Redazione

The candidate countries wishing to become members of the European Union must align their economic and employment policies at the Community level, in such a way as to create a level playing field with those of the fifteen current member states of the EU: so says a report issued by the Commission of employment and […]

Accepting the invitation expressed by the European Parliament, during the “Venice Conference on the safety and quality of organ donation and transplant in the EU” (17/18 September), an agreement has been signed inviting the European Council and Commission to begin the process for the adoption of the first directive in the sector. The joint document, […]

The report of the Commission on the social situation in Europe in 2003 has recently been published. The document – fourth of the series since the Lisbon summit – “analyses the various factors that, on the basis of the social indicators common to the current 15 member states, concur to describe the social situation of […]

EU in brief" "

Ten days before the Intergovernmental Conference is due to open (in Rome, on 4 October), declarations on the draft European Constitution continue (cf. Sir no. 62/2003). Italy has announced that it “sees no reason to re-open to renewed discussion the essential lines of the draft drawn up by the Convention”. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, chairman of […]

By an amendment adopted with 315 votes in favour, 183 against and 6 abstentions, the European Parliament, meeting in plenary session on 23 September, asked for the setting up of a temporary commission to investigate the causes and consequences of the disaster of the oil tanker Prestige, which sank in November 2002. The commission would […]

Between 8,000 and 15,000 tziganes attended the annual Convention promoted by the “Life and Light” association of the tzigane evangelical Mission of France, which represents some 100,000 French gipsies. This year’s Convention, held in the disused aerodrome of Malbouhans (France) from 27 to 31 August, did not draw the usual 20-30,000 nomads of previous conventions […]

ecumenism" "

“We’ve succeeded in bearing witness to our faith in mutual trust, overcoming long-standing barriers”, said the Catholic Samuel, a final-year student of applied arts. “I greatly appreciated the ecumenical spirit, in particular the informal debates and the prayer in common”, says the Lutheran Johan, student of biology: just two comments on the second national ecumenical […]

The Swiss bishops are preparing to hold the first national meeting of Swiss Catholic youth. The meeting will take place in the ice-rink of Bern and the adjacent Allmend park on 5 and 6 June 2004. The Pope will meet the youth on Sunday morning and preside over the Eucharist in the afternoon. The event […]

monthly agenda" "

2 Audience of the Pope to the President of Lithuania Rolandas Paksas – Annual Assembly (2-5) of the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE), at Vilnius (Lithuania) 3 Ecumenical ceremony on the occasion of the “German Day of Unity” at Magdeburg 4 Audience of the Pope to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams […]

Bosnia" "

A meeting between the bishops of the Bosnian Episcopal Conference was held at Travnik (Bosnia) in recent days. Discussion focused on the defence of the cultural and religious identity of the Catholic Croat minority in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the light of the threatened reform of the school system, aimed at “reuniting two schools under a single […]