Time for responsibility ” “

Economic and social development in Europe, new guidelines in terms of internal security in the Union and the right of asylum, and the problems of pollution in Alpine valleys are some of the issues treated in the last number for 2004 of “Europe infos”, the monthly bulletin of the Commission of the Episcopates of the European Community (COMECE) and the Catholic Office of Information and Initiative for Europe (OCIPE). We give a summary of them below. A NEW DYNAMIC FOR EUROPE. “The Lisbon objectives, so vital for the Union and solidarity, deserve the total commitment of the Christian community and those who have responsibility in the religious field”: that’s the conclusion of the editorial by NOËL TREANOR, secretary of COMECE and director of OCIPE. It is based on the content of two reports to which Treanor draws his readers’ attention: “Accepting the Challenge: the Lisbon Strategy for Development and Employment”, produced by the group chaired by Wim Kok, and “The Cultural and Spiritual Dimension of Europe”, chaired by Krzysztof. According to the latter, “the Lisbon objectives have vanished from the public consciousness”, and yet the challenges of the Lisbon strategy, the promotion of the economy for the ends of social cohesion and development, “are at the very heart of the future of Europe”. According to Treanor, “the two reports are complementary”; the reforms envisaged by the Lisbon strategy require, as emphasized by the first report, “a political class capable of deriving the necessary consensus and energy from the elements of ethical and social analysis”, as a response to “the absence of decisive political action by the governments of the member states”. Especially important in this regard, as emphasized in the Krzysztof report, will be the willingness of the religious confessions to play “the public role of forging a community”. INTERNAL SECURITY AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS. The European heads of state and of government adopted last November the “Programme of The Hague to reinforce freedom, security and justice inside the European Union”. According to HENRIK LESAAR and ADRIANA OPROMOLLA, “the emergence of new priorities in terms of asylum and immigration, the fight against terrorism and organized crime, and judicial cooperation in the civil and penal fields, can be ascertained in the Programme”. With particular regard to the policy of asylum and immigration, the Programme “demands a global approach that takes due account of the underlying causes of migration, entry and admission procedures, integration policies and repatriation measures” and provides for “a common regulation of right to asylum and a European Office of support, with a view to improving cooperation between the national services”. The Council of Europe recognizes the important economic contribution made by legal immigration, of which the European Union is the beneficiary, and has instructed the Commission to formulate an appropriate strategic plan by 2005. “The Churches – point out the authors of the article – are invited to accompany the process of the implementation of The Hague Programme; they will also have the opportunity to insert some questions in the political debate on the Programme, such as the fair treatment of refugees and immigrants, the contribution of interreligious dialogue in the prevention of terrorism and the protection of families”. CIRCULATION OF GOODS AND SAFEGUARD OF THE CREATION. A meeting promoted by the bishop of Innsbruck, Msgr. Manfred Scheur, and the Bishop of Bolzano-Bressanone, Msgr. Wilhelm Egger, with the participation of representatives of the dioceses of Munich-Freising and Trento, tackled the question of the pollution of Alpine valleys last November. “Each year – reports MICHAEL KUHN of the Comece Secretariat– 180 million tons of merchandise cross over the Alps, half of which through one of the 3 most heavily used Alpine valleys: the Frejus tunnel (F-I), the St. Gotthard (CH-I) and the Brenner (A-I). Transalpine traffic affects a zone that is particularly sensitive from an ecological and climatic point of view and produces high and constant acoustic pollution as well as a high concentration of polluting substances”. “The Austrians of Kufstein and the Brenner – comments Kuhn – have the clear sensation that the free circulation of goods is being realized at their expense…”. At the Innsbruck meeting, the problem was tackled from various points of view: transport policy, economic policy, ecology and health. From a theological point of view, “the Church – it was said – feels responsible for the Creation and for human beings, especially for the more disadvantaged. An economic principle (the free circulation of goods) risks being enforced at the expense of a minority (the inhabitants of the Alpine valleys). The economy must be at the service of man, all men”. “It is not the business of the bishops – concludes Kuhn – to deal with the motorways, but the politicians are nonetheless recommended to seek dialogue with them”.