The family is not on the agenda

The renewed social agenda presented in July by the European Commission “does not keep the family in due consideration”, declared Stefan Lunte, expert in social and economic policies, in September’s issue of “Europe Infos”, the monthly of COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community) and OCIPE (the Catholic European and Information Centre) with the opening remarks of Frank Turner. And the family? While pointing out that the 20-page document presents “concrete measures and objectives” for the next two years – since in 2010, upon the termination of the Lisbon strategy, European social policies will be reviewed by the new European Commission and by the newly-elected European Parliament – Lunte claimed that “the document doesn’t envisage new legislation at European level”. Except for a “draft directive regarding the fight against discrimination in the working environment which is bound to spark off a debate, and another draft bill on the patients’ rights along with cross-border medical treatment, is no other major project is planned”, he declared voicing the wish “that Europe take a stand in favor of family promotion and protection”. This “ought to be the task of the next Commission that will take office in November 2009”, Lunte declared. “It is to be hoped – he concluded – that the positive initiatives launched by the German EU Council Presidency in 2007, on the occasion of the European Alliance for Families, will be taken into account”. Migration and education.“A large number of migrants’ children attending school and experiencing difficult social and economic conditions, constitute a rapidly surging challenge”. For this reason Alessandro Calcagno declared, past July the European Commission launched a consultation on “Migration and mobility: matters at stake and opportunities for Europe’s education systems”. According to the Commission, migrants experience difficulties such as “the loss in acquired knowledge value”, the “obstacle of the language” and “insufficient family expectations”. Thus the Commission invites the interested parties to file their contribution by December 31 2008. Notwithstanding “education content and competences at national level”, the Commission, the expert pointed out, “wishes to promote cooperation initiated by Member States in the framework of integration policies of migrants’ children”. These remarks “will constitute the basis of the conclusions that will be published at the beginning of 2009”. Alessandro Calcagno maintains that the experience of the Catholic Church “always in the front line in the field of education”, will represent a “major contribution in view of the consultation”. Which equality? For Joanna Lopatowska the greatest challenge when designing “the legal tools aimed at countering the violation of fundamental rights” is “understanding the core message of equality”, given the risk “of not considering the value of difference and even of denying it”. “Do equality and diversity contradict each other? Does different infer that it’s not the same? Where does injustice begin?”. These, said the expert in human rights, are the questions that “European legislators should be called to answer while seeking new solutions in this field”. The Church and the Media. UE media competence “is restricted to the legislation regarding fair competition”. Nonetheless, “in recent years the role of the media as the means for the promotion of pluralism in the democratic arena is kept in increasingly greater consideration”, remarked Johanna Touzel. Two reports are dedicated to this initiative, which at the end of September will be voted by the European Parliament, along with an initiative by the Commission. In one of the two reports, Touzel pointed out, is acknowledged “the major role” played by the Catholic Church “in the development of alternative media channels in a number of Countries in Central Europe” which have led to the “1989 changes”. According to Touzel, the above-mentioned EU initiatives “point to one of the major challenges in the preservation of democratic debate: citizens’ access to culture and information by means of diversified and high-quality media”. “In its capacities as radio and television operator in various EU Countries, the Catholic Church is encouraged to take part in the debate and submit proposals”.