CROCEU Takes Part in the Dialogue Seminar on the EU’s Budget: “Beyond the Numbers"

On the 2^nd of December, 2025, representatives of the Committee of the Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) attended a dialogue session entitled “Beyond the numbers: the contribution of Article 17 TFEU to an EU Multiannual Financial Framework grounded in ethics, solidarity and inclusion,” organised at the European Parliament. The event gathered representatives of religious communities, philosophical and non-confessional organisations, civil society actors, and Members of the European Parliament concerning the ethical foundations of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

The meeting, moderated by European Parliament Vice-President Antonella Sberna, reaffirmed the essential role of Article 17 TFEU as a channel through which spiritual and ethical perspectives contribute to the Union’s policymaking. In her opening remarks, Sberna emphasised that Article 17 exists not merely to maintain institutional dialogue, but to ensure that Europe’s “grassroots” voices meaningfully influence policy processes that affect millions. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, in a recorded message, echoed this conviction. She stressed that people across Europe must be “seen and heard,” and urged for a budget that places dignity, compassion, and solidarity at its core rather than reducing governance to a set of economic metrics.

Speakers throughout the seminar underscored that the EU budget, far from being a technocratic exercise, must reflect Europe’s moral commitments. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner called for integrating Article 17 insights into broader policymaking, especially at a time of heightened geopolitical pressures and social tensions. Danish Ambassador Nathalia Feinberg highlighted that defending freedom of religion or belief reinforces the wider human rights architecture that supports social stability and cooperation.

In the first panel, which focused on ethics as the compass for EU financial priorities, religious and non-confessional representatives warned that failing to invest in social cohesion risks undermining Europe’s long-term stability. A second panel deepened the discussion on building an equitable and sustainable European model. Speakers urged the EU to prioritise social cohesion, education, climate action, and human rights over increased militarisation or short-term geopolitical spending.

Rev. Fr. Konstantinos Kenanidis

Speaking on behalf of the CROCEU, Konstantinos Kenanidis brought the Orthodox Christian perspective to the fore. He emphasised that economic systems must serve the human person, not the other way around. He called for investments guided by dignity, solidarity, responsibility, and care for those on society’s margins, warning against an economistic approach that risks reducing human beings to transactional units and depersonalised mechanical elements with the sole purpose of serving the reproduction of today’s ‘god,’ the capital.

The seminar showed that across religious and philosophical traditions, there is a shared conviction: Europe’s budget must embody a main focus on the human person. As the negotiations for the next MFF progress, the seminar reaffirms a commitment to advocating for a budget centred on human dignity, solidarity, justice, and the common good that shows the consciousness that Europe is first of all a communion of people and not a mere pawn on the global market economy.

Photo Credit: EC Audiovisual Service