26/10/2006: Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou expressed her concern for the future of religious freedom within the EU during the opening session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Her intervention referred to recent publications of European media according to which an employee of a British airline company was suspended and was threatened with dismissal because she was wearing a necklace with a small Cross. The media state that the aforementioned employee, who belongs to the ground personnel of the airline company, refused to comply with the pressures that were exercised upon her and was therefore granted a "compulsory leave".
The MEP indicated that "in the European Union we regularly refer to Democracy, Freedom and Justice - principles which should also be established within the acceding Member States" and underlined that "we want to give the guarantee to all Europeans and to the citizens of the whole world that they will not be prosecuted for expressing their opinions or their religious beliefs. "
"In Greece the vast majority of the citizens are baptized Christian Orthodox and wear their Cross throughout their whole lives. Should they be afraid of losing their jobs? How can we ask the acceding countries to respect religious freedoms if we do not protect the right to free expression of religious beliefs?"
Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou asked the Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Mr Franco Frattini, to condemn any violation of civil liberties, even when committed by a company as was the case here, since it creates a negative precedent and thus engenders a negative attitude, on the part of European citizens, towards the European Union.
It is interesting to know that the President of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag), Mr Norbert Lammert, has addressed a letter to the British airline company asking for further explanations on the company's policy regarding religious symbols worn by employees. Mr Lammert stresses in his letter that although the company allows members of the Sikh religious Community to wear their traditional turban and Muslim women to wear the veil, it does not allow Christians to wear their Cross.
With reference to the same case, the co-governing party of the Social Christian Union (CSU) in Germany expresses its strong dissatisfaction and asks the President of the Parliament to prohibit German members of the Parliament from using this particular company for their flights.
The MEP indicated that "in the European Union we regularly refer to Democracy, Freedom and Justice - principles which should also be established within the acceding Member States" and underlined that "we want to give the guarantee to all Europeans and to the citizens of the whole world that they will not be prosecuted for expressing their opinions or their religious beliefs. "
"In Greece the vast majority of the citizens are baptized Christian Orthodox and wear their Cross throughout their whole lives. Should they be afraid of losing their jobs? How can we ask the acceding countries to respect religious freedoms if we do not protect the right to free expression of religious beliefs?"
Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou asked the Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Mr Franco Frattini, to condemn any violation of civil liberties, even when committed by a company as was the case here, since it creates a negative precedent and thus engenders a negative attitude, on the part of European citizens, towards the European Union.
It is interesting to know that the President of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag), Mr Norbert Lammert, has addressed a letter to the British airline company asking for further explanations on the company's policy regarding religious symbols worn by employees. Mr Lammert stresses in his letter that although the company allows members of the Sikh religious Community to wear their traditional turban and Muslim women to wear the veil, it does not allow Christians to wear their Cross.
With reference to the same case, the co-governing party of the Social Christian Union (CSU) in Germany expresses its strong dissatisfaction and asks the President of the Parliament to prohibit German members of the Parliament from using this particular company for their flights.
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