IV news:
The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) has received official status as an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) with accreditation from the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. It can now participate in Council of Europe bodies and is regularly informed about Council of Europe initiatives. The Council of Europe currently comprises 46 states and focuses on human and civil rights, democracy and the rule of law. The most important bodies are the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Court of Human Rights. The Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations ensures the participation of INGOs. It can, in turn, form subgroups (committees) for specific areas, e.g. the Committee for Interreligious and Interconvictional Dialogue, in which the CPCE participates.
The CPCE’s participation in Strasbourg is formally organised by the Conference of Churches on the Rhine (CCR), a regional group of the CPCE. Half a consultant post and limited office capacity are available for this purpose. The fields in which the CPCE would like to be particularly involved in the future will have to be clarified by the General Assembly; an initial exchange of interested persons from the member churches and cooperating associations (e.g. IV) took place via Zoom on 29 April 2024.