European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
Encyclopedia
The European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism was a resolution of the European Parliament
adopted on 2 April 2009 by a vote of 533-44 with 33 abstentions, in which the European Parliament condemned totalitarian crimes and called for the recognition of "Communism, Nazism and fascism as a shared legacy" and "an honest and thorough debate on all the totalitarian crimes of the past century." The resolution also called for several measures to strengthen public awareness of totalitarian crimes.
The resolution was co-sponsored by
Having regard to its declaration of 23 September 2008 on the proclamation of 23 August as European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism
, the European Parliament called for its implementation by the Member States, "to be commemorated with dignity and impartiality." The resolution further called for "the establishment of a Platform of European Memory and Conscience
to provide support for networking and cooperation among national research institutes specialising in the subject of totalitarian history, and for the creation of a pan-European documentation centre/memorial for the victims of all totalitarian regimes."
The resolution also called "on the Council and the Commission to support and defend the activities of non-governmental organisations, such as Memorial
in the Russian Federation, that are actively engaged in researching and collecting documents related to the crimes committed during the Stalinist period."
, the European Public Hearing on Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes, the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
, and the European Public Hearing on European Conscience and Crimes of Totalitarian Communism: 20 Years After
, as well as by the European Parliament's 2008 proclamation of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
's Vilnius Declaration
reiterated the call to take a "united stand against all totalitarian rule from whatever ideological background."
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience
was established as an initiative of the Polish EU presidency
in 2011.
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
adopted on 2 April 2009 by a vote of 533-44 with 33 abstentions, in which the European Parliament condemned totalitarian crimes and called for the recognition of "Communism, Nazism and fascism as a shared legacy" and "an honest and thorough debate on all the totalitarian crimes of the past century." The resolution also called for several measures to strengthen public awareness of totalitarian crimes.
The resolution was co-sponsored by
- Tunne KelamTunne KelamTunne-Väldo Kelam MEP is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Pro Patria Union , part of the European People's Party....
, Gunnar HökmarkGunnar HökmarkAnders Gunnar Hökmark is a Swedish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Moderate Party; part of the European People's Party....
, and Jana HybáškováJana HybáškováJana Hybášková is a Czech politician and diplomat, serving as the Ambassador of the European Union in Iraq . From 2004 to 2009, she was a Member of the European Parliament for the European People's Party...
on behalf of the European People's Party - Annemie Neyts-UyttebroeckAnnemie Neyts-UyttebroeckAnne-Marie Cécile J. Neyts-Uyttebroeck is a Belgian politician andMember of the European Parliament for Flanders with the Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.She is for the...
and István Szent-IványiIstván Szent-IványiIstván Szent-Iványi is a Hungarian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Alliance of Free Democrats, part of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-About his work:...
on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for EuropeAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for EuropeThe Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the... - Gisela KallenbachGisela KallenbachGisela Kallenbach is a German politician. She served as a Member of the European Parliament for Alliance '90/The Greens, part of the European Greens, from 2004 to 2009. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Parliament of Saxony...
, Milan HoráčekMilan HorácekMilan Horáček , is a Czech-born German politician, a founding member of the German Green Party, a former member of the Bundestag and a former Member of the European Parliament .From 1965 to 1967 his political activism got him into trouble with the Czechoslovak communist regime, and he was arrested...
, and László TőkésLászló TokésLászló Tőkés is a Romanian politician of Hungarian ethnicity, currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European Parliament ....
on behalf of The Greens–European Free Alliance - Hanna Foltyn-KubickaHanna Foltyn-KubickaHanna Foltyn-Kubicka , is a Polish politician and a Member of the European Parliament. She is a member of the Law and Justice Party, which is part of the Union for Europe of the Nations Group in the European Parliament. She was a member on the Committee on Regional Development and the delegation to...
, Wojciech RoszkowskiWojciech RoszkowskiWojciech Roszkowski is a Polish economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Silesian Voivodeship with the Law and Justice, part of the Union for a Europe of Nations and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets.Roszkowski is a substitute for the Committee on...
, Ģirts Valdis KristovskisGirts Valdis KristovskisĢirts Valdis Kristovskis is a Latvian politician and the current Foreign Minister of Latvia in the Cabinet of Valdis Dombrovskis....
, Adam BielanAdam BielanAdam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
, Roberts ZīleRoberts ZileDr. Roberts Zīle is a Latvian economist and politician and Member of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative political party in Latvia and part of the European Conservatives and Reformists...
, Zdzisław Zbigniew Podkański, Inese VaidereInese VaidereInese Vaidere is a Latvian politician, serving as a Member of the European Parliament .She was formerly Vice-Mayor of Riga and member of the Saeima. She was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 for the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK list; part of the Union for a Europe of Nations group...
, and Mirosław Mariusz Piotrowski on behalf of the Union for Europe of the NationsUnion for Europe of the NationsUnion for Europe of the Nations was a political group of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2009.-History:UEN was formed on 20 July 1999, supplanting the earlier Union for Europe. Its member parties Fianna Fáil and National Alliance were the driving forces behind the group, despite their...
The resolution
The resolution expressed its "respect for all victims of totalitarian and undemocratic regimes in Europe" and "[paid] tribute to those who fought against tyranny and oppression", "[underlined] the importance of keeping the memories of the past alive, because there can be no reconciliation without truth and remembrance", "[reconfirmed] its united stand against all totalitarian rule from whatever ideological background", "[condemned] strongly and unequivocally all crimes against humanity and the massive human rights violations committed by all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes", "[extended] to the victims of these crimes and their family members its sympathy, understanding and recognition of their suffering".Having regard to its declaration of 23 September 2008 on the proclamation of 23 August as European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism
European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism
The European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, also known as the International Black Ribbon Day, which is observed on 23 August, was designated by the European Parliament in 2008/2009 as "a Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian...
, the European Parliament called for its implementation by the Member States, "to be commemorated with dignity and impartiality." The resolution further called for "the establishment of a Platform of European Memory and Conscience
Platform of European Memory and Conscience
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is an educational project of the European Union bringing together government institutions and organisations from EU countries active in research, documentation, awareness raising and education about the crimes of totalitarian regimes...
to provide support for networking and cooperation among national research institutes specialising in the subject of totalitarian history, and for the creation of a pan-European documentation centre/memorial for the victims of all totalitarian regimes."
The resolution also called "on the Council and the Commission to support and defend the activities of non-governmental organisations, such as Memorial
Memorial (society)
Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....
in the Russian Federation, that are actively engaged in researching and collecting documents related to the crimes committed during the Stalinist period."
History and aftermath
The European Parliament resolution was preceded by the Council of Europe resolution 1481Council of Europe resolution 1481
In the resolution 1481/2006 of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly issued on January 25, 2006 during its winter session, the Council of Europe "strongly condemns crimes of totalitarian communist regimes"....
, the European Public Hearing on Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes, the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism , which was signed on 3 June 2008, was a declaration signed by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, including past signatories of Charter 77 such as Václav Havel, which called for condemnation of and...
, and the European Public Hearing on European Conscience and Crimes of Totalitarian Communism: 20 Years After
European Public Hearing on European Conscience and Crimes of Totalitarian Communism: 20 Years After
The European Public Hearing on European Conscience and Crimes of Totalitarian Communism: 20 Years After was a European public hearing organised by the Czech Presidency of the European Union in the European Parliament on 18 March 2009...
, as well as by the European Parliament's 2008 proclamation of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
's Vilnius Declaration
Vilnius Declaration
The Vilnius Declaration was a declaration adopted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe during the 18th annual session of its parliamentary assembly, that took place in Vilnius from 29 June to 3 July 2009...
reiterated the call to take a "united stand against all totalitarian rule from whatever ideological background."
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience
Platform of European Memory and Conscience
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is an educational project of the European Union bringing together government institutions and organisations from EU countries active in research, documentation, awareness raising and education about the crimes of totalitarian regimes...
was established as an initiative of the Polish EU presidency
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
in 2011.