The clause is named after the delegate of the Danish government, Henning Christophersen, who is chairing the aforesaid work group and drafted the proposal. The objective is that of limiting the exercise of the functions of the EU in some fields closely connected with the national identity of member states. This principle is already enunciated in the treaties currently in force. But the work group chaired by Christophersen would like to reinforce it with a more explicit reference to the factors that concur to define national identity, including, in particular, the status of the Churches and of the religious communities. “In the exercise of its functions, the Union shall respect the national identities of the member states, their constitutional structures and policies, including regional and local autonomies and the legal status of the churches and the religious confessions”: that is one of the possible enunciations of the clause, proposed by the work group in question.
