Holocaust Remembrance: “Never again should not be an empty promise” – Metsola

Updated 1300

The European Parliament dedicated a special plenary session marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in 1945. The date served as a solemn reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and highlighted the continuing need to combat prejudice, stereotypes, and antisemitism.

During the session, Holocaust survivor Tatiana Bucci, who was six years old when deported to Auschwitz with her family, addressed MEPs. She recalled the suffering of the victims, including the estimated 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered during the Holocaust, emphasising the human cost behind the historical statistics.

Updated 1230

President Roberta Metsola stressed the importance of remembering the Holocaust and acting against antisemitism. She highlighted that today’s generation is the last to hear survivors’ first-hand testimonies, which serve as a vital link to the past. Metsola warned that antisemitism persists and evolves, and underlined that memory is a duty to ensure that “never again” remains a meaningful commitment.

“This European Parliament will always remember. And we will always speak up, just as our first woman President Simone Veil, herself a survivor, taught us to do. Her legacy reminds us that neutrality helps only the oppressor, never the victim. This Parliament will always stand for dignity. For hope. For humanity”, she said.

The European Parliament has long played a leading role in Holocaust remembrance. In 1995, it called for all EU member states to observe a Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in 2005 proposed 27 January as the EU-wide Day of Remembrance. Later that year, the United Nations designated the same date as an international day of commemoration. Since then, Parliament has marked the occasion annually, combining remembrance with education and advocacy.

Parliament’s Vice-President responsible for Holocaust Remembrance and the fight against antisemitism, Pina Picierno (S&D, Italy), oversaw initiatives such as the permanent Holocaust exhibition at the House of European History and the “Hidden Children – Survivors of the Holocaust in Brussels” educational walks for young people.

In recent years, Parliament also took broader action against antisemitism, hate speech, and discrimination. Resolutions called on member states to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, counter Holocaust denial, and integrate Holocaust education into schools. The Working Group against Antisemitism, bringing together over 80 MEPs, continued to reinforce cooperation across EU institutions in promoting fundamental rights.