PARIS - France's Interministerial Committee for the Struggle against Cults (MILS) announced Monday that it has hosted a work meeting on "illegal activities of organizations of sect-like character in Europe" in Paris on June 14 and 15.
Representatives from 22 European governments, mainly from public institutions charged with surveillance and fight against sects, attended the meeting, said MILS, a cult-combating agency created by the French government in 1998.
The meeting has been "a free and full exchange of information and reflection concerning various situation and national experiences" and "perspectives of consultation and coordination have been mentioned," MILS said in its statement.
Participants of this meeting, the first of its kind, will meet at a regular term in the future, it added.
On May 31, the French Parliament has adopted a new law to reinforce the prevention and repression of groups of a sect-like character. According to a parliamentary commission report, a total of 172 sects are now active in France.