On December 6th COMECE participated to “The External Policies of the EU”, an event co-organised with the European Parliament as part of the Dialogue between the EU institutions and representatives of Churches and religious associations and communities. The event focused on the positive contribution that Churches and Church actors can bring to the development of a more coherent EU external policy based on the rule … Continue reading »

With the recently launched European External Investment Plan, traditional development cooperation seems to move from a donor-recipient relationship towards a fair and mutually beneficial partnership. In this context, COMECE has published its assessment and some concrete policy recommendations. In the context of the recent 5th AU-EU Summit and the upcoming EU-ACP negotiations on the future of their relations, the Secretariat of COMECE elaborated a contribution … Continue reading »

Political leaders of the European Union met with their counterparts from the African Union in Abidjan to reinforce their partnership and focus on the «Youth» of both continents. Together with African Bishops (SECAM), COMECE followed the 5th AU-EU Summit, a key moment to strengthen the ties between the two continents on the basis of a fair and authentic mutual partnership. In their joint statement published … Continue reading »

EU Heads of State and political representatives met with their counterparts from the six Eastern European countries in Brussels to review their partnership. They pledged to strengthen cooperation and to engage in a comprehensive and forward-looking dialogue. The participants of the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit reaffirmed “the importance of inclusive engagement of all parts of society” as key to address common challenges to human security, … Continue reading »

COMECE welcomes the commitment of the EU to elaborate a Strategy for Iraq and submits recommendations to policy-makers to support Iraqi people in rebuilding their country. As part of the worldwide network of the Catholic Church, COMECE is in regular contact with Iraqi Bishops. In close dialogue with them, COMECE elaborated a contribution to the planned “EU Strategy for engagement with Iraq” with an analysis … Continue reading »

In a high-level conference on Nuclear Weapons and Disarmament organised in the Vatican on 11-12 November 2017, Pope Francis condemned the use and possession of nuclear weapons. Pope Francis encouraged the 350 participants, including representatives from COMECE, to explore the connections between integral human development, peace and nuclear disarmament, in order to build a world without nuclear weapons. Participants to the International Symposium pointed to … Continue reading »

Ahead of the 5th summit of the African Union and the European Union – Abidjan, 28–29 November 2017 – the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences in the European Union (COMECE) and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), have published today a joint Statement entitled “Africa and Europe shall work as one for the youth of our continents”. COMECE and SECAM – whose … Continue reading »