Meeting of CROCEU Members at the Ambiorix Orthodox Centre in Brussels

Brussels, 17 September 2026 – The members of the Committee of Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) met on Thursday, 17 September 2026, at the Ambiorix Orthodox Centre in Brussels, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium (Ecumenical Patriarchate).

The meeting was attended by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Tanagra, Director of the Office of the Church of Greece to the European Union; the Very Reverend Archpriests Sorin Selaru and George Valcu, representing the Patriarchate of Romania to the European Institutions; the Very Reverend Archpriest Stoyan Berbatov, representing the Patriarchate of Bulgaria to the European Union; as well as Archimandrite Emilianos Chatzivasiliou and the Very Reverend Archpriest Pawel Cecha, from the Liaison Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union (Ecumenical Patriarchate).

During the meeting, the members reviewed the various items on the agenda, including forthcoming events and initiatives, cooperation with other Churches, organizations and European bodies, as well as the preparation and coordination of several future projects.

Established in March 2010, CROCEU seeks to facilitate cooperation among the Orthodox representatives to the European Institutions and to provide a framework enabling them to articulate, in a coordinated manner, the concerns and perspectives of the local Orthodox Churches with regard to the ongoing process of European integration.

A distinctive feature of CROCEU is the official ecclesial mandate of its members. Its members are not representatives acting in a private or merely organizational capacity, but the officially appointed representatives of their respective local Orthodox Churches to the European Institutions, acting with the mandate of their Churches. Membership in CROCEU is based on an official appointment by a canonically recognized local Orthodox Church. This gives CROCEU a particular responsibility to foster consultation, coordination and a common Orthodox witness in dialogue with the European Institutions.

The meeting once again highlighted the excellent spirit of cooperation and mutual trust among the representatives of the different local Orthodox Churches. Through regular consultation and close collaboration, CROCEU seeks to contribute constructively to the European dialogue and to ensure that the voice and concerns of the Orthodox Churches are appropriately represented within the European context.

The next meeting of CROCEU will take place in Brussels on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.