KINGNEWSWIRE / PRESS RELEASE / BRUSSELS, Belgium — 19 February 2026 — The European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights has launched “Europe’s Values, Your Rights,” a new online educational guide designed for young adults and written in plain language. The initiative brings together the European Union’s foundational values under Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), with links throughout to official EU and Council of Europe materials.
The guide is built around a practical civic-literacy goal: helping readers understand not only what a right is, but also where that right sits in Europe’s institutional architecture and which body is competent in different situations. A recurring source of public confusion—the difference between the European Union and the Council of Europe—is addressed early, including a simplified map of who does what and when the Charter applies versus when the Convention and Strasbourg case-law become relevant.
At the core of “Europe’s Values, Your Rights” is an explanation of the six EU values—human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights—presented with brief examples intended to help young adults recognize how values appear in everyday life: at work, in education, online, and in civic participation. The site anchors these explanations in primary texts, linking users to official documents rather than commentary.
A major section introduces the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as a legally binding text, with a practical explanation of how it binds EU institutions and also Member States when they implement EU law. The guide directs readers to authoritative clarification such as the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) overview of the Charter’s field of application and provides a structured pathway through the Charter’s themes—dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights and justice—aimed at non-specialist readers.
In parallel, the guide outlines the purpose and scope of the European Convention on Human Rights, describing it as a Council of Europe treaty supervised by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It notes, in general terms, the principle that applicants normally turn to domestic remedies first and then assess Strasbourg admissibility in line with the Court’s official guidance. The site underlines that it is an educational resource and not legal advice, and refers readers to official instructions and qualified support where appropriate.
Designed for mobile reading habits, the initiative includes a short learning layer: a six-question self-check quiz that tests basic competence and applicability (for example, when the Charter is binding), and a “civic toolkit” that points to established European participation channels and public-information mechanisms such as the European Citizens’ Initiative, the European Parliament petitions portal, and the Commission’s Have Your Say consultations, alongside youth programmes including Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.
Brussels, the EU capital: a long-running human-rights presence
The European Office notes that it has maintained a human-rights presence in Brussels—the capital of the European Union—since 1990, evolving in different forms over time. According to the Office, this work has served as a focal point for programmes intended to inform the public about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how its principles can support a humane and peaceful society grounded in respect for each individual.
That institutional focus is also described in the Office’s statutes. In the wording provided within its internal governance documents, the organisation defines itself as a religious association operating within European legal and human-rights frameworks. The statutes, approved and recorded at the Registry of Religious Entities of the Ministry of Presidency and Justice of the EU member state Spain, state:
“Article 1.- An entity of organizational nature is constituted […] as a religious association abiding by article 16 of the Constitution, Organic Law 7/1980 of 5 July, on Religious Freedom, article 2.2.(c) of the Royal Decree 594/2015 of July 3rd, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, under the name EUROPEAN OFFICE OF THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, vested with legal personality and full legal capacity, which shall be governed by the aforementioned regulations, the provisions set forth herein, and other applicable laws. Its territorial scope is national and European, and it shall act as an entity of reference for the entire European territory. It shall operate as a purely religious non-profit organisation, which shall be responsible for carrying out its own activities and act as a representative for the various Churches in Europe before national and supranational public and private institutions, fostering that which is set forth in article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and pursuant to article 2.2 of the Organic Law on Religious Freedom, joining to the European values of Human Dignity, Freedom, Democracy, Equality/Equity, the Rule
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