Open discussion with the EU Religious Freedom Special Envoy helped set priorities
Members of the European Parliament and expert organisations such as the European Evangelical Alliance call on Mairead McGuiness in Brussels to contact governments that fail to protect this human right: both within and outside Europe.
BRUSSELS · 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 · 11:36 CET
With the start of the new parliamentary term, all the European Parliament’s committees are resuming their work, including the one on Human Rights.
On 3 September, the European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mairead McGuiness, brought together political representatives from various countries, academics and organisations concerned with religious freedom in Brussels for an open dialogue.
The experienced Irish politician, who was appointed to her new role in March, spoke for seven minutes to emphasise that no country can claim to be free unless it guarantees freedom of religion or belief. The reality, she added, is that two-thirds of the world’s states do not protect this fundamental right.
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Among those present was Tatiana Kopaleishvili, the European Evangelical Alliance’s representative in Brussels. “I was pleased to see how many MEPs were aware of and raised concerns about the deteriorating situation of Christians within the EU,” she explained after the meeting. “Countries outside the EU, such as Belarus and Turkey, were also brought to the committee’s attention.”
Providing further details to Evangelical Focus, Kopaleishvili also praised the “mainly listening” approach adopted by the EU’s top official responsible for defending religious freedom.
“It was a meeting where the Members of the European Parliament were trying to gauge where she stands and what her strategy will be,” she explained.
McGuiness, who is a journalist by profession and served as Vice-President of the European Parliament (between 2017 and 2020) and subsequently as Commissioner for Financial Stability (2020–2024), noted that her work takes on greater importance as extremism and polarisation increase.
Impressions after the meeting
“As I gathered from conversations in the corridors afterwards, organisations expect her not to focus narrowly on a few selected countries, as previous Envoys did,” explains Tatiana Kopaleishvili. “They want her to make proactive statements and engage directly with governments — not just with grassroots communities, as she mentioned in her speech or one of her responses.”
The meeting on 3 September also heard the views of the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat, and the scholar specialising in religion in the EU, François Foret.
A recording of the event is available on the European Parliament’s website.
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