Bonner Querschnitte 15/2011 Ausgabe 169 (eng)

(Bonn, 17.06.2011) The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, already has a strong record when it comes to furthering religious freedom and fighting the persecution of Christians and of adherents of other religions. Now the CDU’s Berlin based Commission for Development and Human Rights on the federal level is demanding an even stronger commitment to the assertion of religious freedom. Therefore the commission has passed the resolution ‘Worldwide assertion of religious freedom’. “It is good that the Government has made religious freedom a main focus of its foreign policy”, Arnold Vaatz, Chairperson of the Commission, emphasized. Now more attention should be given to this topic on the European level.

Thus the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU is asked in the resolution to give an annual report on the state of religious freedom in the world. In accession negotiations of the EU the deficiencies in the sphere of religious freedom should be considered more strongly than hitherto. In addition the commission requests to include provisions on the guarantee of religious freedom in association agreements of the EU with third countries. All immigrants in Germany are requested to promote the right to religious freedom in their countries of origin.

Downloads:

• Resolution “Implementing Religious Freedom Worldwide” (pdf)