The Holy See and the European Union: Legal Regulation of Relations

Abstract

The author sets the goal to study the nature and system of regulation of relations between the Holy See and the European Union, as well as to odentify the main problems and trends in the further development and improvement of the legal regulation of these relations. The paper examines historical and theoretical aspects of the legal status of the Vatican, issues related to the participation of the Holy See in the European integration. The author analyzes a number of agreements concluded between the Holy See (Vatican) and the European Union in various fields, examines the role and place of the Commission of Episcopal Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) as one of the instruments of influence of the Holy See in the EU. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that the Holy See has a fairly wide range of means not only for the successful development of bilateral relations with the European Union, but also for exerting a certain impact on both the external and internal EU policies in various fields. The system of legal regulation of relations between the Holy See and the European Union is quite developed and covers a diverse range of issues in the economic, political, socio-cultural and other spheres.