#BlackRibbonDay: Europe commemorates victims of Stalinism and Nazism

The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU marked the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes. The Presidency organized a conference on the growth of radicalization.

Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice Lucia Žitňanská, who chaired the conference, said: "There is no totalitarian regime without victims. Looking into history should help us learn from the mistakes of our ancestors so that we do not have to learn from our own in the future."

Panellists shared their best practices in the fight against radicalization as regards prevention and enforcement and identified other measures at European level which could be useful in the fight against growing radicalization.

The delegations participating in the conference adopted a joint statement in which they stressed their determination to protect democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Aware of the reasons leading to growing radicalization, they agreed that society should stay alert to the intrusion of extremist tendencies and attitudes into politics, which may threaten our democracies and the rule of law.

In a statement by First Vice President Timmermans, Commissioner Jourová and Commissioner Navracsics ahead of the event, the commissioners called for the memory of Europe's history to nourish Europe’s commitment to stand up for common values and principles.

Background

In 2008 the European Parliament issued a declaration proposing that 23 August - the day when the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in 1939 - be proclaimed the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism. The day aims to preserve the memory of the victims of mass deportations and exterminations while at the same time reinforcing Europe’s commitment to democracy, peace and stability.

German Foreign Affairs Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, and his Soviet counterpart Vyacheslav Molotov, signatures on the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in Moscow on 23 August, 1939.

The pact contained a secret protocol, which specified two spheres of interest in Europe. Poland and Romania would be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was also be able to invade Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Germany’s tacit approval.

Germany began its invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, which resulted in World War II. Sixteen days later on 17 September, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the East.

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