The Humanist View of Society

In the autumn of 2006, faced with a major campaign to get Christian values written into the proposed statement of European values to be issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, a small working party, initiated by Humanists but including people representing liberal Christian and Muslim views, produced the following ‘Brussels Declaration’ of fundamental social values. The text was subject to very wide consultation before reaching its final form.

They backed it up with a lengthier supporting statement ‘A Secular Vision for Europe’.

The EHF has endorsed these statements. Although they may not express in full the humanist or secularist standpoint, they demonstrate the breadth of agreement that is possible on practical matters despite underlying disagreement on fundamental questions.

The Declaration was launched at a meeting of the European Parliament All Party Working Group on Separation of Religion and Politics on 27 February 2007.

The Declaration has attracted wide support from politicians, intellectuals and ordinary citizens throughout Europe - it remains open for signature at its own website where more detail can be found, including translations of the Declaration into many languages.

Shortly afterwards, the EHF produced its own statement in a booklet to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, The European Dream, the full text of which is available here.

In November 2007, EHF General Secretary Georges Liénard spoke on "How to shape the road to European Citizenship" at a conference organised by our member organisation Dachverband Freier Weltanschauungsgemeinschafen (DFW) at Klingberg.