European Union marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Sommaire: 27 January 2010, Brussels – Statement from European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust

I want to join in the commemoration of the victims of the Shoah. Sixty-five years ago, the world woke itself to the horrors of Auschwitz. Today, it is our duty to pay tribute to the 6 millions of Jews and all the other victims of the Holocaust.

We have a duty to remember the loss of life and the suffering caused by this unprecedented crime in history. This legacy must be passed to future generations as a memento. Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis and who preserved Anne Frank's diary said that the past is never over.

Remembrance of the Shoah must strengthen our determination to fight, in today's world, against the phenomena that several decades ago led the world into the abyss of the Holocaust.

Data collected by the Fundamental Rights Agency, Member States' institutions and civil society confirm that antisemitism, racism, xenophobia alongside many other forms of intolerance, such as homophobia, have not disappeared from Europe.

Therefore, I recall today the European Commission's firm rejection of these repugnant phenomena. There is no place for any of them in the EU, nor anywhere in the world.

No form of antisemitism, regardless of where and whom it comes from, is acceptable. The commemoration of other crimes cannot be to the detriment of the remembrance of the Shoah. The conflict in the Middle East cannot be an excuse or justification for antisemitism. It is deplorable to read at the very wake of the commemoration of the Holocaust statements that deny the Shoah. It is unacceptable to deny or minimize the established history of the Nazi genocide against the Jews. The value of human life is universal: this is true for each and every human being, regardless of their race, religion, or nation.

At the end of this year, Member States will have to implement the long-awaited Framework Decision on racism and xenophobia. Sixty-five years after the extermination camps were liberated, we can be proud that EU law makes the denial of the Shoah a crime in all its Member States. The Commission is strongly committed to pay particular attention to the correct transposition and implementation of all the provisions of this Framework Decision across the Union.

The Commission shall continue to fight antisemitism, racism and xenophobia through all the means that the Treaties put at its disposal:

Ensuring the full implementation of EU legislation fighting against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, namely the anti-discrimination Directives and the Audiovisual Media Directive. The latter bans hate TV channels preaching hate from European airwaves and satellites.
Taking up the fight against racism, xenophobia and antisemitism in the implementation of the European strategy for the Rights of the Child.
Providing financial support for the actions of civil society against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, including those initiatives that contribute to the remembrance of the Holocaust. In this respect, the Commission is looking forward to the implementation of the recently adopted Terezin declaration and the putting in place of the European Shoah Legacy Institute foreseen in that declaration.
Supporting the collecting data on racism and antisemitism by the Fundamental Rights Agency, as well as the cooperation it has established with the living memorial to the Holocaust, the Yad Vashem. I also welcome the Report that the Fundamental Rights Agency is publishing today, which shows that memorial sites and historical museums on the Shoah are still very relevant for the 21st century.

We need to pass on this memory to our young generations. From an early age, future European citizens must be made aware that no country will tolerate these insane actions, and that vigilance is an absolute necessity when faced with provocations and extremism. We need to continuously fight against everything that divides and damages humanity, such as those who reject people or show hatred towards those who are different. This is how we will strengthen, without fail, the model for society where mutual respect and tolerance guides our actions.

Ref: EC10-008EN
Source UE: Commission Européenne
UN forum:
Date: 27/1/2010

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