CCME General Assembly Concludes with Key Decisions on Leadership and Budget
By Joy Eva Bohol
The General Assembly of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) on 18 June 2024 concluded its recent session with significant decisions on leadership appointments, financial approvals, its work program, and membership recommendations. The hybrid assembly was held at the CCME office in Brussels and online.
CCME Moderator Fiona Kendall commenced the General Assembly with a welcome address and an opening prayer. The roll call confirmed the presence of 29 (initially 28) voting members, both onsite and online, out of a total of 39 members, thereby establishing a clear quorum for the assembly.
Key Decisions
1. Appointment of New Vice-Moderator
The assembly approved the appointment of Despoina Georgiadou from the Church of Greece as the new vice-moderator, following the resignation of Fr. Iakovos Andriopoulos. Fr Iakovos had in January become Metropolitan of Mexico and was therefore unable to fulfill his role in the ExCom. The decision was unanimous with 26 votes in favor and no objections or abstentions.
2. Adoption of 2023 Accounts
The General Assembly adopted the accounts for the year 2023 and discharged the Executive Committee from their responsibilities for the same period. The decision received unanimous support with 26 votes in favor and none against or abstaining.
3. Adoption of Work Program and Budget
The proposed work program and program budget for the upcoming period, as detailed on page 5 of the meeting documents, were adopted. The work program focusses on follow up to the EU migration pact, support for resettlement and complementary pathways as well as developing the vision of an alternative asylum system which protects people more than borders; these would be accompanied by improved communication. Again, there was a clear majority, with 26 votes in favor, no votes against, and one abstention.
4. Adoption of Recommendations on CCME Membership Fees
The assembly adopted the recommendations concerning the CCME membership fees with 24 votes in favor, no objections, and three abstentions. ExCom will use the recommendations to guide its deliberations on the membership fees for 2025 in its meeting in early October.
Dr. Torsten Moritz, CCME general secretary commented: “Recent policy developments and elections have underlined the need for churches to inform and give input to debates on asylum and safe passage to Europe. Today´s decisions confirm the role of CCME as the ecumenical tool to do exactly that.”
Kendall added, “The membership’s endorsement of hard work carried out to strengthen CCME internally and confirm its priorities in an ever-widening policy field was an important step. The sense of shared values and shared responsibility – in a membership rich in denominational and geographical diversity – could not be stronger.”