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| Type | All-party group in the European Parliament |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Promote public awareness of the crimes of totalitarian regimes at the EU level, develop cultural and educational projects, provide support for European and national research and education projects. |
Membership | 40 MEPs |
Chair | Sandra Kalniete |
Parent organization | European Parliament |
The Reconciliation of European Histories Group is an informal all-party group in the European Parliament involved in promoting the Prague Process in all of Europe, aimed at coming to terms with the totalitarian past in many countries of Europe. The group is chaired by former European Commissioner Sandra Kalniete and comprises members of the European People's Party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, The Greens–European Free Alliance, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Europe of Freedom and Democracy, and the European Conservatives and Reformists.[1] As of 2011, the group had 40 members, including Sandra Kalniete, Hans-Gert Pöttering (Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and former President of the European Parliament), László Tőkés (Vice President of the European Parliament), Heidi Hautala (former Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights), and Gunnar Hökmark (Chairman of the European Friends of Israel). The group has co-hosted a number of public hearings and other meetings in the European Parliament on totalitarianism and communist crimes in Eastern and Central Europe. The Reconciliation of European Histories Group also cooperates closely with the Working Group on the Platform of European Memory and Conscience.[2]
According to historian Mano Toth, "in practice the informal group has become completely dominated by the agenda of the anti‐communist group" and subscribes to the theory that Nazi and Communist crimes are morally equivalent. Toth also states that most of the participants of the group are right-wing politicians from Eastern Europe who are known for anti-Communist stance.[3]
- ^ "About Us – Reconciliation of European Histories Group". Reconciliation of European Histories Group. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "Platform of European Memory and Conscience – a brief history". Platform of European Memory and Conscience. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ Toth, Mano (2019). "Challenging the Notion of the East-West Memory Divide". JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 57 (5): 1031–1050. doi:10.1111/jcms.12870. hdl:20.500.14018/14002.