Religious freedom experts met this week at the European Parliament, to discuss how to protect believers and safeguard religious freedom, amid the current trends of rising religious intolerance in Europe.

The panel discussion, called “Safeguarding religious freedom in Europe: Current challenges and future prospects”, followed this year's European Prayer Breakfast.

It was led by MEP Dr Paulius Saudargas, and included Dr. Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission coordinator for combating anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life; Dr. Gudrun Kugler, Austrian member of Parliament and vice-president of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly; Alessandro Calcagno, Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) adviser on fundamental rights and Article 17 TFEU; and Anja Hoffmann, Executive director of Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC)

Saudargas welcomed the panel debate, stating that it was an important step in the follow-up to the European Parliament's debate on rising religious intolerance in October.

Afterwards, Katharina von Schnurbein recalled the recent anti-Semitic attacks in Europe and stressed that “we all should never underestimate the power of working together, even with those who do not agree on every point”.

Legal restrictions on religious freedom

Anja Hoffmann presented the findings of the organisation's latest report on discrimination against Christians in Europe.

She also drew attention to legislation restricting religious freedom, with cases such as the trial of Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen for tweeting a Bible verse, or the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor for praying silently in a so-called "buffer zone" near an abortion clinic in the UK, which “show that lawmakers must carefully consider the side effects legislation can have on religious freedom”.

Gudrun Kugler told that she had expereicend discrimination because of her Christian faith, and agreed that “there are a number of legal restrictions on religious freedom, including parental rights, across Europe”.

She mentioned “regulations that forces medical students to participate in abortions in order to successfully complete their medical studies as a violation of conscience rights”.

“Human rights are not for picking and choosing, we have to make sure that all human rights are protected”, pointed out Kugler.

Respect all aspects of religious freedom

Finally, Calcagno underlined the need “to respect all aspects of religious freedom, in its private and public, individual and collective dimensions, including religious autonomy rights”.

He also stressed “the need to overcome the misconception that the display of religious symbols may offend the sensibilities of believers of other faiths or non-believers” and called for better protection of places of worship.

EU coordinator for combating anti-Christian hate crimes

Participants agreed that “in order to ensure that each religious community has equal access to protection tools, an EU coordinator for combating anti-Christian hate crimes should be created”, and the mandate of the Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU need to extend.

European Prayer Breakfast

The 2024 European Prayer Breakfast was held at the European Parliament on 4 December, and attended by around 450 guests. This was the 27th edition.

Hosted by MEPs, with participants from other European institutions, its goal is “to encourage committed relationships in these arenas which will continue into the future”.

“In most meetings in Brussels, the agenda, the speakers, and the programme take a central stage. The intent, however, is to be relationship-driven rather than agenda-driven”, explain the organisers.