The COMECE Seminar planned for Rome in March 2007 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Rome Treaties will be the main focus of the forthcoming COMECE plenary. The plenary meeting will take place from 22-24 November 2006 in Brussels.
Conference of Messina. (Credit: Web)
Prof. Hans-Gert Poettering, President of the EPP-ED Group in the European parliament, will speak with the COMECE-Bishops on the challenges of the Berlin declaration, which is planned for March 2007.
The Bishops will reflect on the context in which the Treaties of Rome establishing the Common Market were fashioned, examine the role played by key personalities in negotiating them and analyse their significance for the political integration of the European Union and the challenges it faces today. The Bishops will deliberate on the preparation of a COMECE-contribution in view of the Berlin Declaration on European values, to be presented by the German EU-Presidency in March 2007. They will also address some of the major challenges the EU is currently facing: Energy Policy, Migration, Research policy and the bioethical issues arising in this context, Intercultural Dialogue. Mr Philippe de SCHOUTHEETE, member of the Comité des Sages set up by COMECE, will outline the work of the Comité: it is tasked with preparing a report on European values for the Congress in Rome.
Speakers addressing the meeting are: Prof. Jan Willem Brouwer (University of Nijmegen-Netherlands), who will speak on Johan Wilhelm BEYEN; Prof. Vincent Dujardin (UCL -Belgium) on the role of Paul Henri Spaak.
A public Lecture will be given on Wednesday evening by Prof. Dr. Wil A. ARTS (Tilburg University -Netherlands), on “Europe: a Law-based community- a Community of Values” and present the Atlas of European Values, (Tillburg-Brill, 2005)
Journalists are particularly invited to attend a
PRESS CONFERENCE
At 14:00 on Friday 24 November 2006
at the Hôtel Eurovillage, 80 Boulevard Charlemagne, 1000 Brussels
COMECE is a Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the member states of the European Union. The Bishops’ Conferences from Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania have observer status.
The following bishops will participate at the Plenary Meeting on behalf of their Bishops’ Conference:
President of COMECE Bishop Adrianus van Luyn (The Netherlands); Bishop Diarmuid Martin (Ireland); Bishop Piotr Jarecki (Poland); Bishop Jozef De Kesel (Belgium); Bishop Fernand Franck (Luxemburg); Bishop Reinhard Marx (Germany); Bishop Giuseppe Merisi (Italy); Bishop Peter A. Moran (Scotland); Bishop Rimantas Norvila (Lithuania); Bishop Frantisek Rábek (Slovakia); Bishop Hippolyte Simon (France); Bishop Anton Stres (Slovenia); Bishop Tamás Szabó (Hungary); Bishop José Amândio Tomás (Portugal)
The following bishops have observer status:
Cardinal Josip Bosanic (Croatia- Vice President of CCEE); Bishop Virgil Bercea (Romania);Bishop Amédée Grab (Switzerland).
Bishop Aldo Giordano Secretary General of CCEE, St Gall (Switzerland) and H.E Archbishop André Dupuy, Apostolic Nuncios to the European Communities are invited to attend the Plenary.