The Apostolic Nunciature to the European Union is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. Its offices are in Brussels, which serves as the de facto capital of the European Union (EU). It was called the Apostolic Nunciature to the European Community until 2009.
In 1963, the Holy See informed the European Economic Community (EEC), precursor to the European Community and the European Union, that it was interested in establishing diplomatic ties, its first with an international organization.[a] Its overtures were blocked for several years first by French objections and then by the EEC's internal problems. Archbishop Igino Eugenio Cardinale, the Nuncio to Belgium, raised the issue anew in 1970 and proved successful.[1]
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