Austria is a democratic Republic with an elected Federal President and a Democratic parliament. In December 2016 presidential elections, a credible challenge by a candidate from the far-right, anti-EU Freedom Party was seen off, with economist Alexander Van der Bellen (independent but supported by The Greens) elected to the presidency. Constitution […]

Belgium, a nation of 11.3 million, has a federal constitution with three levels of power. The Communities (French, Flemish, German), the Regions (Walloon, Flanders, Brussels) and the Federal State each have their own responsibilities, mandates and scope. It is believed that over 40% of Belgium’s population identify as non-believers/agnostics (no […]

In France, the dominant religion is Catholicism but the state is strongly secular. Freedom of religion or belief is supported but its importance is secondary to the freedom and rights of all citizens and public order and morality. France suffered two terrorist attacks in 2015: first in January against the […]

Germany, a federal parliamentary republic and a nation of 83.2 million, has a federal constitution and consists of 16 constituent states. Constitution and government The Constitution (Grundgesetz, the Basic Law) and other laws and policies both protect and respect freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as freedom of […]

Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, landlocked between Switzerland and Austria. The estimated population is 38,200 in 2021.1https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/liechtenstein-population/#:~:text=The%20current%20population%20of%20Liechtenstein,of%20the%20total%20world%20population According to the 2015 census, 73.4% of the population of Liechtenstein is Catholic, 6.3% is Protestant and 5.9% is Muslim.2state.gov/documents/organization/281170.pdf World Atlas records in 2019 report that the religious […]

Luxembourg has no state religion, although the dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. The Constitution allows freedom of religious belief and practice in general, but grants privileges to certain religious groups. Constitution and government The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and generally respects this right in practice. There is no […]

Monaco, officially known as Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state located along the Mediterranean French Riviera. The city of Nice in France lies 9 miles (15 km) to the West, and the Italian border 5 miles (8 km) to the East. With an area of 2.1 km (0.81 sq […]

The Netherlands is a democratic, constitutional monarchy in Western Europe, generally recognised as a liberal country that formally has an even-handed policy towards religious and non-religious views. As of 2017, the largest belief group in the Netherlands were the non-religious, accounting for 50.7% of the population; a further 24% identified […]

The Constitution of Switzerland and other laws and policies both protect and respect religious freedom in practice. However, some discrimination based on religious identity, belief, or practice have been reported. According to national statistics, almost 37% of Swiss nationals are Roman Catholic; the Reformed Evangelical community makes up a further 24.4%. […]