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 and Diplomatic Service of the European Union, organised its Autumn School 2026 on “Human Rights and EU international relations”, a two-day training course hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions, in the framework of the European Public Diplomacy Days 2026. EULEMA Chairman was invited to share the panel on the protection of freedom of religion in Europe.
EULEMA Chairman imam Yahya Pallavicini speaking at the round table on freedom of thought, religion and belief
More than 70 selected post-graduate students and 38 speakers on European and international law and politics gathered in Brussels to examine how human rights shape EU foreign policy: not only as a founding value of the Union, but as a strategic asset for its credibility, for a rules-based international order and for partnerships built on mutual respect. The participating universities were Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, KU Leuven, the University of Strasbourg, the University of Oxford and Mendel University in Brno, together with students from the Université catholique de Lille, the University of Gothenburg, the University of Białystok, the Université de Toulouse, the College of Europe and trainees from the EU institutions.
The session on “The protection of freedom of thought, religion and belief in EU international relations” was opened by video messages from Mairead McGuinness, EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and MEP Željana Zovko, with an academic introduction by Prof. Nazila Ghanea, University of Oxford and UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and a keynote by Constantinos Alexandris, EEAS Religion and Diplomacy Advisor.
The round table brought together:
- Lukas Mandl — Member of the European Parliament
- Luca Jahier — Member of the European Economic and Social Committee
- José Luis Bazan — COMECE, Legal Adviser for International Religious Freedom
- Imam Yahya Pallavicini — Chairman of EULEMA
- Vincent Depaigne — Coordinator for the dialogue between the European Commission and churches, religious associations or communities, and philosophical and non-confessional organisations
Imam Yahya Pallavicini presented the links and complexities between Human Rights, Freedom of Religion, International relations with the Muslim world, Security and Citizenship.
Post-graduate students from European universities attending the EEAS Autumn School 2026
The students actively took part in the debate, asking questions and sharing their perspectives with the speakers. The programme continued with sessions on equality and non-discrimination, on the international protection of human rights with EU Ambassadors, and on the role of the European Court of Justice in the defence of human rights at home and abroad.
