Press Release No: 19/02
29 January 2019
Brussels

A delegation of churches in Europe met in Bucharest on 28 January 2019 with Teodor-Viorel Meleșcanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, to exchange views on the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council.

The delegation was composed by representatives of Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Conference of European Churches (CEC) and Committee of Representatives of Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU), who shared their perspectives on the four priorities of the Romanian Presidency: 1) Europe of convergence; 2) A safer Europe; 3) Europe, as a stronger global actor; 4) Europe of common values.

Romania holds the EU Presidency in a time of transformative changes impacting on the institutional future of the EU, and the lives of millions living in the EU.

The delegation enjoyed dialogue with the Romanian Presidency about the importance of putting the human person at the center of increasingly digitalised societies. They also emphasised the importance of a comprehensive view of security, environmental concerns, and improving religious literacy through education.

The open and transparent dialogue between Churches and the respective EU Council Presidencies is part of a long-standing practice now supported by the Article 17 (3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

As part of their time in Romania, the delegation participated in an audience with His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and exchanged views on the churches’ role in the EU with Victor Opaschi, State Secretary for Religious Affairs.

List of participants:

COMECE delegation:
· H.E. Mgr. Cornel Damian, Auxiliary Bishop of Bucharest
· Fr Olivier Poquillon, OP, General Secretary of COMECE

CEC delegation:
· H.G. Bishop Reinhardt Guib, from the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania.
· Fr Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary of CEC

CROCEU delegation:
· H.E. Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium
· Fr Sorin Selaru, Director of Permanent Office the Romanian Patriarchate in Brussels

Click here to read the joint press release in French

For more information or an interview, please contact:

Dr 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