Europe beyond the EU

The relation between the German Bundestag and the European Parliament: the problems associated with GMOs just after a ruling of the EU Court of Justice; the protection of the EU’s “external borders”; the breaches of human rights and environmental protection by European companies that mine ores in the third world; the forthcoming reforms of the EAP; crimes against Christians: these are the most topical points on the European agenda that Europeinfos, the monthly news service of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (Comece), will be dealing with in its October issue. The issue is preceded by the Jesuit father Franc Turner’s reflections just after the celebrations for the tenth anniversary of the Twin Tower attacks (Cf. SIR Europe n. 58/11).Reform of FRONTEX regulations. There is, in the EU, a European Agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders of the EU member states (FRONTEX). On October 10th, the Council of the European Union changed the regulations to cater to the needs of the member states that have to face greater migratory pressure, in terms of quality or extent. The legislation, José L. Bazán explains, includes some positive aspects, such as “provide to the people who are involved in the operational procedures a training in international law and human rights and in access to international protection; guidelines on how to identify people who are seeking protection; special rules for vulnerable people; a better system to process personal details”. The recent EUROPOL report, called “The situation of terrorism in the EU and potential developments”, says that the “flow of immigrants from North Africa could have an impact on the EU’s security” as undercover terrorists might mix with the immigrants. That is why there are plans to set up a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR), with which FRONTEX will have to interact to improve border control and manage the migratory flows, without breaching the immigrants’ and society’s natural rights.A plan of hope for Iraq. The heart of Baghdad hosts the Open University, an initiative of the Dominican Fathers who decided “to create a space of freedom, dialogue and reflection for a country that has been devastated by tyranny, war, poor schooling for young people”. So, as told by father Amir Jaje, vicar of the Dominican province of the Arab world, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, now that the Christian minority is no longer protected, the Dominican Fathers “decided to adapt rather than give up and direct their teaching to a lay educational project so as to participate in the rebuilding of the country”. For the Dominican Fathers who have been in Baghdad since 1966, the challenge is to “get out of the enclosure of the Church and engage in dialogue with all the expressions of Iraqi society”. Now, everything takes place in a “reflection centre” attended by about 150 people, 60% of whom are non-Christians. They are working at a plan to build a suitable classroom, with a library and an option to publish texts.Protection of religious freedom. “There is a connection between the cases of intolerance and discrimination of Christians, the role of the churches and religion in public life, and exercising the right to religious freedom in Europe”, Alessandro Calcagno of Comece Secretariat writes: “some anti-Christian deeds seem to be wanting to intimidate the Church and the Christian community so as to push them out of the public arena and out of the public debate”. Then, Calcagno reports, there is the front of atheism and “aggressive” secularism, which create a climate that favours intolerance and discrimination, to such an extent that “not even the sight of the symbols of Christian faith is tolerated”. Potential reactions: “not underestimate them and raise public awareness; think of pedagogic activities; create areas of dialogue between the institutions and the churches to find potential solutions”. While “lots of initiatives have been put in place to fight anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, recent findings suggest that it is urgent to “take measures to prevent accidents and crimes related to hatred for Christians”.Europe’s inconsistency. At a recent meeting with the EU authorities, mgr. Alvaro Ramazzini, bishop of San Marcos, Guatemala, insisted on the need for the European companies to adopt rules to make sure their foreign operations do not violate human rights. His accusation is that the populations of the poorer countries are paying the consequences of Europe’s need for natural resources: “One could begin to doubt the ethical nature of Europe’s relations with the developing countries. With one hand the Europeans support us with their development aids, but with the other hand they take resources that are mined at the expense of human rights and the environment”, mgr. Ramazzini told the press, telling about his support to the communities in the attempt to make the companies respect their rights. Most of the proceeds from gold, nickel and silver go to foreign investors, while benefits for the population are minimal, not least because there is no political will to reform the legislation. They cannot but pay the bill for environmental damage, social displacement, impoverishment: land is scarce and expensive, water is massively used for the mining operations, with the added risk of food contamination. Those who oppose to such “mega-projects are criminalised and discredited, and sometimes they become victims of violence”.