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| Platform of European Memory and Conscience founded |
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On October 14, 2011, the heads of 19 partner institutions and organisations specialised in the subject of totalitarian history from 13 EU member states will sign the founding document of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience in Prague. The goals of the platform consist in contributing to a better networking of governmental and non-governmental institutions and organisations which deal with totalitarian regimes and in deepening the awareness about European history. From Germany, the director of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, Hubertus Knabe, will be present at the ceremony.
The ceremony, which will take place in the presence of Prime minister Petr Nečas and Vice-President of the European Parliament László Tökés, is an accompanying event of the summitof the Prime ministers of the Visegrad group.
In 2008, a working group on the Platform of European Memory and Conscience which was a joint initiative of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Czech Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes preceded the now founded organisation as well as a resolution of the European Parliament in 2009.
For Knabe it is necessary to participate in the Platform because we should concieve the education about the past as an European task. 'For the time being, every single country fights the ghosts of totalitarism on his own. It is time to do this together and coordinated.' Further, he explained that there are European standards for almost every topic but this. Goal of the Platform is to support an Europeanization of rehabilitation, Knabe said.
Besides the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial the Bundesbeauftragter für die Unterlagen der Staatssicherheit der ehemaligen Demokratischen Republik (BStU) as well as the Hannah Arendt Gesellschaft (HAG) are participating in the ceremony for Germany. | back
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