The Catholic Church in the European Union
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
Nearly 400,000 migrants, including 94,000 minors, have arrived in Europe by sea in 2016. The peak of the migration crisis has passed but many lessons can be learned. The COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum met on 9 March 2017 to discuss this subject. Sant’Egidio and other Catholic associations try to mitigate the lengthy national reactions by developing humanitarian corridors. However, this system must … Continue reading
The EU needs to apply a more holistic approach to the integration of refugees. This was the outcome of the dialogue COMECE organised with Thomas Mann (EPP), member of the EU Parliament, and several Catholic organisations. Drawing from their own experiences, Caritas Europa and the Jesuit Refugee Service Europe stressed that welcoming refugees has to go hand-in-hand with orientation courses, language assistance and psycho-social support. … Continue reading
In Europe, the proportion of workers reporting working Sundays increased between 2010 and 2015. COMECE believes that a work-free Sunday is an essential pillar of the European social model. Together with the European Sunday Alliance, we launch a call for action to show the need for a common EU-wide regulation. Sunday is of great importance because it allows families to spend time together, employees to … Continue reading
This 20 February marks the United Nations World Day of Social Justice, an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. The COMECE Bishops recall that “Care and respect for the poorest and most vulnerable persons in a society are the basic criterion for social justice.” Social Justice is a major challenge for the EU. Today, almost 24% of Europeans are at … Continue reading
Since 2006, students from all over the world attend the Graz-Seggau International Graz University (Austria), organized by COMECE, the University of Graz and the Diocese of Graz-Seggau. Students and teachers work in an interdisciplinary manner on topical subjects, particularly those related to the European Union and its relations with “the Americas” (Canada, USA, Caribbean and Latin America). The next session will take place from 2 … Continue reading
COMECE and Caritas Europa welcome the request of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Thorbjørn Jagland to include the Council of Europe’s European Social Charter in the EU proposal of the European Pillar of Social Rights. It is only through a coherent approach in European social policy that the growing divergence between Member States can be resolved. In a few weeks’ time, … Continue reading
COMECE and other members of the Christian group on migration have published their comments on the Action Plan on the integration of third country nationals proposed by the European Commission. The Plan aims at supporting Member States in the integration of third-country nationals in the EU. COMECE and other Christian organisations welcome the intention to establish a common policy framework and supporting measures to help … Continue reading
COMECE participated in a conference on “The European Defence of Europe?” organised by Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations. The objective of the conference was to discuss with EU policy-makers, NATO representatives and academics the strategic questions of European defence cooperation and the development of appropriate capabilities. COMECE supports the view that reinforced security and defence measures can only be considered a partial response … Continue reading
COMECE hosted a 4-days-visit of 20 young people from the UK to the EU institutions and to Church organisations. Meeting EU Officials from the European Commission, the European Council and its UK Task Force as well as MEP Jean Lambert. They got the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about the EU and its policies, about burning issues like Brexit and about EU-topics that are of … Continue reading
