In the name of the common good” “

Twenty-five years ago, on 3 March 1980, the Holy See created the Commission of the episcopates of the European Community (COMECE), composed of bishop delegates of the various Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. “Twenty-five years at the service of the European project that deserve to be underlined”, especially now that “regular exchanges between the Churches and the European Union have found a foundation within the Constitutional Treaty”. So says the general secretary of COMECE, Noël Treanor , in the editorial of the March number of “Europe infos”, the monthly bulletin of COMECE and the Catholic Office of Information and Initiative for Europe (OCIPE). The number is dedicated, in particular, to the state of the process of ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty by the EU countries (only five countries have so far approved it), to the Lisbon Strategy and to the search for stability in the Balkans. THE DEBATE ON THE TREATY. “The Constitutional Treaty has entered the process of ratification and the final decision is up to European citizens and to national parliaments”, says HENRIK LESAAR, who reviews the stages in the process begun with the presentation of the draft treaty by the European Convention in July 2003, followed by its adoption and signing by the heads of state and of government in October last year. Now “the European Union is placing the third and last foundation on the constitutional process. Between now and 1st November 2006 all member states will be called on to ratify the Treaty in turn”. They have two ways of doing so: either through a vote in the national parliament or through a referendum. “Hungary, Slovenia and Lithuania have already proceeded to ratification with a vote in favour by their respective national parliaments” (to which Italy can now be added, with its vote on 6 April). Lesaar also points out that “the first State to submit the treaty to a referendum was Spain on 20 February”, which approved it “by a large majority”. Everywhere “the debate that accompanies this process is very lively”, points out the journalist. He also emphasizes the need for this debate to be conducted with a real understanding of “the contents of the Treaty and its consequences for the future of Europe”. Politicians “have the duty to respond to this challenge; they are called to renounce all idle polemic and to use cogent arguments”. But, according to Lesaar “the responsibility of citizens is also great: they must inform themselves on the question, get involved in the public debate, and accompany the vote of their representatives in parliament or personally participate in the referendum”. What is the task of the Church? “The local Churches – says Lesaar – can make a significant contribution by encouraging a constructive dialogue in the name of the common good, and by appealing to citizens to participate in the debate or turn out to vote”. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, INNOVATION. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has five main priorities: “economic and social cohesion, support for the Lisbon Strategy, development of trans-European networks, protection of the environment and support for the development and cooperation policy of the European Union”, explains CLARE COFFEY. Established by the Treaty of Rome with the aim of financing long-term investment projects coherent with the Union’s objectives, “the EIB disbursed approximately 43.2 billion euros in 2004 – continues Coffey –, for the most part allocated to projects developed within the 25-member Union; the Bank also grants credits to candidate countries such as Bulgaria and Romania and has supported development programmes in the Balkans”. A central role has also been played, Clare Coffey reports, “by funding projects correlated with the realization of the Lisbon Strategy”, now approaching its halfway stage. “Research, development and innovation; development of small and medium businesses; human capital and technological networks of information and communication”: these are the fields in which the EIB is investing, concludes Coffey, though she makes the point that “the allocation of money is not enough to make European society prosper. The evaluation of the Lisbon Strategy needs to take into consideration the need for genuine innovation”. WHAT STABILITY IN THE BALKANS? “The opening of the European Union to the Balkans will only be possible if genuine stability and real peace will be secured in these countries with the help of the EU”, says MARC DE GEYER, He remarks, for example, that “the situation of Bosnia-Herzegovina still requires, ten years after the end of the conflict, the presence of foreign troops for the maintenance of peace” and “the crisis of Kosovo has not found solutions acceptable for everyone”. A strategic role must be played by religions in the process of reconciliation, yet they are “often branded as fomenters of fratricidal conflicts”. Religious leaders, declares De Geyer, must strive to promote not only mutual dialogue, but also a learning process to foster mutual understanding of how the different communities live”.