European Members Meet in Germany

Professor Paul de Waart, Emeritus Professor of International Law at the Free University in Amsterdam gave the keynote lecture in which he reviewed the development of human rights law in Europe. While questioning at times whether the new EU Charter of Fundamental Rights was really going to provide additional safeguards for religious freedom in the region, he noted that the Charter (a document which came into effect only in December of last year) would make more visible to European citizens the overriding importance and relevance of human rights laid down in other national and international instruments. (The key articles from the Charter which relate to our work are below:)
Article 10 - Freedom of thought, conscience and religion

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or in private, to manifest religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

Article 21 – Non discrimination

Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

Article 22 - Cultural, religious and linguistic diversity

The Union shall respect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.

Remarks were also presented by Czeslaw Glogowski, (Poland), Ladislav Pivec (the Czech Republic), and Mihaly Dobrovitz, (Hungary) about the situation of religious freedom in those countries. Copies of all speeches are available from IARF’s Secretariat office in Oxford.

Bad Boll Final Statement
European members of IARF coming from various countries inside and outside the European Union as it is currently constituted met at Bad Boll, Germany, from 26-28 July 2001. They discussed a range of issues affecting freedom of religion or belief as part of human rights in Europe.

In this context, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union was recognised as an effective means to enhance the legal status of human rights in general and the right to freedom of religion and belief in particular in the present and future member states of the European Union. It should also serve as the proper legal framework of the decision-making processes in the European Union and the interpretation and implementation of the resulting decisions.

The IARF underlined the importance of listening to the voices of all the nations and peoples of Europe as they seek to implement religious freedom as an inalienable right for every community and individual. Specifically and particularly where religious minorities are victims of discriminative legislation or practices in the absence of state neutrality, IARF urges the implementation of the right of religious freedom. This should be in terms of recognition and/or non-discriminatory registration of religious communities, protection of their rights to practise their beliefs, and promotion of educational strategies, which prevent intolerance and discrimination based on religion and belief.