Sovereign Military Order of Malta–European Union relations

Sovereign Military Order of Malta–European Union relations

Sovereign Military Order of Malta	European Union
Diplomatic mission
Official Representation of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the European Union, Brussels[1]	Delegation of the European Union to the Holy See, Order of Malta, UN Organisations in Rome and to the Republic of San Marino, Rome[2]
Envoy
Ambassador Yves Gazzo[3]	Ambassador Jan Tombiński[2]

Sovereign Military Order of Malta–European Union relations are the diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) and the European Union (EU). They were formally established in 2003 when the SMOM established a representation and office in Brussels, having been in contact with the European Commission since the early 1990s.^[4]

Representation and recognition

Unique among Europe's religious orders, SMOM representation is recognised as a diplomatic entity solely by the Commission and not the EU's other institutions or member states.^[5][6][7] This arrangement was formalised in 2007, when the EU's Delegation to the Holy See, established in 2006, had its remit extended to cover the SMOM.^[8]

Cooperation

The SMOM has declared the intention of its multilateral relations, such as those with the EU, to promote humanitarian values including "human rights, healthcare [and] food security".^[9] Similarly, the EU perceives its diplomacy with the SMOM to be valuable "in the fields of emergency relief, medical care, [the] fight against poverty and famine, and special assistance to people affected by conflicts".^[2] From 6 March 2012, the two parties have further collaborated to strategise the protection of "sacred places" in the Mediterranean, assisted by the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA).^[10]

See also

• Holy See–European Union relations
• List of permanent observers of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the United Nations

References

1. "Belgium". Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
2. "About the Delegation of the European Union to the Holy See, Order of Malta, UN Organisations in Rome, Republic of San Marino". European External Action Service (EEAS). Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
3. "The Ambassador of the Order of Malta to the European Union was received by the President of the European Parliament". Sovereign Military Order of Malta. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
4. Leuştean, Lucian N. (2013). "Does God Matter in the European Union?". In Lucian N. Leuştean (ed.). Representing Religion in the European Union: Does God Matter?. London: Routledge. pp. 18, 12. ISBN 978-0-41-568504-7.
5. Lindblom, Anna-Karin (2005). Non-Governmental Organisations in International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-52-185088-9.
6. Mudrov, Sergei A. (2016). Christian Churches in European Integration. London: Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-31-716681-8.
7. Leuştean, Lucian N. (2015). "The Representation of Religion in the European Union". In Jonathan Chaplin; Gary Wilton (eds.). God and the EU: Retrieving the Christian Inspirations of the European Project. London: Routledge. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-31-743921-9.
8. Leuştean 2013, p. 18.
9. "Multilateral relations". Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
10. "European Commission and the Order of Malta for the protection of sacred places". Sovereign Military Order of Malta. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.