Religion and the EU’s external policies: Increasing engagement

Summary:

Since the 1970s, several international organisations and the diplomatic services of a number of countries have started to question the place of religion in diplomacy and development. In parallel with similar moves in EU Member States and the United States, the European Union (EU) has developed instruments to give greater consideration to religious trends when addressing human rights concerns and engaging with key partner countries. Both externally and internally, the EU has improved its analytical tools to deal with religious actors more effectively, strengthening its dialogue with representatives of religious communities.

Faith-based organisations are playing a pivotal role in a number of new fields, including climate change, development and conflict resolution, and the EU is increasingly taking these organisations into account. In addition, religion plays an important role in the internal and external policies of some key EU partners, as shown in the case studies at the end of the analysis. That is why this field is slowly emerging as a new dimension in the EU's external policies.

Further information:

This is an update from a previous EPRS In-Depth Analysis, with some new case studies.

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