crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
Closing remarks
Jonathan Faull *1
The initial challenge for the Commission and the Slovenian presidency was to gather you all here
with your different points of view and various fields of expertise. This in itself is a success. This issue
has now been discussed for the very first time at the EU level.
The full detail of your debates cannot be summed up here. We are going to have to digest and
analyse all this information and valuable material – a further challenge given the intensity of the
discussions and the abundance of ideas.
We draw four general conclusions from these debates:
– First, the feeling that the Member States in Western Europe should be more sensitive to the
tragic past of the Member States in Eastern Europe. We should examine this deficit of
recognition if we want to avoid the Union being divided on matters such as these, which
should actually unite us. We must work together to eliminate this deficit and to help stimulate
remembrance and understanding of the past, especially as the witness generation fades away.
– My second conclusion is that truth is a prerequisite for reconciliation. The spirit of reconciliation,
on which the European Union is based, is as important now as it was after the Second World War. We have
heard today that reconciliation with the past is important to build a common future. The experiences of
reconciliation recounted today show how complex this task is, but also that there is reason to be optimistic.
– The third conclusion is that there are many different ways of dealing with the issues of
recognition and reconciliation. Member States have adopted different approaches according to
their history, culture and institutional and legal systems. There is no one-size-fits-all model and
each Member State must find whichever one best suit its circumstances.
– Finally, the debates reveal that there are considerable expectations placed on European
Institutions, which are called upon to get more involved in these issues.
The aim of this hearing was to listen, and it is too soon for me now to make comments on the
ideas and proposals that some of you have put forward today. I have taken note of this call for greater
European involvement on these issues. The Commission is prepared to play its role in fostering a
culture of reconciliation based on the respect of fundamental rights.
To avoid any misunderstanding, it is important to remember that the European Union cannot replace
Member States in this task. As Vice-President Jacques Barrot stressed this morning, the European Union
has very few powers in this area. The role of the EU is to facilitate this process by encouraging discussion,
fostering the sharing of experience and best practices, and bringing the various players together.
Many of the initiatives presented today are beyond the EU’s powers.
That said, the Commission will be continuing the process set in motion by the Council declaration
of April 2007. As you know, the Commission must report to the Council two years after the Framework
Decision on Racism and Xenophobia enters into force.
We will now analyse the debates and all the contributions received.
It is therefore important for those who have not already done so to submit their written contributions
before 15 May 2008. This will enable the Slovenian presidency to issue a publication on the subject.
The Commission will examine how existing Community programmes can be further used to raise
awareness of these issues across Europe.
The Commission also intends to launch a study to gain a factual overview of the various methods,
legislation and practices used in the Member States to deal with the issue of remembering totalitarian
crimes. We will contact you to gather all the necessary contributions and flesh out the ideas put forward.
* Jonathan Faull, European Commission, Director General, Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security. Summary of closing
remarks before the Hearing on “Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes”, Brussels, 8 April 2008.
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