Statement by Vice President Jourová and Commissioners Reynders and Dalli on the Europe Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes

"On 23 August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, setting the stage for Nazi and Soviet violence and occupation across Europe and allowing the adversaries to carve out spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.

This day, 85 years later, we honour and pay tribute to those who fell victims to totalitarian regimes around the world, to the courageous men and women who risked and lost their lives to fight against oppressive powers, and to those who continue to stand against such regimes today. It is essential for us to preserve historical memory and remember the horrors of totalitarian crimes in order to come to terms with the past and ensure it does not repeat itself.

Democracy is an asset we can't take for granted. It needs to be constantly nurtured. In recent years we have witnessed it being targeted by forces who wish to unravel the fabric of our values. We have also seen at our borders a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.

No one ever again should suffer under a totalitarian regime. In May this year, Europeans elected their new representatives to the European Parliament, giving them a clear mandate to continue to protect the fundamental values upon which the European Union was built.

Only empowered by unity and respect towards each other, our history and views for the future we can continue to uphold democracy, rule of law, peace, and freedom that lie at the core of this Union.''

Background

In 2009 the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the 'proclamation of 23 August as a Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, to be commemorated with dignity and impartiality'. Since then, the Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes has been celebrated every day across the EU, keeping alive the memory of the victims.

The European Commission supports projects across Europe that address the history of totalitarian crimes and encourage remembrance. Building on the Europe for citizens programme 2014-2020, the new Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme supports initiatives that promote remembrance of the causes and consequences of totalitarian regimes, in particular of Nazism, but also fascism, Stalinism and other totalitarian communist regimes.