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On the Basis of Our Christian Faith, We Work To impa 04 18-05-2005 13:17 Pagina 1 n the basis of our Christian faith, we work to- wards a humane, socially conscious Europe, in which human rights and the basic values of peace, justice, freedom, tolerance, participation and soli- Odarity prevail. (Charta Oecumenica, Guidelines for the Growing Cooperation among the Churches in Europe) With this mission in mind, the Church and Society Com- mission (CSC) of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) carries on its work through its secretariat based in both Brus- sels and Strasbourg and everywhere in Europe through the witness and com- mitment of men and women in the OKRin Antje Heider-Rottwilm Mr Yury Ryabykh Co-moderators member churches. It is our conviction that churches today should actively participate in shaping Eu- rope and European society. The Church and Society Commis- sion does this by encouraging a Christian contribution to the political, social and economic life of the continent. Our witness in Europe is also expressed by engaging mem- ber churches in acting together for the common good in Eu- rope and by fostering greater ecumenical dialogue, co-opera- tion and fellowship among member churches of CEC. We are grateful for the support and the encouragement we constantly receive from our member churches and for their extensive co- operation. These are the messages we want to send out with this an- nual report, as well as giving an account of our activities in 2004. The Church and Society Commission is a strong partner of the European Institutions. In co-operation with these institutions and other partners, including non-Christian religious commu- nities and NGOs, the CSC aims at promoting and advocating a Europe of solidarity, reconciliation and human dignity. We are pleased to present this annual report.We hope that you find it makes interesting reading. Visit our website www.cec-kek.org EUROPE ON THE MOVE: THE CHURCHES’ 1 COMMITMENT TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Annual Report of the Church and Society Commission 2004 impa 04 18-05-2005 13:17 Pagina 2 EUROPE ON THE MOVE: THE CHURCHES’ 2 COMMITMENT TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Annual Report of the Church and Society Commission 2004 Rev. Rüdiger Noll Director European integration s far as the process of Eu- tober 2004, it is now being submitted to means much more than ropean Integration is con- the Member States for ratification. cerned, 2004 was an excit- In several member states referenda just enlarging ing and important year. On will be held in the course of 2005 and and deepening A 1st May ten new member 2006. states joined the European Union – the Finally, the European Council in De- the European Union biggest wave of enlargement ever. For the cember 2004 decided to start accession first time, states from beyond the divid- negotiations with Turkey.Prior to the de- ing “Iron Curtain” became members of cision, the European Commission con- the Union. cluded that Turkey had “sufficiently”pro- For many, 1st May symbolizes the new gressed to fulfil the Copenhagen criteria Europe and the end of Cold War divisions. for accession. In June, the 25 Heads of State and Go- vernment of the enlarged Union adopt- The Church and Society Commis- ed the Draft Treaty Establishing a Con- sion (CSC) of the Conference of European stitution for Europe.The “EU Constitu- Churches (CEC), as an interlocutor be- tional Treaty”, as it has become known, tween its 125 (Anglican, Old Catholic, Or- stands for a deepening of the Union. It thodox and Protestant) member churches makes evident that the Union is more and the European Institutions, was heav- than just an economic space; it is driven ily involved in these developments. by values and objectives. Though all of the above-mentioned events After the Heads of States and Govern- relate to the EU, Europe is bigger than the ments signed the Constitution on 29 Oc- European Union. CEC always had a pan- impa 04 18-05-2005 13:18 Pagina 3 This first annual report of the CSC of more direct and quicker communication. CEC can only elucidate some of the im- On numerous occasions, staff and Com- portant European developments that the mission members visited member chur- CSC addressed in the course of the year. ches or organised meetings in Brussels, The selected topics are to be seen just as Strasbourg or elsewhere, which linked re- highlights of a much broader scope of presentatives, most often church leaders, work. from member churches with representa- 2004 was not only an important year tives from the political institutions. for the European integration process, but also for the CSC itself. The newly elected We are grateful for the close coop- Church and Society Commission of CEC eration with our member churches and met for its first plenary meeting in Wavre, partner organisations.We are also grate- near Brussels. It adopted a 6-year work ful for the support which we receive from programme, which covers 15 priority ar- the members of the Church and Society eas (cf. www.cec-kek.org). The work pro- Commission, its Executive Committee gramme was developed through an un- and Moderators as well as from the many precedented and highly participatory con- representatives, who offer their time, re- sultation process with member churches. sources and ideas in our working groups The Commission also applied the new set and meetings. European vision and a substantial num- of working mechanisms and methods in Religion is not just private; it is also a ber of member churches from beyond the order to address the priority issues of the public matter.As the Barmen Declaration EU. Therefore, the CSC does not only re- work programme. from 1934 states:“As Jesus Christ is God’s late to the European Union, but also to In parallel, the capacity of the CSC rose comforting pronouncement of the for- the Council of Europe, the Organisation by increasing the staff to currently eight giveness of all our sins, so, with equal se- for Security and Cooperation in Europe Executive staff (including two co-opted riousness, he is also God’s vigorous an- (OSCE), the UN and NATO. In its dialogue staff members) and five assistants. It is nouncement of his claim upon our whole with the EU the CSC always reflects its especially notable that the Community of life...We reject the false doctrine that there pan-European constituency and vision. Protestant Churches in Europe (Leuen- could be areas of our life in which we berg fellowship) seconded the Rev.Dr Di- would not belong to Jesus Christ...” This European integration, however, eter Heidtmann to the CSC staff team. He is why churches engage themselves in could be the headline under which many, will have a special responsibility to report their societies and this is why they gave if not all, of the activities of the CSC could back through the Community of Prote- the CSC the mandate to support their be summarised. stant Churches in Europe to Protestant own efforts as well as to engage in the Eu- As terminology, European integration member churches.An important new fea- ropean integration process. means much more than just enlarging ture of the CSC is the increased commu- The draft of the EU Constitutional Treaty and deepening the European Union. It nication and cooperation with member recognises this public role and the contri- raised issues such as: How can the social churches. In 2004 the meeting of Secre- bution of churches and religious commu- standards in Europe be kept and taries of European churches with re- nities explicitly in article I-52(3):“Recog- strengthened? How can fundamental sponsibility for Church and Society issues nising their identity and their specific con- rights be protected? How do security, became an annual feature. In most of the tributions, the Union shall maintain an peace and reconciliation in Europe relate working areas networks were established open, transparent and regular dialogue with to each other? using modern means of technology for these churches and organisations.” EUROPE ON THE MOVE: THE CHURCHES’ 3 COMMITMENT TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Annual Report of the Church and Society Commission 2004 impa 04 18-05-2005 13:18 Pagina 4 EUROPE ON THE MOVE: THE CHURCHES’ 4 COMMITMENT TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Annual Report of the Church and Society Commission 2004 he progress of European by the CSC together with other ecu- quences of the economic processes. Sol- integration marked 2004 menical partners in Brussels, was an idarity between people, countries and re- with several significant mo- event which enabled the churches to gions needs to play a shaping role in the ments. The EU enlargement make their active involvement and their future Union. T by ten new countries and the contribution to development in Europe The concrete study of some impacts adoption of the EU Constitutional Treaty visible. of EU enlargement is the aim of the were two the most significant events. On We are grateful to the Reformed project which has been launched in 2004 these occasions European churches and Church in Hungary for the excellent co- jointly between CSC, Theobalt (Network CEC took the opportunity to communi- operation in organising the conference of the churches around the Baltic Sea) cate to the wider public their position on focusing on the consequences of EU en- and the Churches’ Commission for Mi- the deep changes occurring in the de- largement and the response of the chur- grants in Europe (CCME). velopment of European society and per- ches, which took place in April 2004. Free movement of persons as a chal- spectives of further continuation. Church leaders from the EU new mem- lenge and an opportunity in the Baltic Sea ber states and candidate countries un- region is central to the project, continu- The EU enlargement was welcomed derlined that economic prosperity and ing also into 2005.
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