The European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) has relocated its legal seat from Switzerland to Germany to strengthen its political engagement within the European Union (EU) and has appointed a new representative in Brussels, Belgium.
The move was publicized last month (February 2025) by two German-speaking evangelical alliances (EAs) in Germany and Austria. The EEA's decision to move its legal location from Zurich to Bad Blankenburg in Thuringia, Germany was driven by a preference to be based within an EU member state, it said, noting that the EEA headquarters had been based in Bonn for years already.
"The main reason for moving the EEA’s legal seat from Switzerland to Germany (within the European Union) was administrative efficiency," EEA Co-General Secretary Rev. Jan Wessels told Christian Daily International.
"Bad Blankenburg was a natural choice for the legal seat since the German Evangelical Alliance is also located there, and we are very grateful for their support in facilitating the move."
He added that the EEA maintains strong relationships with the German EA, as they also do with the Swiss EA and seek to do with national evangelical alliances across Europe.
"Strengthening these connections is central to our mission: fostering fellowship among European evangelicals by connecting them for a common purpose, equipping them for integral mission, and representing them with a united voice," Wessels said.
The Evangelische Allianz Deutschland (German Evangelical Alliance, EAD) has held its annual Allianzkonferenz (Alliance Conference) in Bad Blankenburg since the 19th century. The conference was first launched in 1886 by writer Anna von Weling as a Bible and faith event. The EAD's office is based at the Allianzhaus, which also serves as a Christian guesthouse.
"I am delighted that the European Evangelical Alliance has chosen Bad Blankenburg as its home,” said Dr. Reinhardt Schink, co-leader of EAD, expressing support for the move.
“The geographical proximity is also an expression of our inner connection,” added Schink. “Bad Blankenburg is a place with a rich history of spiritual blessing, which will now be deepened and expanded. Through the EEA, many positive impulses will radiate from here to Europe."
The news coincided with the appointment of Georgian national Tatiana Kopaleishvili last month (February 2025) as the new EEA representative to the EU in Brussels. She follows in the footsteps of Christel Lamère Ngnambi and Arie de Pater.
A former general secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Georgia, Kopaleishvili has been tasked, alongside EEA socio-political representative Julia Doxat-Purser, with championing a positive evangelical presence in European political spheres while keeping 30 national alliances informed about events at the EU.
Kopaleishvili is also a board member of the Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians and a guest assistant professor at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (ETF) in Leuven, Belgium, where she coordinates the Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief.
In an interview with Evangelical Focus, she outlined her vision for evangelical engagement at the European Union commenting that "Europe has a lot to navigate."
Update and correction March 24, 2025: CDI received comments from Jan Wessels that have been added. The article previously incorrectly stated that the EEA headquarters moved to Bad Blankenburg. It is the legal seat that moved. The headquarters has been based in Bonn, Germany, already for several years.
