A delegation from COMECE met in Tallinn on August 18 with the Estonian Prime Minister, Jüri Ratas, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Andres Anvelt, in order to discuss common concerns as well as the most urgent priorities of the Estonian presidency of the Council of the European Union. COMECE was represented by Mgr. Philippe Jourdan, Apostolic Administrator of Estonia and first Catholic Bishop to … Continue reading »

President of COMECE, Cardinal Marx, conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omella, and to the relatives of the victims of the shocking terror attacks that took place yesterday in the region of Catalonia, Spain, injuring more than 100 people and killing 14 people. In his message, Cardinal Marx shared his deepest sympathy with the families of the victims, “people … Continue reading »

On 27 June, the European Parliament, under the patronage of President Antonio Tajani, convened a dialogue with representatives of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities on the future of Europe. The high-level dialogue was inspired in part by recent European Parliament resolutions on improving its various treaties and on the 2017 European Commission White Paper on the future of Europe. Churches are equally invested in these … Continue reading »

COMECE Secretariat expressed its position concerning the chosen topic of “belonging” in the context of the consultation launched by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights in view of the Fundamental Rights Forum 2018. The consultation of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights was questioning the meaning of “belonging” for each participating organization. COMECE highlighted the link between belonging to a community and being able to … Continue reading »

The Plenary of the European Parliament has approved the CULT Committee decision to enter into negotiations with the Council and the Commission on the revision of the Audiovisual Media Service Directive. COMECE welcomes this vote and encourages the EU institutions to prioritise child protection in the forthcoming negotiations. COMECE considers that the CULT Committee text on which the negotiations will be based could have been … Continue reading »

The current EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive governs EU coordination of national legislation on all audiovisual media, both traditional TV broadcasts and on-demand services. In a vote on 25 March, the Culture & Education Committee of the European Parliament voted in favour of maintaining in the revised Directive all references to the “moral” development of minors with regard to contents that may impair it. COMECE … Continue reading »