Brussels, 23 January 2024 (MIA) - As part of a series of engagements to mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, the Commission will host Tuesday the international conference ‘Remembering the past. Shaping the future'.

The conference will be opened by Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and is organised by the Commission in partnership with the Belgian Presidency of the Council, the Croatian Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and major civil society organisations working to foster Jewish life.

During the conference, Vice-President Schinas will announce the establishment of the ‘Network of places where the Holocaust happened', a flagship initiative of the 2021 EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.

Vice-President Schinas stated: “As fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors remain among us to share firsthand accounts, sites and places where the Holocaust happened become ever more important to preserve the memory and the lessons of the Shoah. The Europe-wide “Network of places where the Holocaust happened” will  increase awareness among local population that the Holocaust did not happen only in concentration camps, but also locally, in towns and cities across Europe, as many stood by.”

Monday and Tuesday, the European Commission also holds its 5th EC Working Group on the implementation of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. It gathers EU Member States' representatives and Jewish communities and discusses progress made regarding national strategies on combating antisemitism, the European Commission said in a press release.

Photo: MIA archive