Prague Declaration

Prague Declaration
Name	Prague Declaration
Date	2008-06-03
Location	Prague
Authors	Vladimir Yermoshin, Milan Chovanec, György Schöpflin
Participants	European Parliament, Platform of European Memory and Conscience, Czech Republic, Poland
Purpose	Recognition of totalitarian crimes and promotion of European historical memory

Prague Declaration

The Prague Declaration is a 2008 political statement adopted in Prague addressing the memory of twentieth‑century totalitarian regimes and proposing European cooperation on historical education, commemoration, and justice. It was produced in the context of debates among members of the European Parliament, national parliaments such as the Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies and the Poland Sejm, and civil society groups including the Platform of European Memory and Conscience and the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity. The declaration seeks to establish common standards for recognizing crimes committed under Nazism, Stalinism, and other authoritarian systems across Russia, Germany, Hungary, and former Yugoslavia states.

Background

The initiative followed a series of resolutions and reports by bodies such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations that addressed historical justice, transitional justice, and human rights violations resulting from regimes like Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and the Ustaše. Debates drew on scholarship from institutions including the Institute of National Remembrance (Poland), the Terezín Memorial, the KGB Museum, and university centers like the Central European University and the University of Oxford. Political catalysts included commemorations of events such as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Prague Spring, and the Katyn massacre, and advocacy by associations like the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and the Czech Civic Forum.

Text and Signatories

The text calls for recognition of crimes perpetrated by totalitarian regimes, establishes terminology for "totalitarianism" and "crimes against humanity," and proposes mechanisms for education and restitution. Prominent signatories included members of the European Parliament from parties such as the European People's Party, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and national figures from the Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic), the Law and Justice party of Poland, and the Fidesz party of Hungary. Civil society endorsers included the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and survivors' organizations linked to memorials such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Memorial of Silence.

Objectives and Principles

The declaration articulates objectives such as establishing a European day of remembrance, harmonizing curricula across EU member states like Germany and Romania, supporting research at archives including the State Archives of the Russian Federation and the Federal Archives (Germany), and promoting legal measures akin to those pursued in cases before the European Court of Human Rights and national courts in Poland and the Czech Republic. It invokes principles of dignity for victims from groups persecuted under Nazism, Stalinism, fascist regimes such as the Iron Guard, and wartime collaborators in regions like the former Yugoslavia and the Baltic states. Proposed instruments referenced include truth commissions modeled on examples from South Africa and reparations frameworks discussed in parliamentary bodies like the European Parliament and national legislatures.

Political Impact and Reception

The declaration influenced subsequent European initiatives including debates in the European Parliament over a resolution on European conscience and totalitarianism, programs by the Council of the European Union on historical memory, and funding priorities of the European Commission for projects coordinated by the Platform of European Memory and Conscience. It shaped national policies in states such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Lithuania regarding commemoration, memorial museums, and curriculum reform at institutions like the Charles University and the Jagiellonian University. The declaration provoked responses from international actors including the Russian Federation, the United States Department of State, and heritage organizations such as ICOMOS and the International Center for Transitional Justice.

Implementation and Follow-up

Follow-up measures included the establishment of conferences, research grants, and educational projects funded by the European Commission and administered through networks like the Platform of European Memory and Conscience and the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity. National implementations involved legislation in parliaments of Poland and the Czech Republic to support museums and archives, and cooperation agreements with institutions such as the Bundesarchiv and the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Centre. Academic responses produced studies at the European University Institute, policy analyses by think tanks like the Open Society Foundations and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, and curricula developed at schools linked to UNESCO memory projects.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics from scholarly, diplomatic, and civil society circles argued the declaration risked politicizing history, conflating distinct crimes of regimes such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and instrumentalizing memory for partisan goals by parties like Fidesz and Law and Justice. Commentators in outlets aligned with institutions such as the Russian State Archive and some signatories from the European Parliament raised concerns about equivalence between genocidal policies under Nazi Germany and repressive practices under Soviet Union. Human rights organizations including the Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch noted potential impacts on freedom of expression and legal standards where national laws mirrored aspects of the declaration. Diplomatic tensions emerged between Poland and the Russian Federation over historical interpretation and access to archives such as the Central State Archive of the Russian Federation.

Category:History of Europe