Brussels, 27/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - In a message to EU Heads of State or Government, Mgr. Josef Homeyer, Chair of the COMECE (Episcopate Committee of the European Communities) stated that the enlargement - or "even better, Europeanisation, as Pope John-Paul said - of the European Union" demands an "effective reform of the institutions" and that if no satisfactory solution is found in Nice, "it would be preferable to recognise honestly this deadlock rather than be contented with a weak compromise". The Bishop of Hildesheim thus launched an appeal for the Fifteen to "unreservedly" commit themselves to making a success of the Nice Summit.
In addition, at its autumn plenary session in Brussels last week, COMECE, which in particular heard German Christian-Democrat Karl Lamers speak on his vision of a federal era, decided to launch a debate on Europe at national level within its Episcopal Conferences, and urged the Catholic Universities of Western and Eastern Europe to help "articulate the fundamental values of European integration", says a press release. Furthermore, COMECE intends contributing to the debate on the EU's immigration policy, launched by European Commissioner Antonio Vitorino, and its Secretary General, Mgr. Noel Treanor, will be taking part in Stockholm on 28 November in a meeting of the Churches and the future Swedish Presidency of the EU Council. COMECE indeed intends closely following the three priorities of the future Presidency (enlargement, the environment and employment) and in particular contribute in developing a future European policy regarding sustainable development.