The Catholic Church in the European Union
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
On the occasion of the 2019 International Youth Day, COMECE calls the EU to implement youth policies reducing the forms of youth exclusions, and empowering young people at all levels of economic, social and political life. Young people represent around 1/3 of the population in the European Union. Many of them experience uncertainty, frustration and marginalisation due to the high unemployment rate, which deprives them … Continue reading
In the context of the 10th anniversary of EU’s partnership with its six Eastern neighbouring countries, COMECE will address the future priorities of this policy framework during the Autumn meeting of its Commission on EU External Affairs, discussing ways to empower youth, families and local communities. Following the June 2019 European Council, the European Commission and the European External Action Service are supposed to present … Continue reading
In the context of the reform of the EU Return Directive, COMECE calls for human-centered policies including the fundamental rights protection of irregular migrants at all stages of their return, the implementation of alternatives to detention, the full respect of the principle of non-refoulment and the prioritisation of voluntary return. According to recent statistics, more than 1/3 of the return decisions were effectively implemented in … Continue reading
The High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) set up by the European Commission published on 26 June 2019 the document “Policy and investments recommendations for trustworthy AI”. The publication highlights some of the recommendations expressed by COMECE in its previous contribution to the “Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI”. COMECE welcomes the emphasis on the protection on “humans, sustainable growth, […] education and appropriate governance … Continue reading
COMECE welcomes the publication of the 2019 Asylum Office report and calls EU Member States to respect international law obligations with regards to anyone looking for international protection in their territories. The report contains an overview of key indicators regarding the situation of refugees in Europe. While the number of applicants for international protection diminished in 2018, the report shows that 39% of them got … Continue reading
On July 3, 2019, COMECE co-organised together with Don Bosco International and the Baha’i International Community a dialogue meeting on “Human Rights & Religion” with the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the participation of Churches and religious communities (Article 17 TFEU), as well as of faith-based organisations (Article 11 TEU). Following the expert meeting of September 2017 and the integration of religions’ role … Continue reading
Experts of EU Bishops’ Conferences gathered in Brussels on Wednesday 26 June 2019 to participate in the COMECE Social Affairs Commission. They exchanged views on future Church’s contributions to EU social policies in the renewed institutional setting following the May 2019 elections of the European Parliament. Participants analysed the results of the elections across the EU, addressed the challenges of political fragmentation to a more … Continue reading
COMECE publishes a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the development and use of increasingly sophisticated armed technologies. This reflection, entitled “Technology at the service of peace”, provides recommendations to the EU and its Member States on how to address the (mis-)use of force through “uncrewed armed systems”. Produced by a COMECE ad-hoc working group led by Prof. Dominique Lambert, the reflection comes at a … Continue reading
