Comece
(Brussels) “We should and must defend ourselves, but should do so by adopting the attitude of a person who knows that there will be no peace unless the justified complaints of the other party are heard, and then fight the injustice of that situation with the same degree of determination”. This is the point made by Gerhard Beestermöller (Luxemburg School of Religion and Society) in an article published in the new issue of “Europeinfos” in which he gives an insight into “the right response to terrorism” after the attacks in Europe. The online monthly journal of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) also offers an analysis of the consequences of the failed coup in Turkey last July for the EU-Turkey relations. The goal is to identify a virtuous path in a relationship that must necessarily be based on dialogue and “the need to overcome fears”, as Jesuit Jean-Marc Balhan writes. Then again, an article on the issue of nuclear arms control and the weak role being played by Europe, while Markus Vennewald (COMECE) criticises the decision by the European Commission not to impose sanctions on Portugal and Spain for their excessive public deficits. The lack of “economic governance” today allows the Stability Pact to fall victim to political interests. In “these troubled waters, the intergovernmental system of navigation adopted over the past few years by our Heads of European States has turned out to be utterly ineffective”, writes Johanna Touzel in the editorial dedicated to Europe after Brexit (europe-infos.eu).
