Brussels, 20/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Gianni Copetti, from the European Initiative movement, has written to the Belgian government calling upon it to ensure that, at the IGC, there will be a reference in the preamble of the future European Constitution to the European heritage "likely to bring all citizens together rather than divide them by referring to one specific religion". In his view, the wording proposed by the European Convention ("cultural, religious and humanist heritage") is adequate.
Furthermore, the "European Initiative" insists on withdrawal of Article 51 which institutionalises the right of the Church to interfere in the Union institutions on questions that come under individual choice. Mr Copetti notes in an open letter to Guy Verhofstadt and Louis Michel that there is no reason why the Church should be given specific and privileged status, quite distinct from Article 46 for associations representing the civil society. "European Initiative", which notes that the separation of the Church and public institutions is the founding structure of our democracies, criticises the request made by the Church to establish a pre-legislative consultation procedure through seminars with advisers of the European Commission President. The Church has the right to fix the rules by which its followers must live, but it is not admissible to have these rules imposed on all using the European Union as a cover, the letter states.