A "community of values"” “

The plenary assembly of COMECE, the Commission of the episcopates of the European Community, has preceded governments and already enlarged itself to the bishops of the new countries that will become part of the Union in 2004. Meeting in Brussels on 28 and 29 November, COMECE expressed deep satisfaction about the forthcoming enlargement of the Union from 15 to 25 countries, which will be sanctioned by the next European Council, to be held in Copenhagen on 12 and 13 December. In view of this important event, the bishops also announced the publication of a document with the title “Hope, Faith and Solidarity” which will be presented to the press in Brussels on 9 December. European Constitution. At the centre of debate at the COMECE plenary assembly was especially the future European constitution, which ought to see the light to day by the end of 2003. “The priority – said the bishops in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting – is a constitution that may protect the dignity of the human being and be at the service of the common good”. The Union, write the bishops, is a “community of values” on which the fundamental rights of citizens are based. That’s why “it would be inconceivable not to recognize the dynamic contribution of the European religious inheritance in the definition of these values”. The Church also hopes for the provision of forms of “structured dialogue” with the European institutions such as to permit consultations between them on issues that are on the Union’s current agenda. “The recognition of the churches’ role in the future European constitution is a matter of importance to us, but this is only the point of departure. We would like the new European constitution to respect human dignity” and be attentive to the values of solidarity”. That’s how COMECE president, Bishop Joseph Homeyer, summed up the debate during the assembly. It’s not only a question of ensuring that a “reference to God” be included in the European constitution, explained Msgr. William Kenney, auxiliary bishop of Stockholm. “Stability, integration, sense of belonging to the community” are essential values that need – he said – to be promoted in the new European constitution. Agricultural policy. The enlargement of the EU poses anew the urgent problem of the reform of the common agricultural policy, which European bishops have long been taking a close interest in. At the end of their assembly, the episcopates of the European Community issued a declaration with the title “Towards a model of sustainable agriculture for Europe”. It makes a series of recommendations about this reform (cf. the report on the next page). Bishop Adrianus van Luyn of Rotterdam, vice-president of COMECE, summed it up as follows: “First, the reform of the common agricultural policy is essential for a Europe that wishes to have a long-term future”. Second, conduct in this sector too must be inspired by the values of solidarity and steps must be taken to avoid the “penalization of the poorer countries”. Enlargement. The European bishops also had a meeting with the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and made a special invitation to him to participate in the Compostellan Holy Year in 2004, which coincides with an “historic date” for EU enlargement; they invited him to take part in a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of St. James together with the representatives of the churches, governments and parliaments of the EU countries. Prodi accepted the invitation with pleasure, though – he added –, his participation would be conditional on his agenda. Addressing the European bishops, the president of the European Commission emphasized that we are witnessing “an epoch-making transition: a chapter of European history, marked also by bloodshed, is being closed, and another is being opened whose contours we still don’t exactly know, but which is a challenge for everyone”. The European Union, Prodi pointed out, will finally be able to breathe with “two lungs”, while awaiting Romania and Bulgaria to join the Community in 2007. The COMECE plenary assembly was unable to proceed to the election of its new ruling council (president and vice-presidents), due to lack of the necessary quorum. The renewal of its presidium was therefore postponed to the next plenary assembly on 27 and 28 March 2003. Ignazio Ingrao