Religion at the European Parliament and in European multi-level governance

This book presents the findings of the first ever survey of the religious preferences of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). An international research team interviewed a large sample of MEPs, with the purpose of investigating their beliefs and how these beliefs have an impact on their role as MEPs.

The findings of this survey are offered in order to discuss, in a non-normative way, some key political and intellectual debates. Is Europe secularized? Is the European Union a Christian club? What is the influence of religious lobbying in Brussels? What are the dynamics of value politics? Contributions also compare MEPs with national MPs and citizens to measure whether the findings are specific to the supranational arena and European multi-level governance. External cases, such as the USA and Israel, are also presented to define whether there is a European exceptionalism regarding the role of religion in the political arena.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Religion, State & Society.

1. Introduction – ‘Religion at the European Parliament’: Purposes, scope and limits of a survey on the religious beliefs of MEPs 2. Religion at the European Parliament: an overview Part I: Smooth Transition from National Conciliation to European Bargain? 3. A social role for churches and cultural demarcation: how German MEPs represent religion in the European Parliament 4. ‘A nation of vicars and merchants’: religiosity and Dutch MEPs 5. Consulting and compromising: the (non-)religious policy preferences of British MEPs Part II: Master at Home, Embattled in Brussels? 6. French MEPs and religion: Europeanising ‘laïcité’? 7. Defenders of faith? Victims of secularisation? Polish politicians and religion in the European Parliament 8. Religion at the European Parliament: the Italian case Part III: In Transit: From Religious Stronghold to Liberal Laboratory 9. Austrian MEPs: between privatization and politicisation of religion 10. Politics and religion beyond state borders: the activity of Spanish MEPs on religious issues Part IV: So Far, Not So Dissimilar: European 'Exceptionalism' Challenged by Other Western Cases 11. Religion in the Israeli Parliament: a typology 12. Religion in the American Congress: the case of the US House of Representatives, 1953-2003 Conclusion 13. Conclusion

François Foret is Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. He is also director for political research at the Institute for European Studies at ULB and a researcher at the Centre d’Etude de la Vie Politique (CEVIPOL). He is Senior Associate Fellowat the Von Hugel Institute, St Edmund's College, University of Cambridge, UK.