La Pairelle 2018: A Brief Summary
FRIDAY, 21st September 2018
1:30 pm: Welcome-coffee, booklets, room check-in
2:15 pm: Opening session
Video: Europe Founding Fathers
Victoria Martín de la Torre, press officer of the S&D Group in the European Parliament and author of the book “Europe, a Leap into the Unknown”.
Upon creating the predecessor of the EU, Christian-democrat founding fathers Schuman, Adenauer, and De Gaspieri chose a federalist/communitarian approach based on three main sources: Catholic Social Teaching, obtained during their youth and previous work; "Zentrum" political experience; and Emmanuel Mounier's Communitarian Personalism, which focused on the importance of the individual and of the community as opposed to liberalism and marxism. Europe has since moved from Community to Union, slowly and steadily following the path of integration.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Session 1
Migration flows: How Europe faces the global challenge? Which policy for Common Good?
The so called “migrant crisis” is at the heart of political evolution in a number of EU countries. European migration policy is widely considered a failure by a majority of citizens, and this issue is a source of division within Europe. Some EU national migration policies are in contradiction with the humanistic spirit at the foundation of Europe’s values; Pope Francis urges Europe to find “the right balance between its two-fold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants,” and calls for a dialogue to find new and sustainable solutions with greater boldness and creativity.
Moderator:
Sébastien Maillard, Director, Jacques Delors Institute
Speakers:
Stephen Ryan, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission
Michael Schöpf SJ, Director, Institute for Social Politics in the Hochschule für Philosophie in Munich
José Ignacio García, Director, JRS Europe
Torsten Moritz, General Secretary, Churches' Commission of Migrants in Europe
There are many dimensions of the migration issue that must be addressed in order to move away from the chaos of unmanaged migration and towards managed migration. In terms of the external dimension, we must take into account the main drivers for migrations: poverty and conflicts. Cooperation on this matter with third countries, and especially with Turkey, is also key.
The internal aspect, however, is where the EU has run into the greatest difficulties: the reception of refugees, their support, the burden sharing internally. Migrants are seen as a threat for welfare states or as problematic in terms of the labor market. The limitations of the Dublin agreement are at the core of the disagreement between Member-States. Nonetheless, the crisis in Syria has shaken the system: we are now more sensitive to issues that we previously took for granted when it comes to providing protection. After 2015, civil society mobilized and created initiatives welcoming refugees. However, events in Europe since then have transformed the feeling of the public towards refugees by generating a sense of loss of control. Nonetheless, there is still a large number of European citizens who wish to help, and, with an issue of this scale, national measures are not enough. Hope is not lost, but there is work to be done.
5:00 pm: Break
5:30 pm - 6:45 pm: Group Session 1
6:45 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Video of Pope Francis's speech on Europe, followed by discussion
2:15 pm: Opening session
Video: Europe Founding Fathers
Victoria Martín de la Torre, press officer of the S&D Group in the European Parliament and author of the book “Europe, a Leap into the Unknown”.
Upon creating the predecessor of the EU, Christian-democrat founding fathers Schuman, Adenauer, and De Gaspieri chose a federalist/communitarian approach based on three main sources: Catholic Social Teaching, obtained during their youth and previous work; "Zentrum" political experience; and Emmanuel Mounier's Communitarian Personalism, which focused on the importance of the individual and of the community as opposed to liberalism and marxism. Europe has since moved from Community to Union, slowly and steadily following the path of integration.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Session 1
Migration flows: How Europe faces the global challenge? Which policy for Common Good?
The so called “migrant crisis” is at the heart of political evolution in a number of EU countries. European migration policy is widely considered a failure by a majority of citizens, and this issue is a source of division within Europe. Some EU national migration policies are in contradiction with the humanistic spirit at the foundation of Europe’s values; Pope Francis urges Europe to find “the right balance between its two-fold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants,” and calls for a dialogue to find new and sustainable solutions with greater boldness and creativity.
Moderator:
Sébastien Maillard, Director, Jacques Delors Institute
Speakers:
Stephen Ryan, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission
Michael Schöpf SJ, Director, Institute for Social Politics in the Hochschule für Philosophie in Munich
José Ignacio García, Director, JRS Europe
Torsten Moritz, General Secretary, Churches' Commission of Migrants in Europe
There are many dimensions of the migration issue that must be addressed in order to move away from the chaos of unmanaged migration and towards managed migration. In terms of the external dimension, we must take into account the main drivers for migrations: poverty and conflicts. Cooperation on this matter with third countries, and especially with Turkey, is also key.
The internal aspect, however, is where the EU has run into the greatest difficulties: the reception of refugees, their support, the burden sharing internally. Migrants are seen as a threat for welfare states or as problematic in terms of the labor market. The limitations of the Dublin agreement are at the core of the disagreement between Member-States. Nonetheless, the crisis in Syria has shaken the system: we are now more sensitive to issues that we previously took for granted when it comes to providing protection. After 2015, civil society mobilized and created initiatives welcoming refugees. However, events in Europe since then have transformed the feeling of the public towards refugees by generating a sense of loss of control. Nonetheless, there is still a large number of European citizens who wish to help, and, with an issue of this scale, national measures are not enough. Hope is not lost, but there is work to be done.
5:00 pm: Break
5:30 pm - 6:45 pm: Group Session 1
6:45 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Video of Pope Francis's speech on Europe, followed by discussion
SATURDAY, 22nd September 2018
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Breakfast
9:00 am – 10:30 am: Session 2
Integral ecology: Environmental and social challenges, how to keep man at the centre?
Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' is a dramatic and a joyful document. Dramatic because it faces the global crisis of today´s world which is both ecological and social. Joyful because it offers ways and hope to tackle this crisis. Its central message is that dangerous climate change and the unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources continue to threaten the future of our planet.
Moderator:
Chiara Martinelli, Executive advisor and Project officer on Sustainable Development at CIDSE (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité)
Speakers:
Andrea Tilche, Acting Director, Directorate Environment of the European Commission
Martin Maier, JESC Secretary for European Affairs
Philippe Lamberts, Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chair Group of the Greens
The current state of the environment has led many to call urgently for a systemic change, a change of such magnitude, we cannot wait any longer to begin. Laudato Si’ calls for such a shift, from the current dominating technocratic paradigm, based on profit maximization and homo oeconomicus, to integral ecology. It refers to the environment as a common good of humanity, thus establishing that the solution to the crisis lies in international cooperation and on combining efforts at all levels, from local to global. It therefore calls for dialogue.
There are those who fear change, which is why this paradigm shift must be based not only on change we can believe in, but on change that everybody can be a part of. For change to be accepted, it needs to be effective and legitimate, and take place in a context of justice.
10:30 am: Break
10:45 am – 12:15 am: Group Session 2
12:15 am – 1:30 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Session 3
Cultural challenge within EU: United in diversity
Europe’s cultural diversity is one of its greatest resources. In contrast to new identity discourses, it can be demonstrated through this diversity that the foreign, the other, is not a threat to our identity, but rather an enrichment. Pope Francis emphasizes that European identity is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity. This applies to all areas of art and culture. Back in 1983, Milan Kundera said that, for Poles, Czechs and Hungarians, the designation of Europe had spiritual rather than geographical connotations. Europe is “a family of peoples” having, like every family, many things in common, but also differences; however, each member of the family is necessary to the group. Its cohesion cannot be based only on a common market or citizenship, but also on shared culture, narratives, and vision. However, up to now education and civil society remain stranded within national borders. The promotion of cultural exchange, especially between East and West, could contribute to bridging the political gulfs that have recently opened up, moving towards a pluri-national democracy based on a European civil society and trans-frontier dialogue that is also open to the rest of the world. As Pope Francis said, “Today more than ever, the founding fathers’ vision inspires us to build bridges and tear down walls.”
Moderator:
Gyula Ocskay, General Secretary, CESCI (European Institute of cross-border studies)
Speakers:
Mgr Jean Kockerols, Auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese Malines-Bruxelles
Philippe Herzog, Founder and honorary president of Confrontations Europe, former Member of the European Parliament
Jean Peyrony, General Director, Transfrontier Operational Mission
Principal panel discussant:
HE Mgr Alain Paul Lebeaupin, Apostolic nuncio to the European Union
It is hard to define and limit European culture due to its diverse nature. Differences between the East and the West of the continent, for example, are often quoted as a sign of a civilizational divide, with an intermediary region that does not belong fully to either side. Making diversity a common value is a necessity. We have to co-construct Europe: institutions can be used to share sovereignty and renew democracy.
When we speak of culture, it is values, beliefs, behaviours that we share; many of them tinged with Christianity in the case of Europe. They arise from a common history, which is oftentimes ignored, even though it can teach us important lessons for the future, especially regarding increased Member-state cooperation on issues such as inequality. The Christian faith gives great importance to common memory and carries a core message of listening to the Lord but also to others, and thus supports the European project and the need to go beyond borders, based on the European spirit of openness and co-operation and on communication between the people of Europe.
3:30 pm: Break
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Group Session 3
7:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Evening piano concert in the Chapel
Some musical tastes of the European cultural heritage
Maxence Pilchen, pianist
Maxence Pilchen's vast repertoire, which includes both solo and orchestra work, along with his interpretations of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Albert Roussel or Prokofiev, have earned him critical acclaim in the musical world. He has also participated in the creation and execution of many contemporary works. Thanks to this wide ranging repertoire, he has won many other international distinctions in cities such as Porto, Barcelona, Rome and Epinal.
Some musical tastes of the European cultural heritage
Maxence Pilchen, pianist
Maxence Pilchen's vast repertoire, which includes both solo and orchestra work, along with his interpretations of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Albert Roussel or Prokofiev, have earned him critical acclaim in the musical world. He has also participated in the creation and execution of many contemporary works. Thanks to this wide ranging repertoire, he has won many other international distinctions in cities such as Porto, Barcelona, Rome and Epinal.
SUNDAY, 23rd September 2018
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Breakfast
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Feedback / wrap-up Session
Report from the groups and analysis
Exchange on main conclusions
Moderators:
Michael Kuhn, Assistant Secretary General, COMECE
Peter Rožič, Director, JESC (Jesuit European Social Centre)
Peter J. Verovšek, Assistant Professor in Politics/International Relations, University of Sheffield
Report from the groups and analysis
Exchange on main conclusions
Opinions on migration are currently very divided. There is a need for a new narrative on migration that can solve the question of whether it is an issue of identity and defense or an issue of solidarity, as well as addressing the differences in temporal perspectives on migration. We must learn to perceive migrants as human beings and as valuable resources, rather than as a problem.
There are also many questions unresolved regarding ecology, such as the nature of the current crisis (isolated issue or symptoms of a broader problem?) or why should those who have historically polluted much less make the same effort as the main polluters today. Nonetheless, individual action functions as a great starting point for generation of collective efforts and leads to small advances that allow us to maintain Christian hope in capacity for change. Perhaps increasing the influence of Laudato Si’ in the political sphere could help.
Finally, culture, although crucial, remains a hard-to-define concept, especially in the light of the speed at which cultural change takes place. Culture is a process, something that changes, and we must not be afraid of this change. The foundations of Europe have to change for the new generations: the lessons from the war are receding in terms of relevance for the newer generations. By thinking of Europe in terms of cultural change, openness and diversity, and by showing willingness to learn about our neighbours, a common narrative that encompasses cultural differences becomes possible.
10:30 am: Break
11:00 am: Mass in the Chapel
12:15 am: Lunch
2:00 pm: Departure
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Feedback / wrap-up Session
Report from the groups and analysis
Exchange on main conclusions
Moderators:
Michael Kuhn, Assistant Secretary General, COMECE
Peter Rožič, Director, JESC (Jesuit European Social Centre)
Peter J. Verovšek, Assistant Professor in Politics/International Relations, University of Sheffield
Report from the groups and analysis
Exchange on main conclusions
Opinions on migration are currently very divided. There is a need for a new narrative on migration that can solve the question of whether it is an issue of identity and defense or an issue of solidarity, as well as addressing the differences in temporal perspectives on migration. We must learn to perceive migrants as human beings and as valuable resources, rather than as a problem.
There are also many questions unresolved regarding ecology, such as the nature of the current crisis (isolated issue or symptoms of a broader problem?) or why should those who have historically polluted much less make the same effort as the main polluters today. Nonetheless, individual action functions as a great starting point for generation of collective efforts and leads to small advances that allow us to maintain Christian hope in capacity for change. Perhaps increasing the influence of Laudato Si’ in the political sphere could help.
Finally, culture, although crucial, remains a hard-to-define concept, especially in the light of the speed at which cultural change takes place. Culture is a process, something that changes, and we must not be afraid of this change. The foundations of Europe have to change for the new generations: the lessons from the war are receding in terms of relevance for the newer generations. By thinking of Europe in terms of cultural change, openness and diversity, and by showing willingness to learn about our neighbours, a common narrative that encompasses cultural differences becomes possible.
10:30 am: Break
11:00 am: Mass in the Chapel
12:15 am: Lunch
2:00 pm: Departure
If you wish you can download the whole Programme!