The logic of structured dialogue between religious associations and the institutions of the European Union

Aside from the controversy surrounding the proposed inclusion of an Invocatio Dei in the preamble to the European Union's (EU's) defunct Draft Constitution, a more muted controversy centred on the inclusion of a provision for structured dialogue between the institutions of the EU and communities of faith and conviction. This provision for dialogue, previously Article I.52.3 of the Draft Constitution, was retained in the Lisbon Treaty of 2007 as Article 17.3. The following article evaluates the logic for the inclusion of such a dialogue provision, focusing on the rationale of the European Commission body tasked with its coordination, as well as its potential role in intercultural understanding, the crystallisation of a European identity and core values, and the promotion of religious freedom and social justice. The putative imperatives examined are found to be insufficient to justify a differentiated dialogue provision.