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| Type | All-party group in theEuropean 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 | 40MEPs |
Chair | Sandra Kalniete |
Parent organization | European Parliament |
TheReconciliation of European Histories Group is an informal all-party group in theEuropean Parliament involved in promoting thePrague Process in all of Europe, aimed at coming to terms with thetotalitarian past in many countries of Europe. The group is chaired by formerEuropean CommissionerSandra Kalniete and comprises members of theEuropean People's Party, theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats,The Greens–European Free Alliance, theProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats,Europe of Freedom and Democracy, and theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists.[1] As of 2011, the group had 40 members, including Sandra Kalniete,Hans-Gert Pöttering (Chairman of theKonrad Adenauer Foundation and formerPresident of the European Parliament),László Tőkés (Vice President of the European Parliament),Heidi Hautala (former Chair of theSubcommittee on Human Rights), andGunnar Hökmark (Chairman of theEuropean Friends of Israel). The group has co-hosted a number of public hearings and other meetings in the European Parliament ontotalitarianism andcommunist crimes in Eastern and Central Europe. The Reconciliation of European Histories Group also cooperates closely with the Working Group on thePlatform 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 aremorally 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]