European Christian Political Movement

New members added to ECPYN board

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:18:41 +0200

During last week's International Summer School, ECPYN held its general assembly. Jonathan van Tongeren stepped down as Secretary General after having fulfilled two consecutive terms of two years. Two new board members were elected, Denys Dhiver and Auke Minnema.

Auke Minnema from the Netherlands, who had been working as vice-secretary and secretary of regional meetings of ECPYN and thus knows the workings of the organisation quite well already, will take on the post of secretary general. Denys Dhiver from France brings the total number of board members to five. Other board members are: Razvan Burleanu (Romania), Nutsa Shavladze (Georgia) and Vladimir Plamadeala (Moldova).

More information about the board members can be found at http://www.ecpyn.org/page/10976

Nordic Conference in Estonia

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:47:02 +0200

The European Christian Political Movement invites you to participate in our upcoming Nordic conference in Tallinn (Estonia), September 9-11, 2010. The theme of this conference will be "the Perspective of Christian Democracy in the Nordic Countries".

This year, the ECPM will have it’s 3rd conference about Christian politics in the Nordic countries. The September conference in Estonia will tackle issues like the increasing secularism in the Nordic countries but also the numeral crises in Europe today. Furthermore, the role of the European Union in all these processes will be discussed.

In the coming weeks, more details about the programme will be announced. If you already want to register for the conference, you can do so here.

We hope to meet you in Tallinn in September!

For more information, click here.

Big changes after Belgian elections

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:52:57 +0200

On sunday June 13, elections were held in Belgium after the fall of the government of prime minister Leterme on April 26. In Flandres the Christan-democrat party CD&V lost 12,3% and has now 17,3% of the votes. In Wallonie the Socialists are the big winners with 35,7% of the votes.

Flandres
Kris Vleugels, Chairman of C'Axent: “The Belgian elections resulted in a giga-score for the Flemish confederalist/separatist party N-VA (New Flemish Alliance), which didn’t even exist a few years ago. The French speaking part of the government will now have to cooperate with the N-VA, which is now the biggest party in Belgium.

The Christian voice is less strong in Belgian politics since last Sunday. Most of the Parliamentarians with a clear Christian view were not re-elected. With Mia De Schamphelaere, who had been in Parliament since 1995, the last member of C’axent in Federal Parliament leaves this political assembly. Parties made populist instead of ideological choices when the candidates were listed. C’axent might have to rethink its strategy.”

Wallonie & Brussels
Christine Dupuis (Christian-democrats Fédéraux (CDF)): "The 'big winners of the legislatives, for Wallonie & Brussels, are the Socialists (PS) of Elio Di Rupo - with 35,7% in 2010, against 26,3% - while the 3 other mainstream parties (MR, Ecolo (greens), CDH (Christian-Democrats)) are loosing substantial votes. The big loser is probably the central-right party, the MR . A new emerging party, popular & right-wing, named the 'Parti Populaire' (PP), gets one deputee. The other small parties stay rather stable in their scores, apart maybe in Wallonie for the CDF - and especially in the Luxembourg Province - The CDF did run in cartel this year, with the 'BUB', under the name 'Belg.Unie', with a score staying however inferior to 1,5%".

"The 2 major figures of the Poll are Elio Di Rupo and Bart De Wever" says Christine Dupuis. "De Wever of the Flemish NVA has been choosen as informator by the King. The one to be talked about as possible Prime-Minister candidate is Di Rupo, which would be historical too, as he would be the 1st French PM since the 1970s. Trying to form a coalition between NVA & PS, is a quite challenging perspective, in view of the major differences between both parties'political programme."

ChristenUnie stable factor in extremely volatile political landscape

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:37:39 +0200

The ChristenUnie, one of the ECPM memberparties, lost one of its 6 seats in the last parliamentary elections. Although it is a slightly disappointing result, the ChristenUnie did clearly better than the other two governing parties in an extremely volatile political landscape. 66 of the 150 seats in parliament changed hands and there were big changes on the left and on the right, a clear showing that many voters in the Netherlands now very easily change their party preference from the one to the other side of the political spectrum. In these circumstances the ChristenUnie kept the vast majority of its voters and proved to be a stable factor in the Dutch parliament.

Georgian Christian Democrats Pleased with Results of Local Elections

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:42:42 +0200

The leader of the Christian-Democratic Movement Giorgi Targamadze considers local elections held last Sunday successful for his party. The Christian Democrats, according to preliminary results of local self-government elections, achieved the electoral threshold in Tbilisi and throughout the country taking the second or third places after the ruling party leading in the elections.

"Christian-Democratic Movement have redoubled its results in this election. I want to especially thank our activists who fought in the unequal struggle" - said Targamadze at the press briefing on Monday, the agency Novosti-Georgia reports."In the future, we will fight to defeat the ruling party", - added the leader of the CDM.

The first number in the CDM party list, a former TV anchor Inga Grigolia promised that in the sakrebulo - the organ of local self-government in Tbilisi - the faction of the Christian Democrats' opposition will be that particular force which will not let Georgian authorities live undisturbed."

"The regime in Georgia is today celebrating its victory, but I want to tell them that soon they will not have time for it. Because Tbilisi sakrebulo will soon open a new front on it," - said Grigolia.

In Georgian elections to the local government bodies on Sunday, May 30, the first direct election of mayor in Tbilisi and mid-term elections to vacant seats in Parliament have been held.

As at 15.30, on Monday, the Central Electoral Commision has processed data from more than half of the electoral caucases in Tbilisi and about a third – from entire country. In Tbilisi the CDM has received about 12% and it is on the third place, after the ruling party and the oppositional "Alliance for Georgia" (18%). More interesting situation arises with the outcome of the regional sakrebulo elections - here the constellation is not completely clear, the Christian Democrats can claim second place, ahead of the Alliance. The gap is very small – Alliance has 12.11%, while CDM - 11.08%.

The Christian Democrats belong to the parliamentary opposition. Their faction in the highest legislative body of the country includes seven MPs.

The growing relevance of Christian-democracy in Europe

Mon, 31 May 2010 16:19:56 +0200

From May 27 till May 29 the ECPM (European Christian Political Movement) celebrated it's 6th annual congress and it's first year as an European Party. These members, ranging from Ireland in the west till Armenia in the east, met each other these three days in Brussels to discuss 'the relevance of Christian Politics in the 21st century'.

Lecturers like Gert-Jan Segers (director of Scientific Institute of ChristenUnie), Senator Rónán Mullen (Ireland), David Fieldsend (Care for Europe), and Benjamin Harnwell (Chairman of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute) addressed the participants about the urgent need for Christian-democracy in Europe and the need to unite as Christians to really be the salt and light in Europe and the whole world.

Besides these lectures, several ECPM members from post-Soviet countries discussed the need for more Christian values in there countries and how the ECPM could make a difference in countries like Belarus, Estonia, Moldova and Ukraine.

During the General Assembly on May 29, the ECPM members decided to launch a new project that would research and elaborate on the impact of Christianity on Europe and its institutions. Furthermore the members accepted the European Christian Political Youth Network as the official youth movement of the ECPM.

All participants also received the official yearbook that documents more than 20 projects in over 15 countries that the ECPM carried out in 2009!

More information and pictures can be found here.

Launch of the subcommittee on Human Dignity in the Romanian Parliament

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:32:52 +0200

On May 4th, the Romanian Parliament will become the 5th legislative to create a legal framework for Human Dignity. The Subcommittee on Human Dignity is a parliamentary structure with correspondents in the European Parliament, the US Congress, the United Kingdom Parliament and the Seismas of the Republic of Lithuania, and will promote the recognition of the infinite value of every single person by recognizing each human life as being made in the Image and Likeness of God, from conception until natural death.

The future Subcommittee will be run by Marius Cristinel Dugulescu, individual member of ECPM, and its founding members are Nicolae Paun, Sergiu Andon, Attila Varga, Florin Postolachi, Mircea Lubanovici and Lucian Rivis-Tipei. Participants to the launch will include representatives of both the political and social sectors from four countries. ECPM will be represented by Leo van Doesburg, Regional Representative for East Europe. An important contribution will also be brought by Benjamin Harnwell, Chairman of the Institute for Human Dignity. Following its inaugural meeting, Subcommitte activities may include organizing seminars and conferences, drafting amendments to legislation and working with the other sister national working groups to support human dignity globally. For more information, please contact Eunice Vatran at: eunicedugulescu@gmail.com, Tel. +40 (0) 722 40 47 40.

Concerns about the Gross report for the Council of Europe

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:04:40 +0200

On 28 April the report of Andreas Gross on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity will be discussed in the Council of Europe.

ECPM is concerned about this report and agrees with what our associate Care for Europe wrote:

We fully support the principle of non-discrimination against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation alone. However, we are concerned that the provisions of the Gross Report go far beyond to what is necessary to prevent discrimination and protect concerned individuals from incitement to violent acts against them.

ECPM agrees with the following concerns that Care for Europe and other organizations have about the report::

It would undermine the sovereign right of States to make their own provisions for recognition of marital and family status. ECHR jurisprudence only requires that where States recognise unmarried couples for certain legal purposes (eg. inheritance or next of kin) this recognition should embrace both same sex and mixed sex couples.
It would undermine the right to freedom of expression, opinion and conscience, particularly for religious organisations and individuals. References to so-called ‘hate speech’ and ‘negative attitudes’ are too open-ended and make no distinction between criticism of persons and criticism of particular forms of conduct. There is also no clear link to intention to incite violence. National jurisdictions where such provisions have already been enacted have seen the prosecution of church ministers, speaking on church premises, for explaining doctrine in the area of sexual morality.
The references to the ‘transgender’ issue contain factual inaccuracies and seek to divorce any State response from the use of objective criteria. As with sexual orientation, gender identity can cover a broad spectrum of conditions and experiences. States have rightly to date limited any provisions for alteration of individual gender records to the use of objective criteria (eg. gender reassignment surgery). The Report seems to advocate the change of objective legal records on the basis of temporary subjective experience alone.

It is encouraging to see that many partners and friends from our network are involved in trying to reach the PACE members to explain them the dangers for this report. Besides Care for Europe, we also thank the European Evangelical Alliance for keeping us informed about the latest developments regarding this report. A day prior to the vote, a lunch will be organized by Care for Europe, World Youth Alliance – Europe and the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe with as theme: "Equal Rights and The Family: A Clash of Rights?” We hope and pray for wisdom and Gods guidance for the meeting of the Council of Europe.

ECPM reacts on tragic loss of Lech Kaczynski, president of Poland

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:11:46 +0200

The Board of European Christian Political Movement is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life of President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria Kaczynska and so many other gifted and devoted personalities of Poland.

We would like to express our profound sorrow, and offer our deepest condolences for the families and friends of those whose lives were cut short by this terrible accident.

ECPM highly appreciates President Kaczyńskis role in Europe's modern history, his firm stand for freedom, justice, human life, and traditional family values.

We share the great sense of loss of the Polish people; and keep Poland, especially the families who are mourning, in our prayers.

May the Lord comfort you in this difficult time.

Statement regarding the situation of Christians in the Islamic World

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:58:20 +0200

The European Christian Political Movement is deeply concerned about the recent months' wave of killings and reprisals against Christians in the Islamic world.

• About 500 Christians were murdered in March in Nigeria's state of Plateau.
• In Iraq, the on-going killings and intimidations have provoked the exodus of tens of families from Mosul in February. According to UN estimates, since 2003, up to 500,000 Christians (half the total Christian population of Iraq) had to flee the country.
• In January, six Christians of the Coptic rite from Egypt were murdered near their church during Coptic Christmas celebration (January 7.)
• The Iranian police continues arbitrary raids on Christian communities, detaining and mistreating worshippers and clergy.
• In March, the Moroccan authorities cracked down on a Christian-run orphanage, arrested and expelled from the country a number of Christian missionaries under the pretext of "proselytizing Muslims."

Whereas some of these incidents can be attributed to inter-sectarian violence, in other instances local and central authorities acquiesced or even contributed to attacks against Christians.

In ECPM's view, these regrettable actions should be regarded in the light of a state-encouraged climate of intolerance and structural flaws in Islamic countries' legislation and policies towards religious minorities. Although in many cases Christians represent the aboriginal population in nowadays Muslim countries, their rights are drastically limited. In many countries ruled according to Islamic precepts, leaving Islam is punishable by death. Christian missionaries or relief workers contacting with Muslims face imprisonment, expulsion, torture or execution. Worship services, public display of faith or introduction of religious literature is restricted or prohibited, even for Christians from abroad.

Bearing in mind that many regimes involved in persecutions of Christians and other minorities are considered "partners" of the European Union and European governments, ECPM believes that avoiding open discussion and promoting the silent policy of appeasement can no longer be regarded as appropriate strategies. ECPM recalls that European tax-payers money is offered in blank to assist the regimes, which openly disregard the very basic values for the European civilization: the right to life, freedom of thought and religion, freedom of assembly, respect to minorities, equality and tolerance.

ECPM therefore urges the European bodies and governments in charge of channeling funds and assistance to Islamic governments to firmly condition their further support by receiving tangible and measurable guarantees of a minimum level of freedom and protection offered to religious minorities.

ECPM appeals to those regimes of Islamic countries that are using discriminatory and aggressive policies towards Christians to cease such practices and allow for freedom and tolerance. ECPM reminds that citizens and originates from the Islamic world living and visiting Europe enjoy the full range of civil, political and social rights. We hereby call on Islamic countries' political and religious authorities to manifest reciprocity, good will and humanity by guaranteeing at least the very basic human rights to Christians and missionaries living and visiting Islamic countries.

In our vision, an efficient cooperation between Europe and the Islamic world can only be attained if the existing problems are brought to an open discussion and understanding and tolerance are manifested not only by one side.

Easter greetings

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:21:39 +0200

In these days, we will remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and his resurrection. We are celebrating the heart of our faith, as the apostel Paul says: "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Kor.15:3,4)
Board and secretariat of ECPM whish all of you a happy Easter!

6th Annual ECPM Congress: Application now possible

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:31:18 +0200

The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) will hold its 6th annual congress in Brussels (Belgium), May 27-29. All members, associates, friends and people who are interested are invited to join and talk about "the relevance of Christian Politics in the 21st century".

Several lecturers, such as Gert-Jan Segers (director of Scientific Institute of ChristenUnie), Daniel Barbu (University of Bucarest), Senator Ronan Mullen (Ireland), David Fieldsend (Care for Europe) and Steven Van Hecke (University of Antwerp) have already confirmed.

The congress will start in the evening of May 27. On May 29, ECPM will have its annual member congress. More information can be found here: http://www.ecpm.info/en/page/27359. Registration can be done here: http://www.ecpm.info/en/page/27371.

Participants are expected to take care of their own hotel room. There will be a small participation fee, participants can apply for a partial reimbursement which will depend on distance and economic background.

Belarusian Christian Democracy nr 1 in terms of local candidates

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:09:17 +0100

Of all democratic parties the Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) has put forward the most candidates for the local elections. Local elections are to be held on April 25, 2010.

According to the BCD's press service the party proposed 173 candidate deputies in 226 constituencies - 48 'voblast' (regional) councils, 102 city councils, 55 'raion' (district) councils, 3 township councils and 18 village councils. Since the BCD didn’t receive official registration with the Belarusian Ministry of Justice, all candidates had to be nominated through collection of signatures.

More than 20 potential candidates from the BCD have been forced to withdraw from participation in the campaign because of the repressions by the state authorities.

The chairperson of the Central Election Committee announced at a press conference in Minsk, March 17, 2010, that 591 party candidates were proposed for the current local elections.

Other opposition parties put forward the following numbers of candidates:

The Belarusian United Left Party "Fair World" - 126

The United Civic Party - 94

The Belarusian People’s Front - 35

The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) - 32

The Belarusian Party "The Greens" - 5

The Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly - 2

Only the pro-government Communist Party of Belarus nominated a larger number of candidates than the BCD – 207.

“Belarusian Christian Democracy Party exists only a year as a party, but the result of the nominations speaks for itself,” said the leader of the BCD, Paval Sieviarynets. “The idea of Christian democracy now unites the majority of democratically minded Belarusians. Despite the repressions, 173 Christian Democrats continue their political campaign."

Support the petition for a free Sunday!

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:24:13 +0100

December 1, 2009, the new EU Treaty of Lisbon came into force. In this treaty is included that citizens of the EU can start a so called citizens' initiative, which obligates the European Commission to place the issue concerned in the initiative on the agenda.

For such a citizens' initiative at least 1.000.000 (1 million) signatures are needed, that on top of that have to come from at least half of all member states.

My colleague in the European Parliament Martin Kastler from Germany has started to organise the first citizens' initiative in Europe with the motto "Mum and dad belong to us on Sunday!". I have spoken extensively with my colleague and we have agreed to cooperate on this initiative. I want to collect as many votes as I can in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe.

The goal of this action is to get the free Sunday on the agenda in all of Europe. The Sunday as a day to slow down in Europe! A day for the family, going to church and to relax and recreate. For that we need your support!

This is why I call on you to support this action with your signature at http://www.free-sunday.eu/

Join and pass on this message!

Kind regards,

Peter van Dalen

Member of European Parliament, ChristenUnie (Christian Union party of the Netherlands)

Statement on the leader of the Moldovan Christian-Democrats, Iurie Rosca.

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:55:08 +0100

The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is concerned about the latest proceedings against the leader of the Moldovan Christian-Democrats, Iurie Rosca.

Moldovan prosecutors have reopened two criminal cases that date from 2002 when the Opposition leader Iurie Rosca was active during peaceful antigovernment demonstrations. These protests were aimed against the antidemocratic practices of the former ruling communist Party in Moldova.

Due to the intervention of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, the persecutions were renounced and the criminal cases against leaders of the opposition in Moldova were dropped. Now again cases against the leader of the PPCD were reopened.

The ECPM hopes that this case is not brought up based on political motives and that the Moldovan government will work towards a more democratic and prosperous society based on the values which the ECPM and the European Union stand for: justice, freedom, democracy, peace and reconciliation.

We regard the present situation as a good test to see if we can count on the good faith and willingness of the new government of Moldova that these cases are dealt by the responsible institutions with discernment, care, objectiveness and accuracy and not guided by political motives. Independency of justice in Moldova is of utmost importance, not only regarding to these cases, but also in the long road that is ahead in regaining the trust both in the governmental institutes as well as in an independent juridical system.

ECPM regards Moldovan Christian-Democrats as an important factor in developing and promoting Christian-Democratic values in Moldova and Eastern Europe and because of this, we will follow and monitor this situation closely to assure that the main principles of righteousness and justice will prevail.

ECPM receives official status from the European Parliament

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:44:29 +0100

The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) has been granted an official status at the European level by the European Parliament. This official recognition means that the ECPM will receive funding from the European Parliament. With this funding the ECPM can develop into an even larger forum for Christian-democratic parties and politicians.

The organisation was officially registered in 2005 and already counts more than 20 members from more than 15 European countries. Now it has taken another step to ensure it’s further impact and growth. Chairman Peeter Võsu (Estonia) is very positive about the official status: “The ECPM meets all the requirements for this status and this clearly shows the growing relevance of our movement.”

With the official status and the funding from Brussels the ECPM aims to become more visible in European politics and to become active in the European political debates. With its distinctive Christian-democratic profile, the ECPM is certain that it can offer constructive new ideas for the future of Europe.

The European Christian Political Movement has been growing very rapidly in the last few years. The main reason for this growth is clear, according to Võsu: “We could never have grown so fast if there was not such a need in European countries for our ideas, it is clear that many people in Europe are convinced that Christian values matter!”

Although the ECPM is not a group in the European Parliament, it is now one of the ten organisations that have been awarded this special status. Other organisations that have this status include the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Party of European Socialists (PES).

“The recognition by the European Parliament is very interesting for the dynamics in European politics,” according to vice-chairman Kris Vleugels (Belgium). He claims that the ECPM is really unique because the European Christian Political Movement is not a competitor to any European group in the European Parliament. “Instead,” Vleugels says, “the ECPM wants to cooperate with all parties and politicians who share our values!”

This position points out the unique philosophy of the organisation; uniting parties and politicians around Christian values, regardless of party colours. “This way of thinking opens many opportunities for constructive cooperation in national and European politics which will benefit the people of Europe” concludes Peeter Võsu.

The ECPM will celebrate this milestone during the next Members Congress that will take place in Brussels in the end of May.

For more information contact Guido van Beusekom (general-secretary): office@ecpm.info

Christians in Politics Portal

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:22:11 +0100

The Christians in Politics Portal is a new website that was launched to increase discussion on Christian politics all over the world. Many (associate) members of the ECPM have contributed to this portal and we hope that it will become a success.

As we have already seen within our own movement, a lot of problems that we face in either East or West, show many similarities. We think that the solutions to these problems may also have many similarities and this is why a portal can make a big impact.

By staying in contact with Christian politicians from all over the world we can inspire and support each other by sharing our knowledge on political thought and political practice. Therefore, Christians in Politics Portal, also depends on your contribution: If you have any experience on Christian political thought or practice, you are warmly invited to share this with others on www.cpportal.org.

In the coming days, the Christians in Politics Portal will also publish an article on International Law written by ECPM board member Vladimir Plamadeala from Moldova.

The best wishes for 2010!

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:19:56 +0100

The ECPM board and staff wish you a fruitful & blessed 2010!

We hope that we will meet you at one of the many ECPM activities that are planned for this year. For our organisation 2010 will be an exciting new year in which we hope that we can continue to grow as we did in the past years. Since our first member congress took place at the end of 2005 (November/December) we can look back on 5 very blessed years for our movement.

Of course, 2010 is also a very exciting year for the global economy. Have we seen the worst of the crisis and will things imporve in 2010 or will there be a fallback this year?

Many parts of Europe are currently surprised by very cold weather. It is fair to expect that the weather and climate, combined with (cleaner) energy sources will continue to be a big issue in 2010 as well.

In both these issues, and various other ones, Christian values and Christian-democratic thought are very relevant for a sustainable feature for Europe and the world. We hope that, together with you, we can increase the impact of these values in the global politics of 2010!

Happy Christmas with Christ

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:41:13 +0100

With Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s long term plan to give us eternal life and fellowship with him was fulfilled in it. We can see God’s heart and his commitment to his creation in this act. It gives us security and peace because we do not need to doubt about our relationship with the Lord.

In the current western society, with a long history of celebrating Christmas, we need to express the simple truth about Christmas again that we do it because of the birth of our Lord. We all receive multitudes of messages about Christmas gifts, concerts, greetings, etc. It is easy to forget about the real content of Christmas in the middle of the communication noise. The truth about Christmas is the most important reason for celebrating and I hope that you will all be in the situation that you can celebrate this with the people who are dearest to you.

Our goal as Christians in politics in Europe is to bring God back to our society. Although we as individuals need God in our personal lives, we are also social beings and we need God as the Lord over our society. Neither our own life, the church nor the state can thrive without His blessing.

In spite of the high development of the science and extraordinary knowledge about economy and finances we have experienced deep economic problems lately. Most of the problems have their roots in our moral behavior and distancing from God. This was also one of the conclusions that we made on our last member congress in Bern; the crisis did not start as an economic one, but as a moral one.

Speaking about the ECPM, I am most grateful that our movement continues to grow and I see this as a blessing from the Lord. We grew in members and more and more people recognize the unique status of our organization. In September there was the 2^nd meeting of the Eastern European Bureau of Christian Democratic parties, it is wonderful to see how these parties, who are also ECPM members, continue in supporting each other on various issues.

I am confident that we, as members and associates of the ECPM, can make a new step in 2010 in advancing Christian values in European politics.

Of course, not everything is going as we would like. The pressure put on our friends of the Belarusian Christian Democrats is an issue that concerns us all. Not only do they not have the freedom to officially register their own party, there is also a lack of freedom of religion for many churches in Belarus. I hope that 2010 will be the year that we can remember as the year of their official registration as a party.

Yet, if we look at the coming days, I wish that we may have the wisdom to turn our eyes more often to the Lord this Christmas time. If we seek first the Kingdom of God then he will bless us and give us wisdom to make right decisions in our highly responsible activities. Christmas is a good time to celebrate, to focus on the Lord and to be thankful for all that He did.

I wish you, on behalf of the ECPM board and staff, a peaceful Christmas and blessed New Year!

Peeter Vosu
Chairman ECPM

ECPM supports March for Life Initiative

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:26:28 +0100

The European Christian Political Movement supports the March for Life Initiative. The organizers for this March come from several ideological backgrounds but they all want attention for the fact that all born and unborn infants deserve life, respect and protection.

The march will take place in Brussels on 28 March 2010. If you want more information about this initiative you can go to www.28march2010.be/splash.html.

The ECPM hopes that several of its members will be present in March to step up and defend the rights of those who are not able to defend themselves.

Andr� Rouvoet adresses European Prayer Breakfast

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:08:14 +0100

Andr� Rouvoet, Minister of Youth and Family of the Netherlands and political leader of the ChristenUnie, addressed the European Prayer Breakfast in Brussels last Wednesday. The speech was very well received by the audience according to ECPM chairman Peeter V�su and vice-chairman Kris Vleugels who attended the meeting on behalf of the European Christian Political Movement.

Below you can read the full speech of André Rouvoet.

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for the invitation to address this years European Prayer Breakfast. It’s good to be in the company of brothers and sisters in Christ, all working in different positions in the corridors of power. This is a good occasion to remind each other about the meaning of our relationship with Jesus for our personal lives and families, for our work and for the part of the world that we live in, Europe.

One of the central values of the European Union is freedom. This theme came to my mind when we celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall last month. We all have seen the moving images of the happy crowds, pushing through the firstly opened checkpoint at Bornholmer Strasse, and of the euphoric people cutting down the hated wall. Free at last! The era of oppression was over. Many of you present here come from the former Soviet states, and know from personal experience what this meant to your people.

As for me, never in my life I saw a better illustration of the importance of freedom to the human person. And we should never forget about this.

I think however that today we also have reason to fundamentally rethink the idea of freedom. To explain this, I will make two points:

why the Western idea of freedom runs into problems
how biblical insights can help us rethink freedom

Ad 1 Why our idea of freedom runs into problems

I was intrigued by a comment of a well-known radio- and televisionhost in my country, Martin Simek. He fled from Czechoslovakia in 1968. In the Dutch newspaper NRC he wrote that when he came to the Netherlands, he expected to see happy people celebrating their free existence. But what he saw around him were ‘gloomy faces’. “As if nobody really enjoyed being free”, he wrote. “It was like they wanted more of something they already had”. The question that is still puzzling him up till today is: ”what exactly is freedom?”

This is a very good question. What is the current idea of freedom? I think the most widespread concept of freedom in our collective consciousness is the liberal idea of maximization of the individual right to do whatever you like as long as it doesn’t harm the rights of your fellow citizens. It’s what Isaiah Berlin called ‘negative liberty’: the absence of coercion.

We should affirm the good side of this idea: protection of the individual against an intervening state, and the guarantee of both political and economic freedom. Surely, this was the right answer to the threat of a dictator taking over power in the Second World War, and to the Communist regimes. It is still good news to be brought to those parts of the world where people are suffering from oppression, fear and poverty today.

However, there’s a downside to this idea of freedom. We seem to have forgotten about the purpose of it. Let me illustrate this point. On a cultural level, freedom-loving Westerners, especially the children of the cultural revolution of the sixties and seventies, seem to exaggerate freedom. This shows in the way they relate to eachother and in their lifestyle. Somebody once wrote about Western lifestyle: “we’re buying things we don't need, to impress people we don't like”. For many children of the sixties it is true what Martin Simek wrote: they walk around with gloomy faces, because they want more of what they already have.

This is not only true for the personal morale, it’s also true for our economic life on a larger scale.

It’s the exaggerated pursuit of profit and of consumption that caused the current global financial and environmental crises. I think we are all aware that these crises have very unjust consequences: those who profit the least and who are the least responsible pay the highest price, in the countries of Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where people live in areas vulnerable to floodings or draughts. Due to carbon emissions from the wealthy West.

On the political level we see freedom is threatened by absolutization of the individual rights. For example: it’s an absolutization of the freedom of speech and expression to claim the right to insult, to hurt people in their deepest religious feelings. It is an absolutization of the right to equal treatment too forbid religious people to have organizations that hire staff which has the same faith or convictions. One would assume that these are very unliberal points of view, but in Europe as well as in my own country this debate is being initiated over and over again by liberal (or should I say: libertarian) politicians. I’m afraid this is because in fact there’s not an agenda of freedom at work here, but a secular agenda, and –consequently- an agenda of restraining religion and believers. This has little to do with freedom. This is demonstrated in the debate on whether or not religious symbols should be allowed in the public sphere.

The picture is clear: the people that came from the former Soviet-Union knew very well from what they wanted to be freed. But they came to a free world in which many people don’t seem to have a clue what to use freedom for. The liberal idea of freedom as maximizing individual rights offers only a negative concept of freedom: it leads to a sense of purposelessness. On top of that, the tendency to ban religion from the public sphere demonstrates that it’s not so freedom-loving after all. My conclusion is therefore that our understanding of freedom needs rethinking.

2. why biblical insights can help rethink the meaning of freedom

The question our Czech friend posed was: What is freedom? I think from what I’ve said just now, the more adequate question is: what is freedom for? Can we find a concept of freedom that makes us serve our economic needs instead of our greed? A freedom that makes us enjoy Creation instead of exhausting it? That makes us honour our neighbours, instead of hurting their deepest feelings? That makes us listen to the voice of minorities instead of silencing them? A freedom that defends the rights of others instead of trying to confine them?

Let us explore what we can derive from the Bible. I want to highlight two basic principles about freedom.

The first is about the purpose of freedom. We can learn from the part of Scripture that we read from Paul’s letter to the Galatians (5:13): “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love”. The key message from this passage is: yes, a man is meant to be free, but if he really wants to enjoy it, he needs to escape from self-centeredness, and learn to live loving one another and seeking righteousness. This is the missing link, the blind spot in the widespread negative concept of freedom. This is why Western culture tends to get off the right track, and doesn’t enjoy the fruits of real freedom.

There’s a telling parallel to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the Old Testament in the story of Exodus. The Hebrew people was liberated from centuries of Egyptian slavery, and saved from Pharaohs troops through the Red Sea. But after being freed, God didn’t send them to the promised land with the message: now go, have fun and do as you like! God knew his self-centered people better than that. He gave them the Ten Commandments, to teach them about the good life. To modern ears it’s hard to understand that the law is not a moral cage full of restrictive bonds, but the path that leads to freedom.

As we read in Deuteronomy 8: “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land”. Maybe modern ears can understand what Paul says a little further in his letter to the Galatians: “The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Yes, unless we stop telling ourselves the lie that we are born to be autonomous individuals with the right to do whatever we want (a lie that justifies our self-centeredness instead of redeeming us from it), our society will not be on the road to freedom but on the road to social degradation and even planetary selfdestruction.

We know the pattern from the story of the Hebrew people: they really got of the right track and had to roam in the desert. It took them a generation to die before their children could enter the promised land. If we realize that true freedom means obeying laws, maybe we could be wiser and leave the desert more timely?

The second principle regards the role of government. In Romans 13 the authorities are called ‘servants of God’, which should be obeyed. The Bible however draws a clear line: "We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29). However important, government remains a servant. No room for totalitarianism here, and a clear hint

that the separation of Church and State is a genuine biblical insight. Government is not to guard the theological truth, but to guard justice. “Not by power, not by might but by my Spirit, says the Lord”. We don’t defend the freedom of religion and the separation of Church and State by concession, but by confession!

Let me elaborate on this. The separation of Church and state doesn’t mean that government should refrain from moral choices. In my political view government supports and protects the development and functioning of the different spheres of society according to its God given purpose. Freedom of society will be guaranteed best when the government refrains from interfering in societal spheres. Only if people act against the norm of public justice, government should not hesitate to intervene in the sovereignty of a sphere. For example: limitless bonuses to executives that stimulates irresponsible risk-taking is destabilising the financial system and thus public justice is at stake: so regulation is a good thing. Another example: the violence against children is definitely against the norm of public justice, so the authorities should intervene in the family life.

Of course this implies that government can never be morally indifferent or neutral. And exactly because of this view Christian politics is often met by angry responses. When my own political party, the Christian Union, became part of the Dutch cabinet, people were talking as if a small fundamentalist minority was going to impose its morality on the nation, and was severely going to restrict the freedom of our society. At first this struck me as a strange thing, as I can think of many reasons why a secular party coming to power might mean a greater threat to freedom than a Christian party, as I already explained.

Still, these negative reactions should make us look at ourselves too. We should be aware that our message is complex. As followers of Jesus we have learned the lesson that freedom is not the same as lifting the limits, and that on the contrary, freedom is realized through respecting limits. But this is not obvious to everybody.

Nowadays however, there are many examples that might illustrate the point. Take sexual liberty: in the Netherlands as well as elsewhere in Europe young people grow up with a lot of individual freedom on this theme. But as a consequence, 25% of the Dutch young women between 15 and 24 years old say to have experienced coerced sexual violence. The current Dutch government has now decided to stimulate boys to behave more responsibly.

Or take the use of alcohol as an example: we grant our young children lots of freedom, but as a consequence the drinking behaviour of 22% of the young Dutch people between 16 and 24 years old is called ‘problematic’, which means they are damaging their brain development. The current Dutch cabinet is now preparing a ban for children up to 16 years old to have alcoholics drinks with them.

This illustrates the point Paul makes in Galatians 5 that if we pursuit freedom without direction or limits, people may get trapped under a new ‘yoke of slavery’.

Therefore it is not a contradiction when a government puts limits to freedom, because in the end it will lead to more freedom. True freedom is obeying laws. We are not advocating bans and prohibitions for the sake of hindering people, but because it is our conviction that in the end it is a path to real freedom. Like the Ten commandments were given to the people of Israel as a way to enjoy ‘the good life’ in the promised land.

It is a pity that the Bible as the book of Christianity does not immediately remind people of this good life of real freedom and wellbeing. Many Europeans tend to think of faith as system of moral restrictions.

This is a problem, because it is an obstacle for communicating the most important message about freedom the world needs to hear. We need to take this problem seriously if we want to tackle it properly.

From my own experience, there are two important factors that can improve our message coming through. The first is to always put the interest of the other in the first place. Our voice in the public arena should be rather one of compassion than of judgment. It’s not our own interests we’re serving. We have to make very clear why our society will be better off if our ideas and proposals would be implemented. To illustrate that this can work, I can refer to many policy ideas of my own party that through the years gained public support and have now become cabinet policy.

The second is that in our personal lives we should live recognizably as people who are freed from self-centeredness. Only than we can be what Paul calls ‘living letters’, telling others about the love of God, and the freedom that living in relationship with Him brings. In our way of interacting with other people, the way we argue with them, the way we make up with them, the way we show attention for what’s in their hearts and minds, the way we talk about other people should all reflect the love of our Father.

Last year I quoted from a song of Amy Grant, called ‘My fathers eyes’. It’s about the fact that when a child resembles its father, people will say: “You’ve got your fathers’ eyes!”. It’s my deep wish that the people we meet look at us and say: “You’ve got your Fathers’ eyes!”

It is my wish that in this way you and me, as followers of Jesus, can start a conversation about ‘real freedom’ for Europe. So that we can ignite a longing in the hearts of people for the fullness of life. As it was meant from the beginning of time, and as it will one day be restored. As we read from Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

People on photo (from left to right): Andre Rouvoet (Minister of Youth and Family) , Alojz Peterle (MEP), Peter van Dalen (MEP ChristenUnie), Peeter Võsu (chairman ECPM).

ECPM congratulates Belgian PM Herman van Rompuy with nomination for European Council presidency

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:33:37 +0100

The ECPM congratulates Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy with his nomination as first permanent president of the European Council. The ECPM is glad that a Christian-democrat will hold this office in the following years. Mr. van Rompuy is appraised for his principled and calm handling of the political situation in Belgium. As writer he has also expressed his belief in Christian-democracy that is rooted in Christian faith and in his publications he applied this convincingly to actual core causes of problems in today's Europe. In his political career he showed that Christian-democracy can be a political concept that works and solves the problems of a nation. The ECPM is convinced that the European Council made the right choice that will help Europe forward.

The ECPM also congratulates Commissioner Catherine Ashton with her nomination as high representative for the foreign policy of the EU. The ECPM hopes that both she and mr. van Rompuy will represent the core values of Europe on the global stage and work together for freedom, democracy, peace and sustainability in Europe and the world.

Belarusian Christian Democracy party to hold its second founding convention

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:26:46 +0100

The leadership of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party received denials to their requests for renting premises from almost every single official body they had applied to. Only the last from 11 different institutions, which received the BCD request, the directors of the Small Hall of the Palace of Republic haven't replied yet and said they will do so send in written form within 30 days after the application.

It is worth mentioning that BCD sent the request for renting premises to Minsk Tractor Plant, Minsk Automobile plant, “Sukno” factory and some other places. It is worth reminding that the Belarusian Ministry of Justice denied registration for the party after its first Founding Convention in February, 2009.

The BCD leader Paval Sieviarynets commented on the situation:

“If the authorities do not grant us a right to rent premises for the Founding Convention on October, 31 we will hold our Convention in front of the Presidential Administration – at Kastrychnitskaya Square. We ask delegates, our guests and all Christians and all not indifferent people support us under the motto “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”.

Belarusian Christian Democracy party is ready to hold its Founding Convention on the street. I think that in the looming prospect of the EU decision on sanctions against top Belarusian officials, which is due to be made on November 16, 2009, our Founding Convention on the street will be a good illustration of so-called “liberalization”.

Foreign guests and ambassadors will be also invited to take part in the Convention outdoors.

It is expected that 300 delegates and about 400 guests will take part in the event. If the Founding Convention is to be held at Kastrychnitskaya Square then there will not be restrictions on number of participants and, as a result, more people will be able to attend the event.”

European Christian Democratic Movement today. From values to practice

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:25:01 +0200

The ECPM was very happy to be present at the second conference of Christian democrats of Eastern Europe.

This second conference of Christian democrats of Eastern Europe organized by the Christian Democratic Union of Armenia, Christian Union of the Netherlands, European Christian Political Movement, Eastern European Bureau of Christian Democratic Parties, Christian Democratic Union of Nagorno Karabakh and Christian Peoples’ Unity of Armenia was held on September 25-26 in Sevan, Armenia.

The representatives of Christian Democratic Parties and organizations from 8 countries such as Moldova, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Armenia and not recognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh gathered around the topic: “European Democratic Movement today. From Values to practice”. Among guests were the ambassadors and the representatives of different NGOs.

The Conference was held in Sevan in Hotel Complex “Harsnakar” (Sevan).

By means of an official greeting, the chairman of the ECPM, Mr Peeter Vosu wished all participants a blessed meeting and stated the following about the importance of Christian democrats in politics:

We need Christians in European politics. Only politicians with strong Christian identity can preserve and advance Christian values in our societies. To be a politician is a calling from the Lord, like to be a pastor or a priest. You are called by the Lord to serve your societies.

Furthermore, the General Secretary of the ECPM, Guido van Beusekom and the representative for Eastern Europe, Leo van Doesburg, were present at the conferencem together with many other participants.

The participants and the organizers of the conference also received greetings from the General Secretary of the European People’s Party Antonio Lopez Isturiz, who stated about party’s support of the consolidation of Christian democrats of Eastern Europe and the establishment of a stable cooperation between them. In his written address to the Conference he expressed interest in the development of closer ties will all European Christian democratic political forces, which share the same values and principles and welcomed the initiative of Khosrov Harutyunyan to host the second conference of the Eastern European Bureau of Christian Democratic Parties in Armenia.

The Conference resulted in establishment of the Association of Christian Democrats of Eastern Europe and the decision to register it according to the Ukrainian legislation. The decision on establishment of the Association was taken by the chairmen and representatives of 5 parties (CDM of Georgia, CDPP of Moldova, BCD, Belarus, CDU of Armenia and the CDU of Ukraine). The idea on establishment of the Association was supported by the Chairs of CDU of Latvia and Estonian Christian Democrats.

All these parties are also a member of the European Christian Political Movement. Also, the CDU of Nagorno-Karabakh joined the Association as an associated member.The chairman of CDU of Armenia, former Prime Minister and former speaker of Armenia, Mr. Khosrov Harutyunyan was elected as the Chairman of the Association. The deputy chairman of the CDU of Ukraine Yuri Reshetnikov was elected as the Executive Secretary of the Association.

The ECPM fully supports the close cooperation between Eastern European Christian democratic parties and hopes that the establishment of the Association will be truly beneficial to Christian politics in Eastern Europe.

ECPYN sets up Political Working Groups

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:12:26 +0200

At the 6th International Summer School "(South East) Europe between Identity & Integration" in Risan (Montenegro) the congress of the European Christian Political Youth Network (ECPYN) decided to start three international political working groups. The working groups aim to provide a platform for more in-depth discussion of certain topics, which can result in the writing of policy documents and political actions.

Three international political working groups were initiated in Risan, concerning the following topics:

Human Dignity (HD)
Church, State, Civil Society and the Public Domain (CSCSPD)
Europe and Co.

Some twenty of about fifty participants in the summer school immediately committed to joining one of these working groups and others are expected to join in the coming weeks. People who were not at the summer school are hereby also invited to join the working groups.

Newly elected political secretary of ECPYN, Nutsa Shavladze from Georgia and secretary general Jonathan van Tongeren from the Netherlands are currently setting up the practical side of the working groups, while the concept is allready quire clear.

"With these working groups we intend to provide a platform for more in-depth discussion of some very important topics. We trust that the active involvement of inspired and competent young Christians in these new groups, will help them to come to a better understanding of the core issues at stake and will at the same time result in some policy documents that are well thought through and in effective actions to influence politics. With these working groups we hope to serve ECPM and ECPYN and the furtherance of Christian Democracy together with its social expression in all of Europe" says a visibly enthusiastic Jonathan van Tongeren.

If you would like to know more about ECPYN's international political working groups or if you would like to join one of them, please contact us. You can find contact information on our website www.ecpyn.org/contact Please feel free to forward this message to others who may be interested.

Urgent Action: Help Protect the New Life Church in Minsk

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:24:45 +0200

The Belarusian Christian Democracy party requests your actions of solidarity with the New Life church based in Minsk, which finds itself in a 4 year conflict with the Belarusian authorities over its legally purchased building. On 21 August 2009, Friday, the authorities of Minsk and the police are expected to take over the building. The 1000 strong community of the New Life church and their supporters will start today a prayer marathon inside the building to prevent the injustice to happen.

We are asking you to send a letter of solidarity with the New Life church to the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus (see attached). Please, find below the contact information.

The website of the New Life church: http://www.newlife.by/eng/index.php

Respectfully,

BCD international committee, bchd.by@gmail.com, http://www.bchd.info/modules.php?name=News&topic_id=10

Contact Information:

Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus

220016, Minsk, K. Marx str. 38,

Phone +375 17 222-32-17, Fax +375 17 226-06-10

e-mail: contact@president.gov.by

Press service of the President of the Republic of Belarus

Telephone: + 375 17 222 35 03

Fax: +375 17 222 30 20

press@president.gov.by

New ECPYN board elected

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:55:41 +0200

During the 6th International Summer School in Risan (Montenegro) the member congress convened and elected a new board. Furthermore new statutes and several other resolutions were accepted.

The new board members are Răzvan Burleanu from Romania (president), Nutsa Shavladze from Georgia and Vladimir Plamadeala from Moldova. They join Jonathan van Tongeren from The Netherlands who was already elected in 2006.

"ECPYN is a growing network", says the new president Răzvan Burleanu, "and has a lot of potential. Together with the European Christian Political Movement we are building together on Christian politics in Europe by collaboration, exchange of experience and active participation."

On the same congress ECPYN welcomed the youth organisation of the Christian Democration Union of Ukraine as observer member. The Youth Christian Democratic Movement of Georgia received full membership status.

The congress adopted also new statutes and started some working groups.

From left to right: Vladimir Plamadeala, Răzvan Burleanu, Jonathan van Tongeren and Nutsa Shavladze

ECPM welcomes encyclical letter 'Caritas in Veritate'

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:54:19 +0200

The ECPM welcomes the insights in the latest, widely appraised, Papal encyclical letter ‘Caritas in Veritate’. The latest economical crisis shows that there is a clear need for Christian values in the economy and this encyclical letter shows what these spiritual truths mean for the ‘bread and butter’ issues where people are dealing with. This becomes even clearer in the very practical points and examples Pope Benedict XVI made in ‘Caritas in Veritate’.

The ECPM agrees that the time is indeed over for unlimited growth without care and justice as Christ embodied. The poor and the creation suffer the consequences of an economy that has no higher purpose than increasing wealth for those who have enough already. A change of mind in the spirit of Christ is needed to turn around these developments.

As expressed in the latest ECPM congress on economy, the ECPM wishes to work with the insights of all Christians who aim to translate Christian faith in economical policies and economical reality. The ECPM welcomes this encyclical letter as a very valuable voice in this common Christian effort.

Follow the mini-blogs during the International Summer School

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:09:48 +0200

During the whole week of the International Summer School "(South East) Europe between Identity and Integration" you can follow the developments by reading the mini-blogs on the ECPYN blogspot. Jonathan van Tongeren, secretary general of ECPYN will post there regularly. The first mini-blog about the speech of Emil Krijestorac is allready online.

You can find the ECPYN blogspot at http://ecpyn.blogspot.com