In a world increasingly marked by international tensions and growing instability, more than 130 faith-based organisations from 20 European Union countries have joined forces to issue a collective appeal to EU institutions, calling for stronger commitment towards a future free from fossil fuels. The initiative, entitled “Europe, Be Faithful to Our Common Home”, was launched by the Laudato Si’ Movement on the occasion of the Laudato Si’ Week. Among the signatories is also Pax Christi International.

The appeal comes at a particularly sensitive political moment for European institutions. In the coming months, discussions on the EU’s new multiannual budget framework are set to begin, while Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026, ahead of a major international conference on the phase-out of fossil fuels scheduled for 2027 and co-hosted with Tuvalu.

To date, the faith-based organisations argue that the European Union must take decisive responsibility for the urgent and necessary policy shifts required, in line with the founding values of human dignity and the pursuit of the common good, as well as in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call not to remain indifferent.

They warn that the environmental and social safeguards underpinning a just and equitable transition are increasingly at risk of being dismantled. In particular, the signatories express concern about so-called “regulatory simplification”, which in some cases may in fact lead to delays in climate action, increased reliance on fossil fuels, and weaker corporate accountability requirements.

Responding to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable and the accelerating ecological crisis, and aligned with calls from Church leaders of the Global South for a just transition beyond fossil fuels, these faith communities demand four immediate actions:

  • Fossil fuel phase-out: Establish a clear strategy to exit coal by 2030, gas by 2035, and oil by 2040, alongside an immediate ban on all new fossil fuel exploration and an end to permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure. The warnings from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that no new fossil fuels are required must be heeded, despite pressure from some EU member states continuing to push for new exploration.

  • Fossil fuel profit tax and no fossil fuel subsidies: Introduce a permanent tax on the massive profits of fossil fuel companies. These funds must be directed to finance the energy transition and support the most vulnerable households.

  • Clean energy investment and sufficiency: Massively scale up investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification, while promoting “energy sufficiency” and a circular economy to save resources.

  • Climate finance and social justice in the EU budget: The next 7-year EU budget (MFF), to be finalised by late 2027, must prioritise those struggling to pay their energy bills over the interests of corporations accumulating billions of Euros in profits.

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