European Parliament Declines Plegded Support of € 1,5 Million for World Youth Day
On December 15th 2004 the European Union rejected funding for the upcoming 2005 World Youth Day (WYD) during the second reading of the 2005 budget.
Euro-fam, a pro-family organization which monitors the EU, reports that an amendment to the 2005 EU budget that was to grant 1, 500, 000 € to the massive gathering of youth from all over the world in Cologne Germany was turned down during an EU plenary session by a split vote. Euro-fam states that the rejection of the subsidy is due, in part, to a campaign organized by Lay Action Center and other anti-Catholic lobby groups. A petition circulating on the Internet asking European parliamentarians to reject financial aid to WYD was one measure to achieve the goal. Chairman of Kolping Society, Thomas Dörflinger MdB, expressed his disappointment and incomprehension. He remarked that on the one hand the European Parliament promotes the value of multi-cultural society on the other hand it rejects the funding of the World Youth Day, an event in Cologne where there will be an intercultural exchange among young people. Suspicion arises that it is a manifestation of a targeted anti-catholic policy. On 20 December 2004, the co-organizers of WYD 2005 announced that, despite Parliament’s rejection of this sum for the WYD, they will seek to obtain the funds from the European Commission. Sources: http://www.presseportal.de/story.htx?nr=629689&firmaid=52043 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2005-0588+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN http://www.eppgroup.eu/press/showpr.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=3360&PRContentID=6326&PRContentLG=de