crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
4. Conclusions
Having, since the fall of the Berlin wall, been very committed to cooperation in reforms for the
more recent members of the Council of Europe – including those who would later become members of
the Union – I would like to conclude by sharing a few personal thoughts:
Since 1989, European institutions have had to face an unprecedented challenge; to extend their
democratic values to the whole of our continent. This does not happen in one day; it can even take
decades and must be done in synergy and dialogue with the countries concerned and accepted by their
citizens, which necessitates this “transformation of hearts and minds” that cannot be imposed from
above, whether it be by Brussels or Strasbourg and even less so from outside Europe!
The elimination of the remains of totalitarian regimes, justice for victims, and punishment of the
guilty must absolutely go together with reconciliation, whether on an international or a national level
where each country must find its own way. Reconciliation can sometimes be slow and require patience
because totalitarian regimes have made and left millions of victims. These victims or their families long
for justice. This justice can only be rendered while respecting the constitutional state and the rights of
man that the European institutions must continue to promote tirelessly.
Procedures in a spirit of vengeance or exacerbated nationalism run the risk not only of prejudicing
reconciliation but also of giving rise to nostalgia for “former regimes” or even favouring their resurgence.
It is indispensable, on the other hand, that victims see their suffering recognized.
Knowledge of the history of totalitarian regimes and their crimes must therefore be promoted not
only on a national level but also on a European level. And yet this question is too often considered by
our older member countries as only a concern to the east of our continent. The Iron Curtain no longer
exists physically but it has a tendency to endure in people’s minds; to ignore or neglect to deal with
the problems encountered by more recent democracies is not only contrary to European solidarity but
dangerous because a resurgence of totalitarian ideologies would seriously compromise freedom and
peace in Europe and would certainly also make new victims! Let us not forget history, but let us not
forget either that we are the ones who are creating the history of our era!
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