The conference brings together public authorities, security agents, religious leaders, decision makers, local communities and the civil society actors aiming to enhance protection at places of worship in European countries, by setting up a fertile ground for an open dialogue, exchange of valuable knowledge and practices, creation of local and international synergies and cooperation among them, with the ultimate goal to develop their capacity to counteract radicalisation and hate-speech, in an effort to promote inter-religious respect and diversity.

“Public spaces are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks due to their accessible and open nature and with the Security Union Strategy and the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda, the Commission is taking steps to support EU Member States in enhancing their protection. Furthermore, protecting places of worship of all faiths is an absolute priority for the EU and an important element of the ‘’protect’’ pillar under the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda. The Commission will continue to fund projects that focus on the protection of places of worship and that foster cooperation between different faith communities and national authorities across the EU”. Tamara Muñoz, European Commission