Brussels, 30/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - José Manuel Barroso, Jerzy Buzek and Herman Van Rompuy pledged their strong support for the process of democratisation underway in the Arab countries, and called on the religious communities to encourage the people to continue reforms towards unity, solidarity and mutual respect, with the support of the European Union. Speaking at the 7th annual meeting of the high representatives of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist communities in Brussels, in the framework of regular dialogue between the EU and the Churches as provided for by the Lisbon Treaty, the presidents of the three institutions of the Union stressed the importance of religious dialogue in the process of political and social reconstruction in the Arab countries.
The general subject chosen this year was a debate on the importance of acting in favour of democratic rights and freedoms, in order to create a partnership for democracy and shared prosperity in Europe and its neighbour countries. The extraordinary events taking place at the moment on the doorstep of the European Union since the beginning of the year, the “Arab spring”, call to mind the waves of democratisation which Central and Eastern Europe saw in the late 1980s and 1990s, stressed the presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. They discussed these events with the religious leaders, to renew their joint commitment to act in favour of democratic rights and freedoms. “Our job and our ambition is to promote democracy, pluralism, the primacy of law, human rights and social, not only in Europe but also among our neighbours. I firmly believe that these challenges cannot be achieved without the active contribution of the religious communities”, said José Manuel Barroso. For Jerzy Buzek, “the religious communities are extremely important for the social edifice of the European countries. This also goes for the dynamic changes happening in our neighbourhood”. Herman Van Rompuy pointed out that the European countries had come a long way on the road to freedom and justice before they got together within what is now the European Union: “Now is not the time for us Europeans to become less open, less tolerant, more selfish and materialistic, or even racist. The values (on which the treaties are founded)) cannot survive without a spiritual, religious or ethical dimension”. The president of the European Council stated that the Arab spring was initiated by solidarity and joint action on the part of youth of all religious beliefs, guided by common values. This is the “most dazzling response” to the terrorists, who believe that violence is the only solution to oppression, he noted. (I.L./transl.fl)