The pandemic is emerging as a threefold challenge for the European Union.
The first challenge is about the fundamentals of the European project: it is time to assess whether Europeans still share an interest in a single market, in which form and with which assumptions and implications in society and politics. Based on the assessment, it is also time for deciding whether and how to move on together.
The second challenge concerns the role of religion and belief communities in assessing the state of Europe as well as in deciding about its future: this implies their responsibility in both mobilising principles and concepts, and acting in society, and politics.
The third challenge regards current EU mechanisms and procedures for engaging with religion, in particular the dialogue under article 17 TFEU, and the internal and external action for the protection and promotion of freedom of religion or belief, and the global exchange on religion in society. Here, the challenge is at the same time about the full exploitation of what has been built so far, and about the development of further instruments and actions.
While the threefold challenge was already there before the pandemic, it is now magnified, and dramatised as a result of the health crisis and the subsequent crisis in the economy and society. The webinar gathered witnesses from the EU institutions in order to discuss how the pandemic is affecting the debate, and how it is shaping the response to such a momentous challenge.
Chair:
Prof. Marco Ventura, Director, Center for Religious Studies at Bruno Kessler Foundation / University of Siena
Panelists:
Dr. Vincent Depaigne, Coordinator of the dialogue with religious and non-confessional organisations, European Commission
Dr. Philippe Perchoc, Coordinator for the European Parliament dialogue with churches, religious and philosophical organisations, European Parliament
Raphael Warolin, Policy Officer, European External Action Service
The series is organized by the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies, the Center for Religious Studies at Bruno Kessler Foundation, the Center for Justice and Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School-Rio de Janeiro, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University Law School, the European Union Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the University of Siena.