Use EU Development Aid to Support Persecuted Christians Worldwide

The EPP Group Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue held its first meeting of the new term under new leadership, with a strong call for unity, respect, mutual understanding, and collaboration between religious communities and cultures.

“Religions can play a crucial role in these challenging times for the European Union and the world. They can build bridges and foster mutual understanding in a time of increasing geopolitical tensions. We must not allow religion to be misused to polarise our societies,” said Željana Zovko MEP and Vangelis Meimarakis MEP, co-chairs of the Working Group, at their inaugural meeting on Tuesday.

Zovko emphasised the need to use EU development aid to strengthen the position of persecuted religious communities and promote freedom of belief in third countries. “It is also essential to integrate common values into the work of the European External Action Service and European diplomacy,” she stressed.

Meimarakis underlined the unique position of the EPP group: "We are the only political group in the European Parliament with a long-standing dialogue with the Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Jewish communities."