wfn.org | CEC - Values and European Integration: A Project in the Baltic

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

VALUES AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: A PROJECT IN THE BALTIC REGION

"Free movement of persons as challenge and opportunities in the Baltic Sea 
region - the role and the contribution of the churches", is the title of 
the one year project launched at the initial meeting of the Church and 
Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and 
Theobalt, in co-operation with the Churches' Commission for Migrants in 
Europe (CCME). The meeting was held from 4 to 6 June 2004 in Visby 
(Sweden). The impact of the European integration process will be studied. 
The project is an expression of the commitment of  the Church and Society 
Commission of CEC and CCME to work together with the churches in the Baltic 
Sea region in view of a contribution to the process of integration in 
Europe in that particular region in Europe. Theobalt is a network of 
Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in the 9 countries 
surrounding the Baltic Sea.

The project has, at its core, the question of values attached to the 
European integration process: their appearance, understanding and 
implementation in the everyday life of grassroots communities. The 
importance of values in Europe today and their particular role in the 
process of European integration was underlined by the keynote speaker, Mr. 
Tunne Kelam, Member of the Estonian National Parliament. "Integration in 
Europe based solely on the pursuit of affluence is a very doubtful process. 
If  integration is not based on common values, it is only another form of 
utopia and we will not be able to achieve it", said Mr. Kelam. The project 
is focused on the study of the particular values of solidarity and human 
dignity and their link to the basic right of the free movement of persons, 
which is guaranteed by the basic documents of the European Union.

Concerns from certain parts of the population, particularly in the old EU 
Member States, about the possibility of an influx of migrants from the new 
Member States; challenges for employment; challenges for the life of 
grassroots communities and the reality in Baltic Sea region will also be 
dealt with. The project will  support the deepening of co-operation among 
the churches in the Baltic Sea region, old and new Member States of the 
Union and States across the borders of the Union, for instance, Russia. 
Exchange of experiences with other regions in Europe will be taken into 
consideration. Next steps in the project are a series of regional meetings, 
in which the concrete questions outlined by the project and their feature 
in local and regional settings will be elaborated. The project will 
culminate at a general conference to be held in spring 2005.

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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 125 
Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries 
of Europe, plus 40 associated organisations. CEC was founded in 1959. It 
has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

For information:
The Church & Society Commission of CEC - Brussels
Telephone: +32 2 234 6833
Fax: + 32 2 231 14 13
E-mail: csc@cec-kek.be
Website: http://www.cec-kek.org