What changed

Follow up to the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on European historical consciousness

P9_TA(2024)0030

Rapporteur: Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP / DE)

European historical consciousness

Reference numbers: 2023/2112 (INI) / A9-0402/2023 / P9 TA(2024)0030

Committee on Culture and Education

Date of adoption of the resolution: 17 January 2024

PE752.701

Competent Parliamentary Committee: Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)

European Parliament resolution of 17 January 2024 on European historical consciousness (2023/2112(INI))

Brief analysis/ assessment of the resolution and requests made in it:

– having regard to Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

The resolution emphasises that Europe’s past poses both a challenge and an opportunity for European integration and stresses the need for a broader and more holistic understanding of European history that is based on shared European values. To safeguard and to promote these values, the European Parliament called on the Commission to use the EU’s rule of law mechanism, to work through the European Education Area’s Working Group on Equality and Values in Education and Training, to reinforce the Erasmus+ and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programmes, and to strengthen digital and media literacy.

– having regard to its resolution of 19 September 2019 on the importance of European remembrance for the future of Europe,

Response to the requests and overview of the action taken, or intended to be taken, by the Commission:

– having regard to its resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism,

As regards expanding the scope of the Commission’s rule of law report to cover artistic and academic freedom (paragraph 11), the Commission points out that the rule of law report is just one element of a broader endeavour at EU level to strengthen the founding EU values of democracy, equality, and respect for human rights. The report is complemented by other initiatives, including the European Democracy Action Plan, the Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU with its thematic annual reports focusing on areas of strategic relevance governed by EU law, and targeted strategies to address the needs of the most vulnerable.

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1381/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EU) No 390/2014,

Concerning the request to work on deliverables that address specifically the development of European historical consciousness (paragraph 13), since 2018 the Commission has been supporting Member States’ implementation of the Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education and the European dimension of teaching by facilitating mutual learning and exchange of best practices. As of 2021, under the European Education Area strategic framework, the Commission’s support to Member States’ implementation continues through the Working Group on Equality and Values in Education and Training. Its issue paper on citizenship education points out that teaching about controversial issues in European history, such as slavery, colonialism, and genocide should not be ignored but need to be addressed carefully and respectfully.

– having regard to its resolution of 11 November 2021 on the European Education Area: a shared holistic approach,

Under the Erasmus+ programme, the Commission supports teaching, learning and research on the EU, its history, objectives, structures, functioning, and policies worldwide via Jean Monnet Actions in higher education. The actions are promoting the founding values of the European Union and active European citizenship. Since 2021, the Commission expanded Jean Monnet Activities to other areas of education and training with the aim of promoting a better understanding of the European Union, both in general education and in vocational education and training. This enables young Europeans, pupils and students to benefit from more teaching about EU matters (democracy, EU history, how the EU works, cultural diversity) and a better understanding on how EU policies contribute to their daily lives.

– having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2022 on the role of culture, education, media and sport in the fight against racism,

The Commission also cooperated with the Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching, through the joint project HISTOLAB (April 2022-April 2024) which brings together innovative ideas on how to improve history teaching. The project enables knowledge sharing and learning from national and European experience. It fosters cooperation on history teaching through a dedicated online stakeholder platform and promotes the commonalities of European history, favouring a common European identity. The main deliverables include the annual ‘European Innovation Days in History Education’, a digital hub, a toolkit to debunk fake news in history classes, awards for innovative school projects in history education, fellowships for doctoral students and a series of tutorials.

– having regard to its resolution of 6 April 2022 on the implementation of citizenship education actions,

The Erasmus+ National Agencies are preparing modules that will aim to introduce European integration from a civic and political dimension to programme participants in learning mobility opportunities. Such activities are being carried out in the framework of long-term cooperation activities among the National Agencies, supported by the programme, and will be followed up via the Commission’s regular monitoring activities.

– having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2022 on the implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations,

Lastly, as a follow-up to citizens’ recommendations in the Conference on the Future of Europe on more information about EU citizenship rights, the Commission committed to ‘making European citizenship more tangible to citizens’, including by reinforcing the rights attached to it and by providing reliable and easily accessible information on the subject. On 6 December 2023, the Commission presented a Citizenship Package intended to further advance EU citizenship rights and make them more tangible for EU citizens. The Package includes a Guide to EU citizenship, which helps familiarise young and new EU citizens with the history, values, rights and responsibilities that underpin their status as EU citizens - in an attractive and easy-to-understand way. It also illustrates the benefits of EU citizenship and the opportunities it offers for democratic engagement.

– having regard to its resolution of 21 January 2021 on the EU Strategy for Gender Equality,

Regarding the strengthening of media and digital literacy (paragraph 21), the Commission is working in several areas to support the provision of media and digital literacy skills and tools to teachers and students at all levels in Member States. Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training were published in 2022, to provide hands-on guidance for teachers and educators to foster an understanding on how to enhance digital literacy and tackle disinformation, how to use digital technologies responsibly and how to assess student competences.

– having regard to the Commission communication of 18 September 2020 entitled ‘A Union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0565),

As regards the call to strengthen the Erasmus+ programme and create more opportunities for learning mobility (paragraph 23): the budget allocated to learning mobility has been increasing year on year in the 2021-2027 programme resulting in a growing number of people benefiting from a learning period abroad. The Commission has also taken measures to make these opportunities increasingly accessible to participants with fewer opportunities. In 2022, 1.2 million people participated in such mobilities. Participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement is also one of the cross-cutting priorities of the Erasmus+ programme, which plays a key role in strengthening European identity and values. In the current Erasmus+ programme, more than 23% of the budget for cooperation projects was allocated to projects supporting democratic participation, with a grant amount exceeding EUR 339 million in 2022. As a result of their participation in Erasmus+ projects, more than 82% of people declared they feel more European, 72% became more interested in European topics and 52% became more aware of European values (source: Erasmus+ Annual Report 2022). In addition, the Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone (COM(2013)719 final) adopted on 15 November 2023 is aiming to create enabling conditions for more people to benefit from the Erasmus+ programme and other cross-border learning mobility schemes, as part of the Talent Mobility package.

– having regard to the Commission communication of 14 June 2016 entitled ‘Supporting the prevention of radicalisation leading to violent extremism’ (COM(2016)0379),

As regards the strengthening of the CERV programme (paragraph 23), its strand on 'Citizens’ engagement and participation' will continue to fund activities which promote cultural diversity and the knowledge of shared history. The programme will continue to encourage EU citizens' responsible, democratic civic participation in shaping the future of the EU. In the area of European remembrance, the programme will continue to support projects that commemorate defining events in modern European history, including the causes and consequences of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, and projects on Holocaust remembrance. The funded activities aim to raise awareness among Europeans of their common history, culture, cultural heritage and values, improving their understanding of the EU, its origins, purpose, diversity and achievements and of the importance of mutual understanding and tolerance. Finally, the programme also funds several strategic partner organisations active at EU level and active in the area of European remembrance and citizens’ engagement. Given the programme’s financial profile, the continuity of support under CERV will be possible every year until the end of the programme in 2027.

– having regard to the European Cultural Convention of 19 December 1954,

Regarding paragraph 24, the Enlargement Package 2023 points out that overcoming the legacy of the past and addressing disputes arising from the conflicts of the 1990s remain key for the enlargement process. Outstanding bilateral issues must be solved, including border issues, and delivering justice to victims of war crimes, identifying missing persons and establishing an accurate record of past atrocities at regional level. There is no place in the EU for inflammatory rhetoric or glorification of war criminals, from any side.

– having regard to the study conducted for its Committee on Culture and Education entitled ‘European Historical Memory: Policies, Challenges and Perspectives’,

To support the above, there are two regionally funded programmes through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) for the Western Balkans. The first one is via the International Residual Mechanism on Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) on prosecution of war criminals, using the archives from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to share an accurate picture of the past, including working with associations of history teachers and universities (2024-2026). The second one is via the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on reconciliation, capacity building of national actors active in war crimes processing and outreach via civil society organisations (2023-2026). In addition, bilateral support for reconciliation and peacebuilding is channelled to civil society organisations via the EU presence in affected Western Balkan partners.

– having regard to the study conducted for its Committee on Culture and Education entitled ‘European Identity’,

– having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A9-0402/2023),

A. whereas Europe’s complex, conflict-ridden and contested past poses both a challenge and an opportunity for European integration, acknowledging that a well-informed historical consciousness fosters mutual understanding and tolerance;

B. whereas gender-, belief- and ethnicity-based injustices have been embedded in European history over many centuries, including in the form of antisemitism and antigypsyism, having consequences for Europe and the rest of the world;

C. whereas mindful engagement with history and historical injustices helps to address different forms of intolerance and inequality and build more inclusive societies;

D. whereas history must never be relativised, distorted or falsified for political purposes;

E. whereas historical negationism and other forms of biased interpretations of history represent a major threat that kindles distrust and conflict between peoples and nations and undermines efforts to nurture historical justice and reconciliation;

F. whereas dealing with the past requires utmost impartiality and objectivity both in historical scholarship and the political realm;

G. whereas historical memory incorporates a distinct degree of subjectivity, given that the choice of what to remember and how the past is interpreted necessarily involves value judgements;

H. whereas while there are ‘historical facts’ grounded in professional historical work, including research, teaching and the preservation of sources and historical sites, there is no single monolithic, indisputable and everlasting ‘historical truth’ that one specific group or nation can monopolise and exclusively claim for itself, or use to negate the existence of other peoples, nations or states;

I. whereas interdisciplinary approaches and contextualisation are essential elements for history education, which needs to be associated with European citizenship education as well as exchange and mobility programmes;

J. whereas fostering a critical historical consciousness across borders by educational and other means is central for Europeans to be able to understand and come to terms with their past, confidently deal with the present and work towards a common future;

K. whereas European historical consciousness is understood as an individual as well as collective ability and skill to understand, critically assess and reflectively learn from history, which facilitates the recognition of the inextricable connection and interdependency between past, present and future;

Dealing with Europe’s past as a risk and an opportunity

1. Acknowledges that the diverse and often conflicting histories of European nations and states make any effort to deal with history at a political level a difficult and potentially dangerous endeavour, and that attempts to steer how to commemorate and interpret the past always prove to be challenging;

2. Emphasises the potential of the principle of historia magistra vitae and considers especially the tragic periods and dark elements of Europe’s history not only to be a vigorous reminder of past mistakes whose repetition is to be avoided, but also as a call to work jointly towards democratic and inclusive societies in the Union and globally;

3. Considers a responsible, evidence-based and critical approach to history, focusing on common European values, to be a sine qua non for any democratic body politic, in order to sensitise current and future generations for achievements and aberrations of the past alike, strengthen a self-reflective public discourse and foster understanding and reconciliation within and among particular social groups, nations and states;

Politics of the past in the European Union – a critical assessment

4. Stresses the need for an honest assessment of the EU’s ‘politics of the past’, through which it has striven to add legitimacy to the European project, strengthen a European sense of belonging and foster the peaceful coexistence of the continent’s peoples, by equally acknowledging achievements and existing shortcomings, and by scrutinising the ways in which citizens have been encouraged to engage with the past;

5. Acknowledges the array of past and present initiatives at European level to foster a common European historical memory, including the Holocaust Remembrance Day, the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of all Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes, the establishment of a dedicated remembrance strand in the former Europe for Citizens and current Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programmes, and various Parliament resolutions such as those of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism and of 19 September 2019 on the importance of European remembrance for the future of Europe;

6. Expresses its concern that there continues to be a latent competition and partial incompatibility between different memory frames and remembrance cultures in Europe, including between Western and Eastern Europe, but also between countries and nations within certain parts of the continent; stresses that all European countries have concurring and diverging experiences alike that belong to a shared European history; acknowledges the crimes committed by Nazi, fascist and communist totalitarian regimes as well as under colonialism, and the role these crimes have played in shaping historical perceptions in Europe; emphasises the need to bridge existing regional and ideological divides in historical awareness among European countries and peoples with a view to building a common ground for dialogue as well as mutual understanding and respect;

7. Recognises that the horrors of the past serve as a ‘negative foundation myth’ and provide a strong sense of purpose for the European peace project, yet acknowledges that the Union’s concern mainly with narrating a story about itself ex negativo bears the risk of nurturing a teleological and simplistic black-and-white scheme of history which potentially hampers a fully informed understanding of Europe’s intricate past and reduces incentives to challenge stereotypes and sacred cows of national histories;

Towards an informed historical consciousness in Europe

8. Recognises the need for a broader and more holistic understanding of European history for a critical and self-reflective European historical consciousness to emerge, in particular by widening the focus of current European remembrance initiatives, taking into due account also groups that have been underrepresented so far, and by promoting innovative ways of teaching history;

9. Stresses the importance of moving away from a European ‘remembrance culture’ that is predominantly top-down and concerned with defining what Europeans should remember towards a bottom-up and citizens-driven ‘culture of remembering’ based on common European principles and values, concentrating on developing capacities for a critical reworking of the past at local, regional, national and European levels, involving civil-society organisations;

10. Acknowledges the crucial importance of approaching Europe’s past on the basis of the European core values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the ethical and philosophical traditions that underpin these values, and of creating an open sphere of discussion that also makes it possible to address difficult elements of national histories and that provides for mutual understanding and reconciliation both within and between European nations, as well as between European nations and the rest of the world;

11. Considers the freedom to teach, study and conduct research, including free access to archives and sources, alongside free artistic expression, to be a prerequisite for the generation and dissemination of unbiased and evidence-based knowledge in democratic societies, and for a critical dealing with history in particular; calls on the Commission and the Member States to safeguard those freedoms that are currently at risk, especially due to cases of misappropriation of memory laws, including by means of the EU’s rule of law mechanism;

12. Stresses the vital role of education and calls on the Member States to update current curricula and teaching methodologies with a view to shifting focus from national towards European and global history and in order to allow for more emphasis on a supranational historical understanding, in particular by allowing for multiple perspectives on history and by fostering corresponding teaching styles that favour reflection and discussion over knowledge transfer and that are guided by the overall objective of making students learn ‘how to think’ rather than ‘what to think’;

13. Underscores the vital importance of learning about European integration, the history, institutions and fundamental values of the Union and European citizenship for a European sense of belonging to emerge; calls for the teaching of European history and European integration, which needs to be regarded in a global context, and for European citizenship education to become an integral part of national education systems; acknowledges efforts made at EU level to improve knowledge about the Union and its history, including the so-called Jean Monnet actions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to work, including through the European Education Area’s Working Group on Equality and Values, on deliverables that address specifically the development of European historical consciousness, and to jointly develop an ‘EU manual’ in curricular activities providing common guidelines and impartial facts and figures for the teaching of European history;

14. Considers chauvinism, gender-stereotypes, power-asymmetries and structural inequalities to be deeply rooted in European history, and regrets the lack of a sufficiently multicultural and gender-sensitive approach in the teaching of history; deems it vital to address the marginalisation of women and other underrepresented societal groups in history, and calls on the Member States to provide for a stronger corresponding focus in national curricula;

15. Stresses the need for interdisciplinary and intersectional history teaching that applies innovative and learner-centred pedagogy such as interactive, storytelling and lessons-learned approaches for all generations, makes use of a comprehensive set of sources, technologies and learning materials, including cross-border and transnational history textbooks and oral histories, and promotes analytical and critical-thinking skills;

16. Recognises the central role played by teachers in the generation and transmission of competencies required to understand and critically assess historical facts, and emphasises the importance of teachers not only receiving adequate training but also engaging in continuous professional development, including peer-learning activities and the sharing of best practices both at national and transnational level; underlines, in this context, the added value of the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies;

17. Calls on the Member States to provide tailor-made (history) teaching materials and training that enables teachers to better focus on transnational aspects and the multifacetedness of history, imparts adequate didactics and principles of modern teaching and is primarily concerned with forming self-reflective young people;

18. Emphasises that there is great value in collecting data and comparing and evaluating methods and tools for teaching history, and welcomes the work of both specialised governmental and non-governmental organisations active in this area, including the Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching in Europe and EUROCLIO; stresses the need for more EU Member States to participate in the Observatory;

19. Acknowledges the potential of museums critically addressing Europe’s contested history as a tool for learning about the past and building historical awareness, in particular the ‘House of European History’ as a flagship project for which sufficient resources should be made available in order to ensure wider outreach to the European public;

20. Stresses the importance of preserving Europe’s rich cultural and historical heritage and memorial sites, in particular as a means for establishing a critical historical consciousness, provided they are not abused for ideological purposes, and highlights the role that the European Heritage Label and independent institutions promoting European heritage, both tangible and intangible, can play in this regard; encourages the Member States to step up their efforts to define and protect places of democratic memory, especially those related to underrepresented groups; emphasises the potential of Europeana in serving as Europe’s digital library, archive, museum and education platform;

21. Acknowledges the potential of digital media and the rising level of digitalisation in education, while expressing its deep concern about digital channels being increasingly abused for political manipulation and the circulation of disinformation, including concerning history, as highlighted by Russian historical revisionism accompanying Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their efforts to strengthen media and digital literacy and to endow teachers and students with adequate skills and tools facilitating fact-based history teaching, and enabling them to identify, contextualise and analyse traditional as well as modern historical sources;

22. Stresses that learning mobility opportunities across borders provided by European programmes and other mobility schemes favour the exchange of ideas and promote transversal knowledge as well as intercultural understanding, helping to break down national barriers and providing a better understanding of past and present;

23. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen the tools currently available at European level in order to foster a critical and self-reflective European historical consciousness, in particular the Erasmus+ programme, which supports mobility and intercultural learning as key tools to increase understanding of other cultures and nations, and the CERV programme, which provides support for transnational historical remembrance projects and promotes civic engagement;

24. Requests that the European institutions, the Member States, candidate and prospective candidate countries, educational institutions and civil-society actors step up their efforts to foster reconciliation, abstain from any attempt to instrumentalise history for political purposes, and fight historical revisionism and denialism both in the European Union and beyond; recalls the importance of these aspects for future enlargements of the Union;

Outlook: the legacy of the past and the EU’s future

25. Espouses the ideal of a ‘culture of remembering’ and historical consciousness based on shared European values and practices in approaching the past, yet at the same time avoiding any undue levelling or simplification of history;

26. Expresses its hope that on the basis of critical self-reflection relating to history and historical responsibility at national level, a truly European reflective discourse on the continent’s past may emerge, with history not being abused for power-political purposes, and expresses its hope that a ‘community of destiny’ among European peoples will emerge from common historical work;

27. Envisions collective memories eventually contributing to and merging into a European public sphere, with diverging remembrance cultures complementing each other rather than being in competition, and dealings with history becoming an issue of civic rather than political action;

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28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.