On December 10, the European Parliament’s Article 17 seminar entitled “The Importance of Intergenerational Dialogue in Addressing Europe’s Future Challenges” took place. The event focused on the role of intergenerational justice in shaping fair EU policies. Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) sets out the legal framework for the EU’s cooperation with religious, philosophical and non-confessional organizations.
At the invitation of Humanists International, Katrin Raczynski, Federal Board Spokesperson of the Humanist Association of Germany, spoke on the first panel entitled “How to Promote Social Cohesion and Cultural Plurality in Our Communities?”.
Katrin Raczynski particularly emphasized the importance of intergenerational dialogue in tackling complex social challenges and noted that different generations often bring different perspectives to the table, which are shaped by their different experiences.
Based on this, she explained that promoting dialog requires targeted efforts to create spaces where individuals can share their views openly and respectfully.
From her many years of practice within the humanist movement, she finally illustrated how cross-generational discussions can lead to constructive results, even if opinions differ greatly.
“As humanists, we trust in humanity’s capacity for reason and empathy,” emphasized Katrin Raczynski. “We take critics seriously as dialogue partners and do not combat them as enemies. Central to our humanistic worldview is, alongside respect for human beings, a culture of discussion that strives to orient itself around the best arguments.”
The seminar marked the formal resumption of Article 17 activities in the new legislative term of the European Parliament. Chaired by Vice-President Antonella Sberna (Italy, European Conservatives and Reformists) in cooperation with the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), the event provided a platform for a constructive dialog between different societal actors.
The Humanist Association of Germany sees this seminar as an important step towards actively shaping intergenerational justice and social cohesion in Europe.
