European Public Hearing on European Conscience and Crimes of Totalitarian Communism: 20 Years After
Encyclopedia
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. The hearing was described by the Presidency as "the third step towards the establishment of a European Platform of Memory and Conscience
to support the activities of institutions engaged in reconciling with totalitarian regimes in Europe."
The hearing was hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra
and the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the European Union Milena Vicenová on behalf of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with MEP
s supporting the Prague Declaration
.
The first session, chaired by Tunne Kelam
MEP, included speeches by Pavel Žáček
(Director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
), Emmanuel Crabit (European Commission
Directorate-General of Justice, Freedom and Security), Emanuelis Zingeris
(Chairman, International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania), Marius Oprea
(Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania
), Hans Altendorf (Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives), Vasil Kadrinov (Hannah Arendt Center), Nicolas Werth (Institute for Contemporary History, CNRS), and Camilla Andersson (Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
).
The second session, chaired by Jana Hybášková
MEP, included speeches by Alexandr Vondra
(Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic), Ján Figeľ
(European Commissioner for Education), Alejo Vidal-Quadras MEP (Vice President of the European Parliament
), Jan Zahradil
MEP, László Tökés
MEP, and Sandra Kalniete
(former European Commissioner).
The conclusions called for "the establishment of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience" and supported the proclamation of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism
.
The hearing was followed by a resolution of the European Parliament
on European conscience and totalitarianism of 2 April 2009.
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...
of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in the European Parliament
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...
on 18 March 2009. The hearing was described by the Presidency as "the third step towards the establishment of a European Platform of 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 support the activities of institutions engaged in reconciling with totalitarian regimes in Europe."
The hearing was hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr "Saša" Vondra is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Senator from Litoměřice and the nation's Minister of Defence. He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party...
and the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the European Union Milena Vicenová on behalf of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s supporting the Prague Declaration
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...
.
The first session, chaired by Tunne Kelam
Tunne Kelam
Tunne-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....
MEP, included speeches by Pavel Žáček
Pavel Žáček
Pavel Žáček is a Czech academic and government official. He was the first Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, the Czech government agency and research institute tasked with investigation of the crimes of the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia that was declared to be...
(Director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is a Czech government agency and research institute, founded by the Czech government in 2007. Its purpose is to gather, analyse and make accessible documents from the Nazi and Communist regimes...
), Emmanuel Crabit (European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Directorate-General of Justice, Freedom and Security), Emanuelis Zingeris
Emanuelis Zingeris
Emanuelis Zingeris is a Lithuanian philologist, museum director, politician, signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, currently serving as a Member of the Seimas , chairman of its foreign affairs committee , and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of...
(Chairman, International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania), Marius Oprea
Marius Oprea
Marius Oprea is a Romanian historian , poet and essayist.He studied history at the University of Bucharest, and earned a Ph.D. with a thesis on the role and evolution of the Communist-era secret police, the Securitate between 1948 and 1964...
(Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania
Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania
The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania is a government-sponsored organization whose mission is to investigate the crimes and abuses conducted while Romania was under communist rule prior to December 1989...
), Hans Altendorf (Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives), Vasil Kadrinov (Hannah Arendt Center), Nicolas Werth (Institute for Contemporary History, CNRS), and Camilla Andersson (Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism
The Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism is a Sweden-based non-profit and non-governmental human rights organization, founded in 2008, with the stated purpose of "spreading essential information on the crimes of communism and to promote vigilance against all totalitarian...
).
The second session, chaired by Jana Hybášková
Jana Hybášková
Jana 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...
MEP, included speeches by Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr "Saša" Vondra is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Senator from Litoměřice and the nation's Minister of Defence. He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party...
(Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic), Ján Figeľ
Ján Figel
Ján Figeľ is a Slovakian politician, previously European Commissioner for Education, Training & Culture. His area of responsibility also covered sport, youth, and relations with civil society.-Early career:...
(European Commissioner for Education), Alejo Vidal-Quadras MEP (Vice President of the European Parliament
Vice President of the European Parliament
There are fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the President in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament.-Role:...
), Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil
Jan Zahradil is a Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Civic Democratic Party . He is the Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, a position that he's held since 8 March 2011.A scientific researcher by profession, Zahradil...
MEP, László Tökés
László Tokés
László Tőkés is a Romanian politician of Hungarian ethnicity, currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European Parliament ....
MEP, and Sandra Kalniete
Sandra Kalniete
Sandra Kalniete is a Latvian politician, author, diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as Foreign Minister of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries in 2004...
(former European Commissioner).
The conclusions called for "the establishment of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience" and supported the proclamation of the 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 hearing was followed by a resolution of the European Parliament
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...
on European conscience and totalitarianism of 2 April 2009.