Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development for Democratisation

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European Union: Appeal to the convention for the deletion of article 37

Article 37 introduces the recognition of the status of churches and non-confessional organisations and introduces an additional paragraph regarding a structured dialogue of the European Institutions with those churches and organisations.
The following signatory associations (listed below), active in all European countries, congratulate the Convention on the Future of Europe for proposing guarantees for the functioning of participatory democracy in Title VI.

In this spirit, our associations call for the future European Constitution not to pose any obstacle to the right
of individuals to make free decisions concerning their lifestyles and personal
choices on all questions linked to human existence.

The signatory
associations are concerned about preserving and continuing to develop the gains
acquired in their various fields of activity, be it in the field of education,
morality, family and the condition of women, contraception, abortion,
euthanasia, divorce or sexual orientation, etc...

The signatory
associations note that article 37 provides Churches with a right to regular
intervention into the policy-making of the European Union, thus allowing them to
assert their religious options on matters listed above and many others such as
discrimination against women, homosexuals, the fight against HIV/AIDS or on
issues related to biomedical research.

The separation of Church and State
must apply to all areas of community life.

The signatory associations
therefore launch a solemn appeal to all members of the Convention regardless of
their philosophical or religious convictions to request the withdrawal of the
entirety of Article 37.

This is the latest appeal sent by dozens
of European associations to challenge Article 37 of the Constitutional Treaty of
the European Union:


Dear Madam or Sir,

In the context of
your work at the Convention on the Future of Europe, you are currently
discussing the proposed Articles concerning the functioning of a participatory
democracy under Title VI (namely Articles 33 to 37).

One of these
articles - Draft Article 37 - incorporates Declaration No 11 annexed to the
Treaty of Amsterdam on the recognition of the status of churches and
non-confessional organisations and introduces an additional paragraph regarding
a structured dialogue of the European Institutions with those churches and
organisations.

Many civil society associations feel concerned about the
development of this Draft Article 37. On the 4th of May, you received an 'Appeal
to the Convention' asking for the deletion of this Article from 6 european
organisations. Since then, 30 others european or national associations, sharing
the same concerns, signed up to the Appeal. New signatories continue to come in
every day and we will be sharing their names with you in the coming
days.

We would hope that you do take into account the voice of of these
36 civil society organisations by reading why we believe it is necessary for the
Convention to delete this article and by taking up this essential
issue.

Yours faithfully,

1. IPPF European network
2. ASTRA
Network
3. Catholics for a Free Choice - Europe
4. European Humanist
Federation
5. European Federation for Education and Culture (EFEC)
6.
European Network "Church on the move"
7. Right to Die - Europe
8. The
Standing Committee of Nurses of the EU
9. International Women's Health
Coalition
10. ILGA Europe
11. Women Living Under Muslim Laws -
International Solidarity Network
12. Women's Ordination Conference
(USA)
13. Centre for Environmental Studies (Hungary)
14. AIDOS
(Italy)
15. Rutgers Nisso Group (The Netherlands)
16. Dutch Abortion
Clinics Foundation (The Netherlands)
17. Wemos Foundation (The
Netherlands)
18. COC Netherlands (Federation of Dutch organisations for the
acceptance of homosexuality)
19. Population Concern (UK)
20. Väestöliitto
(Finland)
21. Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial (France)
22.
Women on waves (The Netherlands)
23. World Population Foundation (WPF) (The
Netherlands)
24. Change (UK)
25. UK National Secular Society
26. UK Gay
& Lesbian Humanist Association
27. Verein zur Umwidmung von
Kirchensteuern e.V. (Germany)
28. Femmes et Hommes en Eglise (France)
29.
Foreningen Sex & Samfund (Denmark)
30. PLANeS - Swiss Foundation for
Sexual and Reproductive Health (Switzerland)
31. 'We are Church'
(Portugal)
32. SENSOA (Belgium)
33. National Focal Point (Part of NIGZ)
(The Netherlands)
34. Coordination Française pour le Lobby Européen des
Femmes (France)
35. Mouvement des Jeunes Femmes (France)
36. FPFE
(Spain)