Europe Needs a Social Dimension – EU Church Leaders

March 9, 2013: European economic governance needs to be balanced by a social dimension, according to Churches in Europe. At a meeting with the Irish EU Presidency in Dublin on Friday, they questioned the sense in discussing economic austerity without including measures for social cohesion. Efforts aimed at the eradication of structural poverty and inequality should all be considered when measuring economic progress, they maintained.

This was the main focus of a delegation of church representatives from across Ireland and Europe who met with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the Irish Prime Minister. The meeting carried on the tradition of regular encounters between churches and EU Presidencies.

In a cordial and open meeting, the delegation, representing the broad spectrum of Christian traditions in Ireland, raised a number of issues for consideration by the Irish EU Presidency including the social and economic crisis in Europe and development aid policy. The group was pleased with the sensitivity to their concerns shown by the Taoiseach and the other members of his delegation.

The meeting was organised by the Irish Council of Churches on behalf of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).

The delegation highlighted the social consequences of the severe economic crisis in the European Union and stated that those consequences were evident in the parishes of all of the churches and were a key concern for churches at local, regional and national level. The Irish churches were particularly concerned about the impact of austerity on present and future generations and on the most vulnerable in Society. While acknowledging that employment and the creation of jobs in Europe was one of the main requirements to overcome the crisis, the churches highlighted the increased numbers of working poor. They urged that a common weekly day of rest, which they described as being a clear and visible sign for the reconciliation of personal, family and professional life, be included in the revision of the working time directive.

The delegation stressed that Development aid continues to transform lives and highlighted the importance of EU member states recommitting to meeting overseas development aid targets by 2015. However, the churches spoke of the need to use aid to work towards a situation where countries no longer need aid.
Highlighting recent successful negotiations on banking regulation in Europe completed under the Irish Presidency, the church representatives called for strengthened negotiations on various fields including defending the agreement reached on banking reform (CRD) between the Council, Parliament and Commission.