On Tuesday 19 September, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) met the Special Envoy for the Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Religion and Belief Outside the EU, Frans van Daele (see EUROPE 13079/31).
His role is to open and maintain dialogue with countries which “have a certain interest in making a dialogue work, and that is most often the case of countries that have a general relationship with the Union that is deep and rooted”, he explained. This is particularly true of Pakistan. He is also continuing his predecessor’s work with Iraq and intends to open discussions with Egypt and Nigeria.
The Belgian diplomat also thanked the European Parliament for keeping the issues of freedom of belief - and more broadly, fundamental rights - on the political agenda. “The resolutions you vote here in the European Parliament are for me an important instrument, because they give me leverage.” He acknowledged, however, that his task is a complex one, given that religious issues can be instrumentalised and problematic just as much as they can be solutions.
MEPs called for dialogue with third countries to be made more visible and for European diplomacy to take greater account of religious freedom issues.
They also discussed the extent to which events within the EU influence external relations. Some, such as György Hölvényi (EPP, Hungarian), called for the persecution of believers not to be compared to the burning of copies of the Qur’an in Sweden (see EUROPE 13230/21). Others, such as Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spanish) and Udo Bullmann (S&D, German), questioned how these episodes could harm dialogue with third countries, while refuting accusations of relativism.
Although Mr van Daele did not engage directly in this debate outside his remit, he admitted that “there are obvious connections between what happens inside and outside” the Union. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)