Parliamentary question - E-3665/2003Parliamentary question
E-3665/2003

Non-confessional organisations

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3665/03
by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE)
to the Commission

Despite the proposed European Constitution, which confers equal status on churches and non-confessional communities, we have noted that the Commission has consulted certain religious communities about immigration and measures against prostitution and trafficking in persons. Non-confessional organisations were evidently not consulted.

 

1. Why were non-confessional organisations, such as the European Humanist Federation, excluded from this dialogue?

 

2. Why was the non-confessional organisation so excluded despite Declaration 11 appended to the Treaty of Amsterdam, which guarantees equal treatment of religious and non-confessional organisations? This exclusion was also not in the spirit of Article 51 of the Draft Constitution of the EU.

 

3. Can the Commission confirm that the dialogue with religiously inspired NGOs will immediately be opened up to non-confessional philosophical organisations?

 

4. Can the Commission confirm that in future non-confessional philosophical organisations will be treated equally to religious organisations?

 

5. Can the Commission guarantee that its attitude in this regard does not foreshadow its future interpretation of the application of Article 51 of the draft Constitution of the EU?

OJ C 782 E, 27/03/2004