Commemorating 10 years of FoRB in the EU

Intro

As we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the EU Freedom of religion or belief Guidelines, I am thrilled to be able to add my voice in the form of a congratulatory and analytical remark. As all EU member states signed up to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 they showed their commitment to a list of formulated Human Rights. They signed up to acknowledge dignity to all human beings by protecting their natural rights by law.

As the EU developed over the past few decades it became time to prescribe a united intend to work on of Freedom or Religion or Belief on EU level. In 2013 it came down to these EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief. And now, as we celebrate 10 years of its existence, it is time to take stock.

How it was

In the days of its creation, I remember participating in the EU Parliament’s watchdog, the Fundamental Rights Agency’s planning meetings in Vienna, in which I was completely caught off guard to find that of the myriad of Human Rights topics that were discussed, not one word was spoken about freedom of religion or belief, freedom of conscience or the freedom of speech. Moreover, when I suggested that this was a topic to take seriously, some organizations reacted with the oversimplified argument that there were much more important topics to tackle, and that it were specifically the religions that were the root cause of wars and most other troubles in Europe. I was shocked that this belief existed amongst policy makers. Since that time the EU Guidelines for Freedom of Religion or Belief have been promoted, and I hear little of this ignorant comment regarding the danger of so called warmongering religions in Europe.

Why Freedom of religion or belief

Notice that not only is freedom of religion or belief, freedom of conscience, and freedom of expression a matter of the acceptance of human dignity, but they lie at the core of good governance and democracy. Without freedom of expression or conscience, fair elections are not possible. And without freedom of religion or belief, there is no freedom of conscience, or the expression thereof. Without freedom of conscience, people fall back into the role of robots, puppets in a feudal system. And we currently see the consequence of states where this is the case, and where, in war time, people become mere gun fodder. Individuals, then, are at the mercy of the state, and they become a means to an end. The three afore mentioned human rights are intertwined, and they form the core of a healthy society. Research points out the relationship between freedom of religion or belief and societal indicators in a nation:

1. Equality and Non-Discrimination: Freedom of religion or belief is closely linked to principles of equality and non-discrimination. Ensuring that individuals can freely live according to the dictates of their conscience without fear of persecution or discrimination is essential for upholding human rights and promoting equal opportunities for all.

2. Peaceful Coexistence: Societies that respect and protect freedom of religion or belief often experience greater levels of peaceful coexistence. When religious or belief-based tensions are managed through legal frameworks and safe and fair dialogue, it can help prevent conflicts and foster a more harmonious society.

3. Social Cohesion: Freedom of religion or belief can contribute to social harmony and inclusivity by fostering a climate of tolerance and respect for diversity. Allowing individuals to practice their religion or belief freely, helps promote understanding, dialogue, and cooperation among different religious and non-religious groups within a society.

4. Development and Progress: Studies have suggested that societies with higher levels of religious freedom tend to experience greater economic development, political stability, and social progress. When individuals are free to follow their conscience and participate fully in society, it can lead to greater innovation, creativity, and contributions to the overall well-being of the community.

Of course, there are quite a few caveats in such general statements, and I will not go into it in detail today. Societal advantages for freedom of religion or belief require a free market for freedom of conscience, speech and religion with as few restrictions as possible. All voices need to be treated with equal weight and respect, in so far as they also uphold human dignity and human rights.

Positive trends

It is my take that since the EU Freedom of Religion or Belief Guidelines, we have seen some areas of progress, even if, globally, we are slowly losing the war on it over the past decade or so. Here are some positive elements at least:

· There is more talk about the importance of freedom of religion or belief in the EU. A social debate on this topic is crucial. Only a few days ago, on 24 June, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni supported Freedom of religion or belief with statements as: “Religious freedom is not a second-class right; it is not a freedom that comes after others or can even be set aside for the benefit of new, so-called freedoms or rights”, and “Religious liberty forms part of the essential core of the rights of man”. We hope she intends to protect all religions and beliefs equally, and not just Christians.

· Increasingly more cases on the topic are at least going to court in the member states. This means there is more awareness of legal protection. Unfortunately the number of cases at the European Court of Human Rights is not diminishing. This means that much work needs to be done still on state levels.

· We have had great success with Ján Figel as Special Envoy for the promotion of Freedom of religion or belief outside the EU, and we praise ourselves fortunate to have Frans van Daele as the current Special Envoy. Amongst their duties they see to

o enhancing the visibility, effectiveness, coherence and accountability of the EU’s Freedom of religion or belief policy;

o providing an annual progress report and a comprehensive report on the Special Envoy’s mandate;

o and working in close cooperation with the Council Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM);

· In the EU several governments have allotted some FTE for Special Envoy’s, such as in the Netherlands with Bea ten Tusscher, who is with us through the internet connection. Thank you Bea attempting to be with us, and thank you for all your work, even taking time during your holidays in France. Also in other nations there are representatives dealing with Freedom of religion or belief, such as the UK, Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, Italy, Poland, and perhaps others.

· I know from experience that in many countries there is a host of freedom of religion or belief related NGO’s active. I, myself, am active in Belgium and in the Netherlands. One of the initiatives that we initiated here and there is the idea of freedom of religion or belief Roundtables, which have been explained to you by Eric Roux.

· I see an increase of NGO’s collaborating – working together to tackle the problems. Together, they stand much stronger, as they exchange information and share the load.

Remedies

I am sure I can go on explaining how things have changed since the EU Freedom of Religion or belief Guidelines. But I would like to spend my remaining time in summing up some of the things we can do better:

1. Freedom of religion or belief protection is not just a matter of the courts or policy makers. Civil Society need to be motivated, even empowered to deal with the topic. Governments can help facilitate that. And there is a need for more and effective collaboration between government and non-government agencies. Think of conferences, such as the Ministerial, academic forums, and communal building initiatives. In the Netherlands we have a semi-annual platform with the Foreign Ministry and relevant NGO’s that work on Freedom of religion or belief issues, and it is highly appreciated. And I am aware of many municipalities that sponsor inter-religious and local communal initiatives. This can be copied to more cities.

2. Government and political leaders can help by talking openly about freedom of religion or belief, freedom of conscience, and freedom of speech with their advantages in a free society. Gioria Meloni’s speech this week is a good example.

3. Curtail government agencies that attempt to illegally make statements about so called dangerous religious cults, and let the judiciary fulfil its role on criminal activities, whether they be religious or not. There should not be a difference in the treatment or acceptance between minor religions and major religions. There should not be such a thing as accepted religions and non-accepted religions, just as the governments are not responsible to filter accepted speech or non-accepted speech within the framework of already existing laws. We have some shameful examples of this happening, even here in the EU.

4. Monitor regress and progress to liven the debate on the EU Freedom of religion or belief Guidelines and other Human Rights. Regular intermediate updates and reports on the topic are needed.

5. Develop Freedom of religion or belief literacy for MEP’s and diplomats, both on EU level as well as for each nation specifically.

6. As we negotiate on trade, cooperation, and safety between nations and global power blocks, it is increasingly necessary to focus our attention not just on plying the role of the warrior or the businessman, but also on the values that the EU stands for. Let’s not sell these out. The EU was also built on human right values, not just on economic wealth.

7. Let’s dare to not only look at human rights violations across our own borders, but in our own back yards as well. That would create credibility when pointing fingers.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.