The COMECE Legal Affairs Commission met on 7 February 2019 to discuss some current legal topics of interest for the Church, including the implementation of Article 17 TFEU and the need for the EU and its Member states to better promote and protect Fundamental Rights.
(Credit: COMECE)
Experts focused on Article 17 TFEU as a tool supporting the relationship between Churches and the EU institutions by setting up a dialogue between them. Possible further developments were discussed with the European Commission’s Dialogue Coordinator.
A discussion was also devoted to current and future challenges concerning fundamental rights. Particular attention was devoted to the risks entailed by the disconnection between the different Europeans jurisdictions, and to the potential side effects of some case law on the must vulnerable (with regard to freedom of religion, as well as to other fundamental rights inside the EU, e.g. the right to education).
In addition, the participants exchanged on EU State aid cases, mainly concerning taxation and economic implications of Churches’ educational activities.
A particular emphasis was also placed on the General Data Protection Regulation, allowing participants to exchange from their field experience in the respective Member states, and to put forward relevant concerns. The GDPR and its impact on daily Church activities will be the main subject of a forthcoming internal experts meeting.
Media
Photo Gallery