission and its partners and also a dialogue between the different religions and cultures, which should be continued in line with European integration.
8. See Note 1.
9. Memorandum on the legal status of churches and religious communities in the Treaties of the European Union, Bonn/Hanover, June 1995.
10. Ibid.
11. Proposal formulated on 4 March 1996.
12. The Maastricht Treaty (Art. 138a) has thus qualified the European political parties.