Institutionalisation of dialogue between the European Union and Christian churches after the entering into force of the Lisbon treaty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33581/2521-6821-2026-1-%25pKeywords:
European Union, Lisbon treaty, Art. 17 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Christian churches, state – religion relationsAbstract
This article examines the evolution of relations between Christian churches and the institutions of the European Union following the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty. It focuses on the institutionalisation of an open, transparent and regular dialogue between the EU and religious organisations and assesses its impact on the role of churches within the European governance framework. The study analyses major scholarly approaches to the role of religion in European integration, ranging from interpretations that view churches as marginal civil society actors to perspectives emphasising their institutional and normative significance. Particular attention is given to secularisation trends across EU member states, changes in legal and social regulation of moral, family, and bioethical issues, and the regional diversity of religiosity in Europe. The findings show that despite declining religiosity and increasing legal liberalisation in the sphere of morality, Christian churches continue to maintain stable channels of influence through representations at EU institutions, expert networks, and consultative mechanisms. At the same time, it is noted that the Lisbon treaty, without significantly increasing the influence of churches, institutionally entrenched the existing models of dialogue between EU institutions and the religious community.
References
Nelsen BF, Guth JL. Losing faith: religion and attitudes toward the European Union in uncertain times. Journal of Common Market Studies. 2020;4:909–924. DOI: 10.1111/jcms.12993.
Challand B. From hammer and sickle to star and crescent: the question of religion for European identity and a political Europe. Religion, State and Society. 2009;1–2:65–80. DOI: 10.1080/09637490802693544.
Foret F. Religion: a solution or a problem for the legitimisation of the European Union? Religion, State and Society. 2009;1–2:37–50. DOI: 10.1080/09637490802693213.
Steven M. Religious lobbies in the European Union: from dominant church to faith-based organisation? Religion, State and Society. 2009;1–2:181–191. DOI: 10.1080/09637490802693981.
Мирошникова Е, Смирнов М. Основные тренды отношения государств Европейского союза к религии. Современная Европа. 2020:3:196–206. DOI: 10.15211/soveurope32020196206.
Jenkins K. The churches and Europe: relating to the European institutions. In: Barnett J, editor. A theology for Europe: the churches and the European institutions. Oxford: Peter Lang; 2005. p. 73–91.
Leustean L. Religion and politics in the European Union. In: Davie G, Leustean L, editors. The Oxford handbook of religion and Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2021. p. 287–306.
McCrea R. Religion and the public order of the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011. 312 p.
Mudrov S. Christian churches in European integration. London: Routledge; 2019. 234 p.
Venneri G, Ferrara P. Alcide De Gasperi and Antonio Messineo: a spiritual conception of politics and a pragmatic idea of religion? Religion, State and Society. 2009;1–2:115–129. DOI: 10.1080/09637490802693841.
Hehir BJ. The old church and the new Europe: charting the changes. In: Byrnes TA, Katzenstein PJ, editors. Religion in an expanding Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2006. p. 93–116.
Madeley J. E unum pluribus: the role of religion in the project of European integration. In: Haynes J, editor. Religion and politics in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. London: Routledge; 2010. p. 114–135.
Philpott D, Shah TS. Faith, freedom and federation: the role of religious ideas and institutions in European political convergence. In: Byrnes TA, Katzenstein PJ, editors. Religion in an expanding Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2006. p. 34–64.
Hackett C, Stonawski M, Yunping Tong, Kramer S, Shi A, Fahmy D. How the global religious landscape changed from 2010 to 2020 [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2026 Jule 5]. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/religion-in-europe/.
Шиманская О. Европейская идентичность и православие в Европе. В: Громыко АА, редактор. Европа в глобальной пересборке. Москва: Весь мир; 2023. с. 207–222.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Sociology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors who are published in this journal agree to the following:
- The authors retain copyright on the work and provide the journal with the right of first publication of the work on condition of license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial. 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
- The authors retain the right to enter into certain contractual agreements relating to the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g. post it on the institutional repository, publication in the book), with the reference to its original publication in this journal.
- The authors have the right to post their work on the Internet (e.g. on the institutional store or personal website) prior to and during the review process, conducted by the journal, as this may lead to a productive discussion and a large number of references to this work. (See The Effect of Open Access.)
