Churches and Secular Institutions in the European Union: the Case of the EU Migration Policies

This paper is devoted to the analysis of the interaction of Christian Churches with European institutions, with a special focus on the EU migration policies. I argue that the Churches’ involvement in European integration has been visible from its early stages, when the Catholic Church and Christian Democratic parties, inspired by the Church, provided their support to the unification of Europe. With the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht (1992), religious organisations obtained new opportunities to participate in the process of integration and the life of the European Union. Overall, within the theory of social constructivism, the contribution of the Churches can be analysed with the noting of their role as non-state actors and identity-formers. Agreeing with that, I also argue that Christian Churches should be regarded as special and unique participants in European integration. Indeed, apart from acting as identity-formers and non-state actors, they include the substantial share of population in their countries and function within the specific Church-State regimes. Furthermore, functioning as identity formers, Churches have contributed to the formation of their vision of European identity, where Christian values and norms constitute substantial or, at least, important part. Finally, with the opening of their representations in Brussels, the religious organisations enhanced their cooperation with the EU institutions, using also the opportunities, provided by the religion-related provisions of the Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This has been evident in the attempts to influence the EU migration policies, including the response to 2015 and 2022 migration crises. Overall, Christian Churches have aimed at the active participation in the formation of the EU agenda in the area of migration, establishing a number of organisations specializing on migration issues. Although they have competed with secular organisations, working in the same sphere, these organisations generally presented themselves as efficient and competent structures, providing the experience and expertise needed by the EU institutions.