Category Archives: Themes

The Euro Crisis

Published by Frank Turner
This article was posted in European Consciousness.
Sylvie Goulard - image: ALDE (cc: by-nc-sa)

Sylvie Goulard - image: ALDE (cc: by-nc-sa)

Telephone Interview on the Euro Crisis
Sylvie Goulard MEP, with Frank Turner SJ: February 6, 2012

There has been much recent commentary about the possibility that the Euro might disappear. Even if that danger has receded, the fragility of the Euro is newly evident. In the context of the financial crisis, how would you evaluate the current risk to the Euro?

Until the end of 2011 people were genuinely apprehensive. What has become clear since then is that there is the political will to ensure that the Euro will not fail. The tools for its effective management are still lacking, in part, and we can expect further turbulence. But the EU will simply not allow the Euro to fail. Continue reading →

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Guy Liagre to be new General Secretary of CEC

Published by Elaine Rudolphi
This article was posted in Miscellaneous.
Rev. Liagre - image: uniprobel

Rev. Liagre - image: uniprobel

Press release by CEC:

Revd Dr Guy Liagre, President of the United Protestant Church in Belgium, will be the new General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches starting in June 2012.  He succeeds Revd Prof. Dr Viorel Ionita who retired as Interim General Secretary of CEC in October 2011.

He was elected by the Central Committee which met in Geneva on 24/25 January.

After his election Dr Liagre commented: “For many years CEC has worked to ensure that the Christian voice is not neglected on the European scene. I see it as a challenge to work as a general secretary of a european ecumenical organisation in a time in which Europe and the world are rapidly changing into something too hard to easily predict.  CEC is in the midst of renewing its organisation and I am delighted to be able to participate in and stimulate that renewal”. Continue reading →

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Une solidarité planetaire

Published by Henri Madelin
This article was posted in Solidarity.
Solidarity - image: Nicola Corboy (cc: by-nc-nd)

Solidarity - image: Nicola Corboy (cc: by-nc-nd)

“J’assumerai jusqu’au bout et en totalité les lourdes responsabilités que vous m’avez confiéees». Dans cette lourde corbeille de devoirs, se trouve aussi le désir de réaliser ce qui a été décidé au G20 de Cannes, qui s’est tenu sous présidence française les 3 et 4 novembre dernier. Mais à cette rencontre des 20 pays censés être les plus influents de la terre, la crise de l’Euro a accaparé les esprits et les discussions, ce qui n’a guère permis de faire progresser les dossiers les plus complexes qui sont souvent les plus marqués par l’urgence. En ces temps devenus difficiles, le chacun pour soi a rapidement repris le dessus. Il s’agit maintenant de sauver seulement la possibilité d’imposer une nouvelle taxe sur les transcations financières mondiales. Il faut faire participer la finance à la réparation des dégats qu’elle a provoqués», déclare le chef de l’Etat dans ses voeux télévisés du 31 décembre dernier. Continue reading →

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La liberté réligieuse – émission radio

Published by Henri Madelin
This article was posted in Miscellaneous.

Emission sur Europe 1 en décembre 2011:

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CSR and development: a mining company in Africa

Published by Elaine Rudolphi
This article was posted in RPAN.

CSR and development: a mining company in Africa, an article by Emmanuelle Devuyst and Josep Mària in the Journal of Management Development.

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The Financial Crisis and The Social Teaching of Churches

Published by Frank Turner
This article was posted in Miscellaneous.

Banking district - image: bsterling (cc: by-sa)

Banking district - image: bsterling (cc: by-sa)

Talk given at the “High level conference with the participation of
EPP Group Members, representatives of the Hungarian Government, Religious leaders and National authorities”;  10 – 11 November 2011, Esztergom and Visegrád, Hungary

I am grateful for the honour of this invitation. With limited time, I want to make one central and two subsidiary points. The central point is the contrast, articulated by Pope John Paul II, between a ‘free-market economy’ and a ‘free economy’, and the positive (not negative) relationship between freedom, justice and solidarity. The implications concern (1) the special place of the finance sector in our current crisis, its relationship to the ‘real’ economy of goods and services, and the need for its better regulation; in such regulation, the nature and importance of political responsibility. I will draw on Roman Catholic sources for this presentation, but want to stress how much common ground the Christian churches, and indeed other faith communities, share on this topic, even if you can also find plenty of people across our communities who think differently. In particular I have learned a lot from the (Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Continue reading →

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Lässt sich Geld verbessern?

Published by Peter Knauer
This article was posted in Miscellaneous.

Money - image: Pingu1963 (cc: by-nc-nd)

Money - image: Pingu1963 (cc: by-nc-nd)

Eine Analyse im Anschluss an die Geldtheorie von Dieter Suhr (1935–1990)

Geld ist eine geniale Erfindung. Als Tauschmittler macht es aus einem schwierigen Tausch (Rosen gegen Auto) zwei einfache Tausche (Rosen gegen Geld / Geld gegen Auto). Es vermag als Tauschmittler zwischen allen Waren oder Leistungen zu dienen, und zwar auch transtemporal und transregional. Dabei wird das Geld nicht „verbraucht“, sondern geht nur in andere Hände über und kann weitere Austausche vermitteln. Durch Horten allerdings würde Geld seiner so nützlichen Tauschmittlerfunktion entzogen. Die heute für das Verleihen von Geld lockenden Zinsen kann man als eine Art Prämie ansehen, die dafür gezahlt wird, dass man wenigstens mit dem Spielverderb durch Horten von Geld aufhört. Continue reading →

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Education and Active Citizenship in the European Context

Published by Hervé Pierre Guillot
This article was posted in Citizenship Education.
image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

Following a recent proposal from the European Commission, Year 2013 is likely to be declared the European Year of Citizens to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of European citizenship (Maastricht Treaty).
Jesuit European Office (OCIPE) has taken the initiative to bring a specific contribution to the debate on citizenship and its relevance for the future of Europe.

The project in a nutshell
Democracy in Europe seems to suffer from a lack of enthusiasm amongst its population and a growing lack of trust towards elected political leaders against the background of an increasingly multicultural society and a growing sense of insecurity giving rise to renewed nationalism. The Council of Europe has been dealing with those issues for several years.
The EU itself is at a critical juncture. It is often argued that there is a lack of information triggering among citizens a climate of estrangement towards the EU and its complex policy-making process. Continue reading →

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L’éducation et la citoyenneté active en contexte européen

Published by Hervé Pierre Guillot
This article was posted in Citizenship Education.
image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

A la suite d’une récente proposition de la Commission Européenne, 2013 sera probablement déclarée Année Européenne des Citoyens pour marquer le 20ème anniversaire de la création de la citoyenneté européenne (Traité de Maastricht).
L’OCIPE a pris l’initiative d’apporter une contribution spécifique au débat sur la citoyenneté et son importance pour l’avenir de l’Europe.

Le projet dans ses grandes lignes
La démocratie en Europe semble souffrir d’un manque d’enthousiasme parmi sa population et un manque croissant de confiance envers les dirigeants politiques élus. Cette situation s’inscrit  sur l’arrière-fond d’une société toujours plus multiculturelle et d’un sentiment croissant d’insécurité qui nourrit le renouveau du nationalisme. Le Conseil de l’Europe traite de ces sujets depuis plusieurs années. Continue reading →

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Educação e Cidadania activa no contexto Europeu

Published by Hervé Pierre Guillot
This article was posted in Citizenship Education.
image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

image: batintherain (cc: by-nc-sa)

No seguimento de uma proposta recente da Comissão Europeia, o ano de 2013 será provavelmente declarado como o Ano Europeu dos Cidadãos. Isto, porque será a melhor forma de marcar o 20º Aniversário da criação da cidadania Europeia (Tratado de Maastricht).
O Jesuit European Office (OCIPE) tomou a iniciativa de elaborar uma contribuição específica em torno deste debate sobre a cidadania e a sua relevância para o futuro da Europa.

O Projecto numa Casca de Noz
Na actualidade, a população europeia vive uma falta de entusiasmo para com a sua democracia, bem como aumenta entre si um sentimento de desconfiança para com os seus líderes políticos eleitos. Tudo isto acontece no enquadramento de uma sociedade cada vez mais multicultural, onde se coabita com um maior sentimento de insegurança, o que por sua vez faz emergir um nacionalismo renovado. Estes temas têm vindo desde há já vários anos a ser considerados pelo Conselho da Europa. Continue reading →

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