Who we are

The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) is an ecumenical agency on migration and integration, refugees and asylum and anti-racism and anti- discrimination in Europe. The aim of CCME is to develop in the churches throughout Europe a due sense of responsibility towards the situation of migrants, refugees and minority ethnic people. Churches in Europe share the same convictions based on the common biblical heritage. “For I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (MT 25:35) is challenging Christians and churches to work for a community and society to welcome persons of different culture and origin in their midst. CCME encourages and initiates appropriate measures on the part of the churches, which promote and enhance the rights of these people and defend them against discrimination.

Founded in 1964, CCME is an organization of churches and ecumenical councils as well as church-related agencies from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ireland. CCME still actively cooperates with the Conference of European Churches.

It holds official observer status with the Council of Europe. It maintains a wide network of contacts with the European Commission, European Council, and the European Parliament in various departments and committees. This enables CCME to monitor European policy-making in the migration, integration, asylum and anti- discrimination spheres and to present the concerns of the churches to the relevant institutions.

CCME works closely with other Christian organizations active on migration and asylum in Brussels, e.g. the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, Caritas Europe, the International Catholic Migration Commission, the Jesuit Refugee Service Europe, the Quaker Council for European Affairs. CCME co-chairs the Platform of NGOs on Migration and Asylum EPAM hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Brussels, and as a founding member it participates in the work of the European Network Against Racism in the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).

CCME serves the member churches with information and exchange on European policies, formulates common European ecumenical positions on the specific issues of migration, asylum and racism and brings them to the knowledge of the European institutions. It represents its members as appropriate in international organisations and at meetings and conferences on relevant issues. It still actively participates in the global ecumenical movement via the World Council of Churches and in direct inter-regional exchange such as the Africa-Europe Ecumenical Forum on migration, established jointly with the All Africa Conference of Churches in 2023.

CCME stimulates the churches with documentation, information and eventually training to become active at a national level and supports and co- ordinates efforts and initiatives undertaken by churches and other bodies in this field. It organizes consultations encouraging co-operation, identifies projects and programmes and assists churches to implement them.

Its General Assembly meets in person every three years to review and further develop its programme of action. Between these Assemblies, an annual virtual assembly is held and the Executive Committee functions as the governing body.

“CCME is an ecumenical organisation that serves the churches in their commitment to promote the vision of an inclusive community through advocating for an adequate policy for migrants, refugees and minority groups at European and national level. In the fulfilment of this mandate it is responding to the message of the Bible, which insists on the dignity of every human being and understands unity as devoid of any distinction between strangers and natives.”
(CCME Mission Statement)

Migration comprises an integral part of Europe’s history and an important dimension of its current reality. European citizens continue to emigrate from or move within Europe, while migrants and refugees from other parts of the world arrive to build new lives in a European home. Although there are challenges associated with the settlement of newcomers and longer-term residents in Europe, such individuals widely contribute to Europe’s economic well-being and serve to further enrich its diverse cultures.

Europe’s tradition of protecting human rights, integrating migrants and refugees and cherishing cultural diversity, however, is currently under strain. By vocation, churches are well positioned to promote mutual understanding and acceptance between various communities and to play an active part in the building of a just society of cultural, racial and religious diversity.

The Treaty of Amsterdam, which came into force in 1999, has conferred considerable powers on the European Union (EU) to act on immigration and related issues of integration of immigrants and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, the EU has been given the competence to take measures against discrimination on grounds of racial or ethnic origin and religion. This development demands an even closer co-operation of churches not only in the old and new member states of the European Union but also in the countries in the neighbourhood of the enlarged EU.

Founded in 1964, the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) is an organisation of churches and ecumenical councils from currently eighteen European countries.

Since the General Assembly of CCME in October 1999 in Järvenpää/Finland the mandate of CCME has been expanded to cover the whole area of migration and integration, refugees and asylum, and racism and xenophobia. CCME´ s work on uprooted people is part of the cooperation with the Conference of European Churches and the World Council of Churches.

CCME provides a space for churches and Christian agencies to share their experiences in the ministry among migrants, refugees, and minority ethnic persons. CCME is part of a wider ecumenical network of the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches. It participates in a network of NGOs throughout Europe and has launched the Migration News Sheet and the Migration Policy Group.

CCME maintains regular contacts with the European Commission, the European Parliament and Council of the European Union. CCME also holds official observer status with the Council of Europe (Strasbourg/F) and observes the Migration Committee of the Council of Ministers. This enables CCME to monitor European policy-making in the migration, integration and asylum spheres and to present the concerns of the churches to the relevant institutions.

CCME promotes the adoption and implementation of international standards such as the European Social Charter, the European Convention on the Protection of the Legal Status of Migrant Workers, and the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. CCME has also made specific proposals for the adoption of a European immigration policy and for equal treatment of European citizens and third-country nationals. Please download the CCME leaflet