Europe needs a clear voice in favor of religious freedom!

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) welcomes the decision of the EU Commission to keep the office of the EU Special Representative for Freedom of Religion, stating that this is an important sign of hope for the religious minorities in the world who are under pressure. "Today, people who stand up for religious freedom rarely have a reason to celebrate. But the fact that the EU Commission has found the courage to revise a short-sighted decision is a reason to celebrate," stated Ulrich Delius, the STP's Director, in Göttingen on Thursday. "Europe needs a clear voice in favor of religious freedom," Delius added.

Recently, it had become known that the EU Commission had abandoned its plans to discontinue the office of EU Special Representative for Religious Freedom. Before, the STP had strongly criticized the EU Commission's plans and demanded a rethink. The criticism was joined by many voices from the political arena. The human rights organization had argued that Europe needed expertise in questions of religious freedom and that this question should not be left to the US government, which is increasingly unpredictable in its actions. Commitment to religious freedom is important with regard to securing peace and preventing conflicts in the world, the STP emphasized.

At the beginning of this week, various religious communities had jointly addressed the EU Commission and demanded a rethink of the plans.