The Signing of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience
21 European institutions specialised in the memory of the communist, and, respectively, the fascist regime, constituted the international association entitled the Platform of European Memory and Conscience.
On Friday, 14 October 2011, in the Lichtenstein Palace of Prague, 21 institutions from thirteen countries – among which the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile – signed the founding document of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, in the presence of Mr. Petr Nečas, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, and Mr. Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland. The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mr. László Tökés, was represented at the signing ceremony by Mr. Zsolt Szilágyi, Head of Office. The foregoing event paralleled the Summit of the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group.
The Platform of the European Memory and Conscience is the result of the collaboration, over the past three years, between governmental and non-governmental institutions whose aim is to analyse the totalitarian past and to honour the victims of far-right or far-left regimes in Europe. The objective of the Platform is to promote cooperation between research institutes, archives, museums, and other public and private organisations, specialised in the history and memory of fascist and communist regimes and ideologies. The Platform is an institution which will play a fundamental role in supporting the efforts to consolidate democracy by confronting the historical experience of radical evil in the states affected by the totalitarian phenomenon of the 20th century.
IICCMER, an institute under the subordination of the Romanian Government and coordinated by the Prime Minister, was represented in the signing ceremony by Mr. Bogdan Iacob, Secretary of the Scientific Council, and Ms. Raluca Grosescu, Director of Public Policies and Partnerships Department.
Mr. Vytautas Landsbergis, former president of Lithuania, participated as well in the meeting during which the founding document was finalised.
The foundation of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience was supported by the European Parliament in its Resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism. In its Report of 22 December 2010 to the Parliament and the Council, entitled “The Memory of the Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes in Europe”, the European Commission presented the Platform of European Memory and Conscience as an important European initiative.
Mr. Göran Lindblad, former Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rapporteur of the Council of Europe on the issue of the crimes of totalitarian regimes, and the author of the Resolution on the international condemnation of the crimes of totalitarian regimes, was chosen President of the Platform.
Ms. Neela Winkelmann, Executive Manager for European Affairs, the Czech Institute for the Study of the Totalitarian Regimes, was appointed Managing Director.
The Executive Board of the Platform is formed of:
- Andreja Valic, Directorof the Study Centre for National Reconciliation, Slovenia;
- Siegfried Reiprich, Executive Director, The Saxon Memorial Foundation for the Commemoration of the Victims of Political Tyranny, Germany;
- Zsolt Szilágyi, the European Parliament;
- Pawel Ukielski, Deputy Director, the Warsaw Rising Museum, Poland.
In the following months, the Platform of European Memory and Conscience will have their members of the Board of Trustees nominated. This organism will be formed of international personalities of civil and scientific society, who will support and promote publicly the Platform’s projects and agenda.
The Council of the founding members will meet at least once a year to discuss the Platform’s projects and priorities agenda.