WARSAW, Poland - The first Polish Commissioner to the European Union said Tuesday that the Church is critical to efforts to reconnect Europe with its people.

Dr. Danuta Hübner, the EU Polish Commissioner, opened the 2006 European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) and the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance (EEMA) General Assemblies and the EEA Youth Forum in Warsaw Tuesday evening by encouraging Christians to engage in the dialogue about the future of Europe.

"The responsibility and the future of Europe is our common responsibility," said Hübner, the commissioner responsible for Regional Policy, according to the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).

Hübner said that the EU has become "too far away from the people," and emphasised the common need to "work closely with the local people".

"I think the natural characteristic of the Church and of pastors in general is to remain in close contact with the people," Hübner said. "That is why I believe it is the responsibility of the Church as well as it is the responsibility of politicians to help overcome the distance that exists between Europe and its citizens today."

Hübner, who is a Roman Catholic, is one of Poland's foremost economists and policymakers. Her roles in Poland's government included Minister for European Affairs, Minister Head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, and the Head of the Office of the Committee for European Integration. She has also served as the U.N. Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva.

Gordon Showell-Rogers, General Director of the EEA, thanked the Commissioner, stating: "We are passionate about our civic responsibilities. Dr Hübner's presence is an encouragement to us all, and especially to Poland's small evangelical community, to persevere with our civic engagement."

More than 150 Evangelical leaders from 38 European countries were present for Tuesday evening's opening addrees. The EEA and EEMA Assemblies and EEA Youth Forum will take place 17 to 21 October.


Christian Today Correspondent Pauline J. Chang in Warsaw contributed to this report.