Brussels, 10/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Union must do more to reassure its citizens and give them renewed confidence in the European project. That was the message sent out by the religious leaders and presidents of the three main institutions of the EU on Tuesday 10 June, at their 10th meeting on the theme of the future of the European Union. Before presenting the press with the results of the first session of talks with religious leaders, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, announced the adoption of a joint statement with the president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and all of the religious leaders, speaking out against the death sentence by stoning handed down to the young Sudanese Christian Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, who has been accused by the Sudanese authorities of apostasy and adultery. Welcoming the fact that the Court Of Appeal had accepted the appeal, the signatories urge the responsible Sudanese authorities to “revoke this inhumane verdict and release Ms Meriam with the utmost urgency”. “Freedom of religion and belief is a universal human right. This includes the right to adopt, exchange or abandon it”, Barroso stressed.
The theme chosen for this latest meeting between the current presidents of the Commission, Council and Parliament and the representatives of the major religions was the future of the European Union, against the backdrop of the recent European elections which saw the emergence of extremist parties. Those taking part debated topics such as societal changes currently observed in the EU and outside it, Europe's place in the world and its immediate neighbourhood, and the role religions can play in this context. “More democracy is the corollary of greater institutional integration, which is necessary to allow the European Union to tackle current global challenges. In order to do this, there is an urgent need to reinforce links between the European citizens and the democratic process of the Union. I firmly believe that the active involvement of churches and religious communities can make a decisive contribution to this reflection”, said Barroso. Van Rompuy, lamented the fact that “Europe is associated with unemployment and precariousness, often wrongly, but the perception which exists is that the European Union does not do enough to protect, it is a market which is too open”. Expressing regret that more and more Europeans are dominated by the fear of the unknown, he shares with the religious leaders, who are “deeply committed to the European project”, a vision of Europe which is fairer and more protective. The deputy president of the European Parliament, Laszlo Surjan, added that, “during the crisis, churches and religious communities have been a bastion against the deterioration of the social foundation which characterises Europe (…). Their voice counts and must now be heard. This is how they can contribute towards open and constructive dialogue with the European institutions and the European citizens”. As well as the emergence of extremist parties in the recent European elections, the European and religious leaders also spoke out against the resurgence of extremism in all its forms, as illustrated by the recent fatal shooting at the Jewish Museum of Brussels. “We need to fight all forms of discrimination, fight extremism and fundamentalism (…). It is important not to drop our guard”, Barroso stressed. The Chief Rabbi of Brussels and permanent representative of the conference of European rabbis, Albert Guigui, spoke out against all attempts to use religion as an instrument, pointing out that no religion promotes ideas of killing and intolerance. “Extremists are using religion to kill”, he said. (IL)