92001E0607

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0607/01

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 March 2001)

Subject: Community budget contribution to religious faiths in the EU

Each Member State's budget includes provision for contributions from public funds to assist the various religious faiths present in that state or to support various charitable works.

This is in response to the wishes of taxpayers who want to see a certain amount of their taxes allocated to the funding either of the religious faith of which they are members or to a charitable work in the country or region to which they belong.

Has the Commission considered, as part of its social assistance measures, providing funds from the EU budget to support the religious faiths to which Community citizens belong?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2001)

The ways in which the Member States assist religious denominations are quite varied. Although in a minority of cases the fiscal system is directly used for this purpose, the more usual arrangement is that the Member States consider voluntary donations as tax-deductible, and give direct assistance for specified activities and charitable work. The religious denominations and their agents may carry out such work and in this way the religious denominations may receive a benefit. Community funds are also disbursed for many activities which religious denominations or their agents may carry out. The Commission sees no need to complement this with other budget support, neither is there any such request from the religious denominations themselves.