Christian educators form European foundation to lobby in EU
Pieter Moens presented a design for a logo, but it will go into review. Photo CNE.news, Evert van Vlastuin
European Union
Christian school organisations from more than ten countries in Europe want to start a common foundation. The new European Alliance for Christian Education (EACE) has the task to lobby for Christian education mainly in the European Union.
This plan was finalised during a two-day meeting in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The official registration of the foundation will follow in June 2025.
The new alliance is a formal continuation of yearly meetings that were held in Brussels since 2013 under the name Brussels Considerations. Leaders of Christian schools and the school organisations have come together to share common goals and to pray for challenges.
The initiator of the Considerations in the past years was Mr Pieter Moens. Moens was the leader of the Association for Reformed Schools (VGS) in the Netherlands.
The international group usually met also with the MEP from the Dutch SGP party. In the past, this was Mr Bas Belder, from 2020 and now it is Mr Bert-Jan Ruissen.
Mr Moens has stepped down as VGS leader. But his plan is to formalise the international network he has built in the past years. He has set up an advisory council with colleagues from Germany, France, Hungary, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The EACE's board will have representatives of all regions in Europe. In the first years, there will be an extra representation for the Netherlands and Germany, since the people from those countries have been leading the project until now.
The yearly meeting that was held, entitled Brussels Considerations, will continue. Part of the agenda is forming the general assembly of the foundation.
This week, the organisations appointed a financial working group to come with a plan for the funding of the alliance. The existing plan is to raise the funds from the national organisations, measured to the number of pupils at the connected schools.
The money is necessary among others for the plan to appoint a lobbyist who will work mainly in the European Parliament and the European Commission. “We have to continue our work in a pluralistic and democratic Europe", Mr Moens said during the meeting. “That requires dialogue with MEPs and the European Commissioners from different parties and countries.”
To have a representation in Brussels and Strasbourg, the alliance needs an EU accreditation as an official lobby organisation. That is one of the concrete tasks before the formal registration later this year.
Officially, education is not part of the European Union's competence. “But in the European Parliament, there is much talk about human dignity, parental rights and gender policies. All those have direct consequences for families and schools”, Mr Moens said.
According to Moens, the European Union is showing “increased power”, based upon “informal influence”. This requires a higher level of organisation from Christians within the EU.
The Dutch MEP Ruissen would welcome a lobbyist for Christian education. “I see a need for Christian organisations to be more active in the EU", he said on Wednesday.
In a presentation by Ruissen and his team, he showed the roadmap of the new European Commission. “Much of that contains elements of human dignity, LGBTIQ rights and a ban on conversion therapy. Much of that is pushed by lobby-groups, financed by EU money. Officially, the EU has not the competence to legislate for this, but they will try.”
Also, the European Commission has expressed special interest in young people.
Contribute
Looking back on the years after 2013, Moens sees that the “network has been based on faith, hope and love”, he said during his opening devotion on Tuesday. “Education starts with prayer. Also, for those who disagree with us, for instance here in Brussels.”
The starting point of Christian education is that it will bring something to the European development. “We are not only against certain trends but have a positive contribution.”
Luc Bussière, leader of the French organisation for Evangelical schools “Réseau Mathurin Cordier”, focussed on the topic “Hope for Europe” during a closing devotion. “Christian hope starts from the future," Bussière said. “Human hope is based on dreams. But our hope comes from the living God. This hope does never finish.”
According to Bussière, the history of Europe is dominated by Christian elements. “Look at the oldest universities in Europe. All of them are rooted in the church. This is also visible in the work of the founders of the European Union, like Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. The task of Europe is to re-discover those wells.”
Until now, there have also been concrete projects of cooperation because of the network. The school method “Wonderfully made” for sexual education that was produced in the Netherlands, has been translated into German and is in use in Germany and Austria, and is in the process of translation into French and Spanish. Partners from Eastern Europe have shown interest too.
Logo
Moens proposed a design for a logo for the new EACE alliance. He showed the Christian elements in it, with a cross and an open Book, in the colours of the rainbow. By counting the number of colours, it turned out that there were only six of the seven colours. Moens decided that there should come a review of the design.
On Wednesday, the meeting decided to appoint some task groups for some more preparatory work.
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