Caritas transforms Catholic Social Teaching into concrete action. At the grass roots level, Caritas supports and cares for the poor, the marginalised, the oppressed and the socially excluded. Caritas is also one of the most important providers of ‘non-statutory’ welfare, including healthcare, filling the needs that are not being provided by statutory provisions.

Caritas raises funds, both private and public, to carry out programs of emergency humanitarian aid and sustainable development all around the world. In this international cooperation context, Caritas agencies are also working in very close partnership with the EU institutions and with partner organizations in the South.

But Caritas is also involved in political advocacy and in shaping policies on national, European and global levels. Through its advocacy work, on topics of migration, trafficking, social issues, sustainable development, poverty reduction and European legislation, Caritas gives a voice to those who are voiceless.

Caritas Europa was founded in 1992 succeeding to Eurocaritas, which started its activities in 1971. Caritas Europa today is a federation of 48 member organisations in 44 European countries. It is part of the global Confederation of Caritas Internationalis, which works in 192 countries in the world. More than 500,000 paid workers and millions of dedicated volunteers form the vibrant backbone of this worldwide network.

Caritas Europa and its member organisations are devoted to:

• Reducing social inequality between individual countries and within countries, overcoming poverty and social discrimination and stopping the exclusion of individuals from participation in the society
• Eradication current conflicts in a peaceful manner, finding possibilities for reconciliation, and overcoming nationalistic and fundamental tendencies
• A European commitment to an ethically sound, socially accepted and ecologically sustainable world order
• Finding ways to solve the problem of unemployment
• Guaranteeing minority rights
• Preserving Europe as a place of refuge and protection for persecuted peoples where foreigners are treated with dignity, and eliminating the causes that force people to flee their homes
• Supporting a civilisation of love, mutual respect, openness and solidarity.

The work of Caritas Europa is carried out in Commissions and Working Groups whose activities are coordinated by the responsible Desk Officers in the CE Secretariat in Brussels supervised by the Secretary General reporting to an Executive Board.

Main working fields of Caritas Europa:

- Social Policies
- Migration issues
- International Cooperation
- European Cooperation and Enlargement
- Capacity Building
- Communication

Mr Marius Wanders, General Secretary

Rue de Pascale, 4
B-1040 Bruxelles