EULEMA new season with the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and with the EEAS in Brussels

Imam Yahya Pallavicini with Mrs Irene Kitsou Milonas at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg

Strasbourg, September 29th. EULEMA Chairman imam Yahya Pallavicini was received by the Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and all forms of religious intolerance, Mrs Irene Kitsou Milonas, in her office at the Council of Europe. During the meeting imam Yahya Pallavicini presented the EULEMA biannual action plan, focusing on the future event on European Muslim Women identity and dignity against discrimination, the 2027 Islamophobia conference and the theological and interreligious training for young Muslims in Europe.

The Special Representative of the CoE Secretary General congratulated EULEMA for receiving the participatory status within the Conference of International NGOs of the Council of Europe, the first NGO focusing on policies and advocacy for Muslims in Europe to receive this status! This week EULEMA took part in the General Assembly during the 50th anniversary celebration of the civil society organisations in cooperation with the Council of Europe, and in the working group of the Committee for Interreligious Dialogue.

Imam Yahya Pallavicini at the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe

Members of the Committee for Interreligious Dialogue of the Conference of INGOs in Strasbourg

Brussels, October 1st. The EEAS, the European External Action Service of the European Union, organised its Autumn School training course on Human Rights and EU International Relations. EULEMA Chairman was invited to share the panel on the protection of freedom of religion in Europe.

📄 Download the EEAS Autumn School 2026 programme (PDF)

Speakers included EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion Mairead McGuinness, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion Nazila Ghanea, MEP Lukas Mandl, COMECE legal adviser for International Religious Freedom José Luis Bazan, EULEMA Chairman imam Yahya Pallavicini, the Coordinator for the dialogue between the European Commission and religious communities Vincent Depaigne and EEAS Religion and Diplomacy adviser Constantinos Alexandris.

Imam Yahya Pallavicini presented the links and complexities between Human Rights, Freedom of Religion, International relations with the Muslim world, Security and Citizenship.

A hundred selected post-graduate students from the Universities of Leuven, Strasbourg, Paris, Brno, Oxford, Lille, Gothenburg, Białystok and Toulouse attended this training, asking questions and sharing the debate in the framework of the European Public Diplomacy Days.