CEC Governing Board meets, calls for action against climate change

29 November, 2016

Press Release No: 16/41
29 November 2016
Brussels

The Governing Board of the Conference of European Churches held a regular meeting from 24 to 26 November in Brussels. At the meeting, progress continued toward the 2018 General Assembly, which will be held in Novi Sad (Serbia). The board chose 30 May to 6 June as dates and prepared a proposal for the theme to send to the Assembly Planning Committee.

In light of the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh (COP22), the Governing Board approved a statement, Climate Change is a Matter for All. The statement calls on churches and states to continue working for strong implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The board also approved for publication a discussion paper on European economic governance, “Seeking justice and prosperity for our common future in the European Union.” The text will be sent to Member Churches and published online in the coming days.

Other highlights of the meeting included visits from representatives from the European Institutions. Ján Figeľ, European Commission special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union briefed the board on his mandate. He stressed that Europe is not only an economic, commercial, or technical construction and that the EU should embrace freedom of religion or belief as an essential issue. Sven Giegold MEP, chair of the coordination team of the European Christian Convention, discussed with the board plans for the large-scale European gathering anticipated for 2022 or 2023.

The board conducted regular business including the presentation of the president’s and general secretary’s reports, and the approval of the treasurer’s report and a budget for 2017. The Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) gave an overview of their recent work and discussed possibilities for enhancing the cooperation between CCME and CEC. The CEC executive staff team presented their work plan for the coming year.

As a result of the death of Rev. Gwynn ap Gwilym (Church of Wales) in July, the Rev. Canon Dr Leslie Nathaniel (Church of England) was confirmed as a full member of the Governing Board.

The next regular meeting of the Governing Board will take place in June 2017.

For more information or an interview, please contact:

Erin Green
Communication Coordinator

Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 2 234 68 42
Fax +32 2 231 14 13
E-mail: eeg@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of 115 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all across Europe, plus more than 40 National Council of Churches and Organisations in Partnership. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Brussels and Strasbourg.
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