COMECE: Plenary Assembly of EU Bishops on Covid-19 recovery, migration and freedom of religion on 17-18 March

The Covid-19 recovery, migration and asylum policies, and freedom of religion inside the EU. These topics will be the focus of the COMECE Spring Assembly, which will bring together virtually the delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union on 17 and 18 March. The Assembly will also be attended by European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas. “In the context of the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic - COMECE explained in a statement released today -, which has caused the death of more than 2.5 million people across the globe, the Bishops of the European Union will exchange on the current status of the recovery process in the EU and its Member States. Bishops will also discuss on how to better promote a people-centred and value-based approach in EU policies, which has become even more urgent due to the socio-economic impact deriving from Coronavirus”. The participation of Vice-President Schinas will allow Bishops to analyse the state of play of the “open, transparent and regular dialogue” between Churches and EU institutions as enshrined in Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The meeting will also be an opportunity for the Bishops to restate some policy recommendations in view of the future negotiations on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. These recommendations are contained in a statement drawn up by the COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum in December 2020. In the light of various national concerns towards the promotion and protection of freedom of religion inside the EU, the Bishops of the European Union will also reflect on how to address future challenges to this fundamental right.
M. Chiara Biagioni