Joint statement by First Vice-President Timmermans, Commissioner Jourová and Commissioner Navracsics ahead of the Europe-Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes:
“On 23 August 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It marked the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the recent history of our continent, bringing with it the deportation, torture and murder of tens of millions of people under totalitarian regimes. While the end of World War II marked the defeat of the Nazi regime, many Central and Eastern Europeans continued to suffer under other totalitarian regimes. Tomorrow, 77 years after the Pact’s signature, we will remember all the victims of the totalitarian and authoritarian regimes that have scarred parts of Europe during the 20th century. The Europe-Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes keeps alive the memory of the victims and pays tribute to them. This commemoration also helps us to recall lessons learnt from this dark chapter in European history.“
Read the full statement here. Also, tomorrow, 23 August 2016, on the occasion of this year’s Day of Remembrance, Commissioner Tibor Navracsics, responsible for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport, will represent the Commission at a Commemorative Programme and Ministerial Conference hosted by the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in Bratislava.
