Category Archives: EU External Affairs


The EU started to develop a Common Foreign and Security Policy with the Maastricht Treaty (1992). Moreover, in recent years, the EU intensified efforts to promote Human Rights outside its borders and it has played a major role in International Trade and Development Aid.
EU Enlargement continues to be an important pillar of EU’s External Policy. Since 2004 a specific Neighborhood Policy was elaborated to establish good relations with neighboring countries.
In the hope that a united Europe can take a stronger role on the world stage, COMECE together with Justice and Peace Europe aims to assist the EU in its vocation to promote global peace and assume its responsibility for supporting sustainable development and social justice across the world. COMECE is assisted in this mission by a Commission on the External Relations of the European Union.
EU External Affairs, Policy Areas, Press

Event

🔴 EVENT | Luxembourg to host high-level conference on Peacebuilding – Registration now open

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) is pleased to invite stakeholders, institutions and the wider public to participate in a high-level conference “Peacebuilding in Europe: what role  for catholic social thought and universal values?” to be held in Luxembourg on Friday, 23 January 2026, from 9h00 to 17h00. Participation will be possible in person as well as online, as the … Continue reading »

EU External Affairs, Policy Areas, Press

Event

EVENT | European Reconciliation: event at the European Parliament marks the 60th anniversary of the Polish bishops’ appeal to the German bishops

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) draws attention to the event “European Reconciliation. On the 60th anniversary of the Polish Bishops’ Appeal to the German Bishops”, which will take place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, at 16:30. The event aims to recall the historical and moral significance of the 1965 exchange of letters between … Continue reading »

EU External Affairs, Policy Areas, Press

Press Release

STATEMENT | A Catholic message in view of the 7th AU-EU Summit in Angola

In view of the upcoming African Union–European Union Summit, taking place on 24-25 November 2025 in Luanda (Angola), the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), together with its partners, issues on Monday, 10 November 2025, a joint statement entitled “For a partnership that brings justice for the African people”. The document advocates for “a Europe-Africa partnership grounded in mutual respect and … Continue reading »

EU External Affairs, Policy Areas, Press

News

Brazilian church delegation visits Brussels to highlight the situation of indigenous communities in South America

A delegation from the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), led by His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, visited the Secretariat of COMECE on Monday, 27 October 2025, to draw attention to the situation of indigenous peoples in Brazil and across South America. Photo Gallery The delegation emphasised the importance of maintaining high due diligence standards for companies, including European businesses operating in South America, in order to … Continue reading »

EU External Affairs, Policy Areas, Press

Press Release

ASSEMBLY | Note from the President of COMECE on the crisis in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan

In the context of the autumn plenary assembly of the bishops of the European Union, taking place in Brussels from 1 to 3 October, the COMECE Secretariat is publishing a note from the President of COMECE, Mgr Mariano Crociata, on the dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip, in Ukraine, Sudan, and in other regions affected by war. Below is the text of the note in … Continue reading »