This Commission was established for the first time by Decree of Archbishop Joseph Mercieca dated 13th August 1993 as an interdiocesan commission on “The Church and the European Community”. The commission was established to study and report to the Bishops of Malta and Gozo on: (a) how Malta’s eventual membership of the European Union would affect the Church and its work among the Maltese people; and (b) the contribution which out of a sense of solidarity the Church in Malta could give to the Church and to Society in general in the EU. The Commission’s first president was Mgr. Fortunato P. Mizzi. On the 24th November 1997, the Commission’s name was changed to “The Church in Malta and Europe” and its scope was widened to include other European institutions such as the Council of Europe.
The Commission advises the bishops and assists the Church in undertaking a Christian appraisal of events occurring within the EU. The Commission also evaluates opportunities that exist within the EU for the Church, its institutions, associations and movements. The Commission also coordinates participation by the Church in Malta and Gozo in the Forum Malta in Europe set up by the Government to serve as a consultative body in the formulation of European policy and legislation.
The Commission is also responsible for overseeing the participation of the Church in Malta and Gozo in European Church institutions, particularly, the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union – COMECE. In April 2004, during a celebration by the Churches in Europe held in Santiago de Compstella, the Maltese Episcopal Conference became a member of COMECE.
