Parliamentary Assembly
Assemblée parlementaire

Doc. 10908
24 April 2006

The need for new steps in the field of intercultural and interconfessional dialogue

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mr Kosachev and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

Outbursts of interconfessional intolerance, with the notorious “cartoon scandal” among them, which have become more frequent recently, not only in Europe but in the world at large, demand that we make efforts to devise some overarching policy in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Ignoring the objectively existing issues in this sphere is conducive to the emergence of new “dividing lines”, which could gravely undermine the democratic foundations of the modern society.

The Assembly extends support to the search for new non-trivial solutions aimed at the correction of the tendencies being formed. Of practical interest could be such initiatives as the establishment of an institute to draft educational programmes, methods and materials to study religious heritage in the Council of Europe member-countries, as well as the creation of representations of religious communities to the Council of Europe.

The topic undoubtedly deserves the special attention of the Assembly, which should make its contribution to the process of drafting the general strategy of the Council of Europe in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue incorporating decisions made by the Third Summit of the Council of Europe.

Signed 1:

KOSACHEV, Konstantin, Russian Federation, EDG
EÖRSI, Mátyás, Hungary, ALDE
FROMMELT, Doris, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD
GROSS, Andreas, Switzerland, SOC
IWIŃSKI, Tadeusz, Poland, SOC
JAŘAB, Josef, Czech Republic, ALDE
LINTNER, Eduard, Germany, EPP/CD
SEVERIN, Adrian, Romania, SOC
Van den BRANDE, Luc, Belgium, EPP/CD
WOHLWEND, Renate, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

1     SOC: Socialist Group
       EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
       ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
       EDG: European Democratic Group
       UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
       NR: not registered in a group