EU and its Christian roots

Should the future constitution of the 27-member European Union include a mention of God or Christianity?

Angela Merkel and EU

Touchy subject
Once again this question is on the European agenda. Germany's chancellor and current EU president Angela Merkel brought this touchy subject up in an interview last Monday. The Vatican and other church organizations have expressed regret that the document doesn't clearly refer to Europe's Judeo-Christian roots, so they will certainly be pleased that she dares raise the issue and clearly state her position. Others want this touchy subject to vanish into thin air.

"Club of Values"
The chancellor said to German news weekly Focus: "No one doubts that they (Christian roots) significantly shape our life, our society. I wonder, can we maintain the formative aspects of Christianity for day-to-day politics if the political sphere does not stand by them?" Although Merkel stresses to acknowledge Europe's Christian heritage, she also maintains that Europe is a diverse continent and not a "Christian Club", but rather a "Club of Values". Freedom of choice and human dignity for instance are fundamental European values, which may not be threatened.

EU aspirant Turkey
Critics say that a referral to EU's Christian roots will make it difficult for EU aspirant Turkey that is largely Muslim. Some political parties want Turkey to have a full-fledged EU membership, while for instance Merkel's conservative Christian Union bloc favours a "privileged partnership" with Turkey for a number of reasons, one of them being the size of the country with 63 million inhabitants linked to the fact that they are predominately Muslim. The total population of the Muslims in the EU member countries is about 18 million; about 3 million of them are living in Germany. When asked Turkey maintains that the EU should be based on universal values, implicating that EU should not be based on Christian values, but rather universal values such as human dignity, democracy, the principle of law, the principle of solidarity, and human rights. Particularly the French are also renowned to uphold EU as a secular community of nations, just as France's official secularism is much more extensive than many of the other European nations.

Dialogue is in vogue
This so-called tolerant approach is gaining momentum in European politics. For instance the new EU Parliamentary President Hans-Gert Pöttering will not press for referral to God or Christianity in a revised constitution despite the fact that he as chairman of the EPP-ED (centre-right) group in the European Parliament favoured the mentioning of Christian values in a constitution. In his new role as president he represents a majority position where key priority is "dialogue between cultures", particularly between Christians and Muslims.

Redefining or accepting Europe
Merkel vows to do what she can as EU president until June 2007 to push for a EU constitution ready for approval in early 2009, but she would also very much like a referral to the importance of Christianity in Europe. One of the earlier presidents of the EU Jacques Delors spoke of giving Europe a soul. This is another approach than Merkels, who believes Europe already has a soul linked to Europe's diversity and tolerance - and Christianity. Besides this, she would like to maintain as much as possible of the current draft treaty, which has been on stand-by since France and the Netherlands rejected it.

Related information
Europe, an identity or a project, Sign and sight