ABSTRACT
Law is a place where religion and politics meet. There has been a profound increase in the treatment of religion by the laws and other regulatory instruments of the European Union (EU). European law on religion may be found in four basic sources: its formal sources, the laws and other regulatory instruments of the Union, the general principles common to and induced from the similarities between the laws on religion in the member states, the European Convention on Human Rights, and, perhaps, the laws of the religious traditions themselves. The value of religion principle is a fundamental of Strasbourg jurisprudence, and the general principles of law on religion common to the member states of the Union. The Lisbon Reform Treaty in Article 15b.3 provides: 'Recognising their identity and their specific contribution, the Union shall maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with these churches and organisations'.
