Ahead of tomorrow European Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, h Vice President for Values ​​and Transparency Mr. Viera Jourova and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Didier Reyders issued the following statement:

“84 years ago, the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the subsequent start of the Second World War opened one of the darkest chapters in European history. On this important date in the history of our continent, we honor the countless victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. We reaffirm that their memory will not be forgotten and we renew our commitment to do everything we can to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

However, in February of last year, Europe and the entire world watched in horror and dismay as Vladimir Putin reintroduced war, persecution and illegal occupation to our continent. Russia’s state apparatus is twisting history and spreading conspiracy theories to poison our democracies with malicious disinformation. We will continue our efforts to promote memory preservation and present real evidence to eliminate these distortions where we encounter them.

Today, Ukraine and its people are fighting for peace and democracy. We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, as this war is about defending our democracies. Our freedom and Ukraine’s freedom are non-negotiable.”

Lena Flitzani