All-round action

The European Union extends its hands to the entire Mediterranean area, as well as to other Countries whose populations have taken to the streets demanding freedom, democracy and social justice. At the same time EU27 is attentively following the conflicts extending in various areas of the world, marked by surging acts of violence and intimidation against Christian communities in a crescendo that must not fail to be acknowledged. The Foreign Affairs Council, held on February 21 in Brussels, underlined its “all-round” commitment.Democracy and freedom. On February 22, on behalf of the European Union the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton – who recently returned from her trip to Tunisia and the Holy Land – was invited to Cairo to attend meetings with Egyptian authorities that took over President Mubarak’s office after his flee. Meetings are scheduled also with representatives of civil society and political leaders. The EU thus fastens its attention on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, as confirmed by the Foreign Affairs Council, which addressed the urgent situation of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. The final document addresses also the situation in Bahrein and Yemen, underlining the need for processes that will step up democracy, peace and development in the all of these Countries. The Council adopted a statement upholding freedom of religion or belief (over which an agreement failed to be reached during the January 31 meeting) in which the Council “reaffirms the strong commitment of the European Union to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief without any discrimination”.A universal right. The EU Council “expresses its profound concern about the increasing number of acts of religious intolerance and discrimination, as epitomized by recent violence and acts of terrorism, in various countries, against Christians and their places of worship, Muslim pilgrims and other religious communities, which it firmly condemns”. According to EU27 ministers, “no part of the world is exempt from the scourge of religious intolerance”. “Freedom of religion or belief is a universal human right which needs to be protected everywhere and for everyone”. The Council’s statement makes clear, “All persons belonging to religious communities and minorities should be able to practice their religion and worship freely, individually or in community with others, without fear of intolerance and attacks”. The freedom of religion “is intrinsically linked to freedom of opinion and expression as well as to other human rights and fundamental freedoms, which all contribute to the building of pluralist and democratic societies”.Concrete proposals? The document on the freedom of religion underlines, “The EU and its Member States remain committed to the realization of the freedom of religion or belief in all parts of the world”, a theme which “will be addressed in the annual EU human rights reports”. The EU will continue to engage with partner countries “and offer its cooperation to promote religious tolerance and to protect human rights”. It will “engage further in multilateral fora, in particular the UN, to rally strong cross-regional support in the fight against religious intolerance”. Ultimately, the Council affirms that the EU and its Member States “will continue to support initiatives in the field of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in the spirit of openness, engagement and mutual understanding, including by the UN Alliance of Civilisations, UNESCO and the Anna Lindh Foundation”, whose efforts focus on the Mediterranean region. The Council invites the High Representative to report on the measures taken and on concrete proposals to further strengthen the EU action in this regard”. Actions and proposals are due. COMECE values the statement. The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) declared in a release that the EU Foreign Affairs document “is a good step in the right direction”. “The fusion of ‘common sense’ and ‘political will’ has prevailed to secure the strong statement urgently needed to stop the widespread acts of terrorism and sectarianism against Christians worldwide”. “The security and survival of Christian communities, especially in the Middle East, requires concrete action”. COMECE now believes that the Council of Ministers “should translate these words into concrete action in order to guarantee that Christian and other religious minorities all over the world can enjoy the much needed fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of religion”. The statement underlines that “COMECE hopes that the EU will implement its conclusions in significant political action”.