EU inflation slightly falling

From 2.4% for January 2006 to 2.3% for February 2006: that’s the very slight variation registered for inflation in the Eurozone according to the Eurostat data published this week: in February last year inflation stood at 2.1%. On the other hand, the figure for the EU-25 remains unvaried; it has remained firm at 2.2% for […]

di Redazione

Summit of European finance in Brussels

The 4th “European Business Summit” (EBS) was held in Brussels on 16-17 March. Attended by over 1500 European businessmen, the summit was promoted by UNICE (European Community Industrial Union) in collaboration with the European Commission, the Austrian Presidency of the European Council and various continental sponsors. Two main themes were on the order of the […]

di Redazione

Social responsibility of firms

The European trades unions and industry are at loggerheads over RSE, the social responsibility of enterprises. The European Trades-Union Federation (CES) has publicly expressed the “fear lest the negotiations on RSE be broken off”. It complains in particular of “unbalanced and unilateral” management that exclusively considers the opinion of businesses in the context of a […]

di Redazione

Business transmission simpler

On the very day agreement was reached in the European Parliament on the draft Directive regarding company law to simplify procedures for the setting up of companies and for asset conservation and alteration, the European Commission presented a new initiative to facilitate business transmission and succession, especially for small and medium firms. Explaining the measure […]

di Redazione

social europe

Prisoner of the market?

Is a socially sustainable common project of development for Social Europe possible? The question was discussed at a recent conference in Rome promoted by the F. Ebert Foundation and the Eurispes Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies. It was said among other things that “a Europe without politics is a Europe that is the […]

di Redazione

Germany: Kirchentag 2007 in Cologne

“Living and active and sharper” (“Lebendig und Kräftig und schärfer”) will be the slogan of the next Kirchentag, the biannual rally of German Protestants, which will be held at Cologne from 6 to 10 June 2007. The meaning of the motto, taken from Hebrews 4:12, was explained by the president of the Evangelical Church of […]

di Redazione

Russia: religions for peace

“Our common struggle against terrorism and extremism and the development of a dialogue between civilizations founded on mutual respect ought to be proclaimed to the world community. The millenarian experience of our religious traditions gives us a unique opportunity to tackle the challenges of our time”, declares a communiqué put out by the Patriarchate of […]

di Redazione

Anglicans: Williams on creationism

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, leader of the Anglican Community, has declared his opposition to the teaching of creationism – the Bible-based account of the origins of the world – in schools. In a wide-ranging interview published in the UK daily “The Guardian” on 21 March, the first since he was elected as head […]

di Redazione

ecumenism

Taizé: frère Alois to visit Alexis II in June

Frère Alois, successor of frère Roger at the head of the Taizé Ecumenical Community was received by Archimandrite Job, dean of the Saint-Serge Institute of Orthodox Theology in Paris, on 15 March. Frere Alois began by recalling the close links of frère Roger and Taizé with the Orthodox Churches: especially the close relations forged with […]

di Redazione

comece

Words of hope

“Danke, danke, danke”: thanks were thrice repeated by Bishop JOSEF HOMEYER in gratitude for his thirteen years at the helm of COMECE (Commission of the episcopates of the European Community), to which he gave “a strong cultural impulse and increased effectiveness” at the European level. The German bishop leaves his post as President: the choice […]

di Redazione