The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) proposed by the EU Commission, despite some positive developments, does not implement the expected higher protection standards in what should be a fair asylum system. This is the assessment formulated by COMECE together with Christian Churches and organisations working in the area of migration & asylum in a response submitted to the EU Commission and the EU Parliament on 21 December.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the President of COMECE and of the German Bishops' Conference, expresses his compassion for the victims and calls for unity after yesterday's act of violence against the Christmas market in Berlin (19 December 2016).

The Catholic Church in Europe is particularly involved in the fight against poverty. Convinced of the urgent need for an integrated approach at European level, COMECE puts forward a series of proposals.

40 participants took part in a COMECE-Don Bosco international debate on Tackling Youth Unemployment in Europe – A Catholic Church’s Perspective. Mgr. Adrianus van Luyn, representatives from EU institutions and the European Youth Forum discussed with Iván Toscano, expert on Vocational Education and Training at Don Bosco (Italy), the effectiveness of the EU instruments to tackle youth unemployment.

Youth Guarantee and the Employment Initiative contributed to the decrease of the youth unemployment rate of 1.4 million people since 2013. But to what extent has the Youth Guarantee helped the young long-term unemployed to find a job?