Promoting Secularism, Advocating Human Rights, Honouring Christian Heritage and Solidarities? How the EU Deals with Religion in External Affairs

Religion has emerged as a salient dimension on the EU policy agenda, including in external relations. It can be met under different forms at diverse levels of governance. The European external action service has developed guidelines and expertise to handle religious issues. Diplomacies of member states keep traditional links and interests in faith matters rooted in national histories. International crises such as the turmoil created by the publication of Mahomet's cartoons or tensions about blasphemy or religious freedom challenge the ability of the EU to speak with a homogeneous and audible voice on the global stage. This contribution presents the first findings of the project "Importing God, exporting secularism? How the European Union deals with religion" funded by the Belgian FNRS (2014-2016). It analyses the convergences and discrepancies between supranational and national practices in EU multi-level governance and the specific problems set by religion to the usual European external strategy. Some case studies are the institutionalization of expertise on religious issues in diplomatic administrations; or the reception and implementation of European guidelines on religious freedom.