Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Bishops present report on governance

The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) on Thursday presented their report on global governance, which proposes the setting up of a Global Governance Group, to complement the current G7/G8 mechanism and improve coherence between international organisations. The report, which was published in September, was commissioned as a follow-up to the Social Congress on Europe's Responsibility for Global Development, held in Brussels on 31 March - 1 April 2000.

A Global Governance Group

A key element of the report is the proposal for a Global Governance Group (3G), which the authors argue would complement the current G7/G8 mechanism. One of the main problems with governance at the moment is, according to the report, a lack of coherence between international organisations. The hope is that 3G will be able to give political guidance to the institutions responsible for key aspects of development issues.

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The report envisages the group comprising of the 24 heads of government that have executive directors on the boards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Michel Candessus, former managing director of the IMF, told the EUobserver.com that it was important to choose a size of group that would be "manageable but also reasonably representative of the world". The other benefit of this system of representation, according to Mr Candessus, is that it is based on international treaties, has been tested and is respected for dealing with issues of an economic or financial nature.

Further globalisation is inevitable

According to the report, the expansion of global economic interdependence, globalisation, is inevitable: "it will neither stop nor go into reverse". Global economic interdependence is, according to the report, the result of "enormous technological progress" and political determination to open up national economies.

The report notes the benefits of globalisation - for example, enjoying a world of greater diversity and efficiency - but also warns of possible dangers. In particular, the report highlights that globalisation can lead to a loss of cultural identity. The idea behind global governance is to ensure that the positive impacts of globalisation are enhanced and that its potentially negative effects are diminished.

The principle of subsidiarity

The report insists that global governance should not seek to take the place of national governments or regional organisations such as the EU. It cannot replace them - rather, it should acquire legitimacy from them.

The principle of subsidiarity, whereby legislation is applied at the level most suited to deal with it, is one of the core principles of global governance, writes the report, but is also a fundamental principle of the Catholic Church.

Global governance creates opportunities for solving international problems

Some problems, according to the report, can only be resolved on an international scale, and greater globalisation provides an opportunity to address such problems.

For example, the report notes that the gap between rich and poor countries is now the largest that it has ever been. Such inequality can lead to political instability and violent conflicts within and between countries and regions. A "just and balanced" form of global governance may help prevent such an outcome, writes the report.

Similarly, the report acknowledges that environmental issues "are truly global in nature". It is not possible for a single nation to deal with such problems. "A sustainable form of global governance is urgently needed to solve global environmental problems," writes the report.

The search for a new kind of citizenship

The report says that many people feel cut off from "the universal" and that Europeans do not have a sense of identification with Europe. What is needed, therefore, is a new kind of citizenship and a rich appreciation of affiliations at all levels: local, national, regional and global. The search for global governance should involve all European citizens, for it affects the lives of everybody.

The Commission White Paper on good governance

The COMECE report welcomes the Commission's white paper on good governance: "we should all follow what is laid out in the white paper," said Mr Candessus. Many points noted in the COMECE report - for example, bringing governance closer to the citizen - are also mentioned in the white paper.

The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community

COMECE was established in 1980 for creating a stable platform of co-operation between the EU and the Catholic Church, for monitoring EU policies, and for trying to contribute directly to these policies.

COMECE consists of 14 members, one from each Conference of Bishops in the EU. In addition to the 14 permanent members, five associate members from the accession countries Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Malta and Slovakia also sit on the board. COMECE receives funding from the individual Conferences of Bishops that make up its membership, and it receives no funding from the EU.

Speaking to the EUobserver.com, a COMECE spokesperson stressed the "socio-ethical" nature of politics, and insisted that it is quite natural for religion and politics to work alongside each other. "Politics is about the way we lead our lives," said the spokesperson. "We want to introduce social teaching into politics." COMECE focuses on specific areas of EU policy, including social policy, trade, economic issues, migration policy, justice and home affairs, bioethical research, human genetics, and increasingly foreign policy.

Chapel for Europe opens in Brussels

On Tuesday, a chapel in the heart of the European Quarter of Brussels was reopened after 20 years as a "Chapel for Europe". It is hoped that the chapel, renamed as Chapelle de la Résurrection (Chapel of the Resurrection), will act as "a crucible of hope and unity" in the future integration of the EU. Robert Schuman, widely credited as one of the founding fathers of the EU, once said: "Europe cannot remain economic and technical: it needs a soul." It is expected that this new "Chapel for Europe" will provide the level of spirituality that Mr Schuman was talking about.

Prodi to speak on European governance reforms

On Tuesday in Strasbourg, Commission President Romano Prodi will make a statement on the recently published white paper on the reform of European governance. This will be followed by a short debate in parliament, with members of each political group commenting on the paper. The white paper, published in June, highlights the need for reform of the way the EU is governed against a backdrop of further European integration and expansion of the Union into eastern Europe.

Bishops debate the challenge of terrorism for EU

The Commission of the Bishop's Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) discussed, at its bi-annual plenary meeting on 22 and 23 November, the long-term implications of the 11 September terrorist attacks for the European Union.

In general, the bishop's of COMECE welcome the proposed introduction of a single European arrest warrant, which is due to be agreed by EU justice and home affairs ministers on 6-7 December, and the creation of a European area of freedom, security and justice.

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