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FAFCE Weekly news 3rd of June 2016

FAFCE
Celebration of the Global Day of Parents
The Global Day of Parents was celebrated last Wednesday, the 1st of June, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 with resolution A/RES/66/292. On this occasion, FAFCE issued a press release which was re-published by Life Site News (in English), Avvenire and SIR Agency (in Italian).

FAFCE Spring Newsletter
Our last Newsletter was published last week in English, French and German (click on the links for obtaining the online version of the Newsletter). It was sent to around 25,000 email contacts around the world.

European Union

European Group on Ethics : membership open!
The European Commission has launched the public call for membership of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), the independent advisory body established by the President of the Commission. The European Group on Ethics is a multi-disciplinary body addressing all aspects of Commission policies and legislation where ethical, societal and fundamental rights dimensions intersect with the development of science and new technologies. The EGE provides guidance to the highest political level of the European Commission and plays a crucial role in the embedding and questioning of these ethical dimensions in EU policies. The Group will bring together 15 members who collectively reflect the breadth of perspectives across Europe in the broadest sense with a balance of disciplinary backgrounds, their expertise spanning natural and social sciences and humanities, philosophy and ethics, and law. The call for expression of interest in membership of the Group is published on the EGE website. The call will be open until the 26th of June. All the details are available on the website. Applications should be submitted through the online application form found on the website now. May we encourage those of you who are interested to apply. Please feel free to disseminate this through your networks.

European Parliament: Plenary Session in Strasbourg
Next week in Strasbourg the European Parliament will be gathered for its June Plenary Session (6-9 June). Click here to read the agenda.

Council of Europe

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE): Committee Meetings in Paris, 1-2 June 2016
The PACE Social Affairs Committee met on the 2nd of June in Paris. The Report on Human rights and ethical issues related to surrogacy, which was supposed to be discussed again, was not on the agenda of this Meeting. It has to be noted that the Committee took note of the transmission of the petition No Maternity Traffic to be taken into account in the context of this procedure. The next step should be another presentation of a new draft by the current Rapporteur, Petra De Sutter, during a Committee meeting around the 21st of June in Strasbourg. Many concerns are being raised by several Members and organisations: here you can find the Open Letter of a Feminist group to the President of the Assembly.
During the same meeting a good Draft Report on Fighting the over-sexualisation of children (Rapporteur: Mr Ghiletchi, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD) was unanimously adopted, with a view to the report being debated during the June 2016 part-session of the Assembly. Click here for reading this report. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
FAFCE Policy Officer attended these meetings and had informal exchanges with the followings Members of National Parliaments: Rozsa Hoffmann (EPP, Hungary), Jean-Pierre Grin (Liberals, Switzerland), Petra De Sutter (Socialists, Belgium), Valeriu Ghiletchi (EPP, Moldova) Viorel Badea and Ben-Oni Ardelean (EPP, Romania), Sílvia Eloïsa Bonet Perot (Socialists, Andorra), Eleonora Cimbro (Socialists, Italy), Adele Gambaro (Liberals, Italy).

World

New research: Children of married parents have highest self-esteem
New research by Marriage Foundation shows that marriage significantly improves the self-esteem of teenagers and improves their life chances. Click here for more information.

Church
Pope Francis' General Audience
On Wednesday 1st of June Pope Francis held his Weekly General Audience in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, having a catecheses focused on the parable of the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector (cf. Lk 18:9-14). Click here for the English digest of his catechesis.