The Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief shortlisted 30 countries in the world where basic rights are violated. “We must do whatever is in our power to cherish, defend and promote this freedom”.

Witnesses said the gunman yelled “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest, in Arabic). The suspect was on the “Fiche S” list of potential security threats.

“Dozens of letters arrive in support to this cause, millions support us”, says the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance. Prayer vigils planned for the next days.

The European Christian Political Movement adds pressure to the Bulgarian government. Christians across Bulgaria have been praying and protesting for the last four weeks.

Bulgarian lawmakers concede some restrictions in a new Religion Denominations Act after international pressure and intensive protests. A new constraint however threatens the legal existence of many denominations.

The Spanish Evangelical Alliance denounces “the erroneous imposition of political authority in the religious life” of Bulgarians, in a letter to Members of the European Parliament.

The President of the European Parliament invites the family of the Christian woman to Brussels. Antonio Tajani: “Pakistani government must uphold Human Rights commitments”.

The European Parliament voted to ban replaceable products such as plates, straws and cotton buds, by 2021.

During a plenary session, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani called for her immediate release.

Abortion rates for prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal abnormality, are high: nearly 100 per cent in Iceland, 98 per cent in Denmark, and 90 per cent in the United Kingdom.

Hungarian and Italian leaders meet in Milan with the 2019 EU Parliament elections in mind. “There are two sides at the moment in Europe”, Hungarian President Orbán said.

Europe needs to ensure a true diversity of opinions within the European Parliament.

The Special Committee on Terrorism proposes to “ban and remove all religious literature within their territory that incites to violent and terrorist acts”,

Škripek is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and a convinced Christian. To him, praying for a seemingly hopeless situation as there is in Syria is a logical thing to do.

Representatives of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria explained in Brussels their social model for a post-war Syria. The initiative for the cooperation was taken by the Christians, in collaboration with Muslims and other groups.

The new #FoRBDefender movement stands in solidarity with people across the globe facing discrimination, oppression and violence because of their religion or belief (including non-belief).

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe has collected over 2200 cases since 2006.

All the speakers of the event organised in the European Parliament emphasised the importance of implementing family-friendly policies.

Auke Minnema, General Director of the European Christian Political Movement, says young Christians should be encouraged to engage with society following the example of Jesus Christ and many others in the Bible. “We have a message, and we should be salt and light”.

The Annual Report on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU is a narrow document, that misses some of the key elements related to the very topic that it purports to address.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning “the practice of surrogacy, which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity”.

The European Union demands the UK to clarify how much it is willing to pay for previous commitments made as a member state. Negotiationg a trade deal will be discussed later, sources say.

Users can call, text and use data at the same price they pay at home. “It is one of our greatest and most tangible successes”, the EU says in a statement.

“Belief-based intolerance and discrimination of refugees is a pan-European problem”, Christian organisations said during a hearing at the European Parliament. 

Slovakian MEP Branislav Škripek, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, and former prime minister of Ethiopia Tamrat Layne, spoke about how faith in God has shaped their lives.