Protecting and promoting religious freedom in EU external policy – between unity and divisions in the European Parliament
Patrycja Laszuk
cialo2009@gmail.comCardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0339-8013
Abstract
Since 2010, the European Union has intensified its efforts to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief globally as part of its external policy. These efforts have aimed to promote stability and security in its external environment and strengthen the EU's position as a normative actor in the international arena. However, recent years have seen growing political tensions surrounding the place of FoRB on the EU's international agenda, clearly reflected in debates and initiatives undertaken by the European Parliament. The aim of this article is to analyze the impact of divisions between conservative and liberal-left groups on the shaping and implementation of selected EU external policy instruments in the area of FoRB. Research indicates that conservative factions in the EP demonstrate significantly greater support for EU actions to protect and promote FoRB globally than liberal-left factions. Moreover, it was pointed out that difficulties in reaching a compromise between these two sides lead to a weakening of the potential of the EU's external policy in this area.
Keywords:
European Union, freedom of religion or belief, EU external policy, European Parliament, polarizationReferences
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Authors
Patrycja Laszukcialo2009@gmail.com
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0339-8013
Patrycja Laszuk PhD – holds a PhD in social sciences in the field of political science and public administration, and is an assistant professor at the Institute of Political Science and Administration, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (1/3 Wóycickiego Str., 01-938 Warsaw, Poland); e-mail: p.laszuk@uksw.edu.pl.
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