EU official Schinas: Two thirds of EU citizens do not know enough about history, traditions of jews

Two thirds of the EU citizens say they do not have enough information on the history of the Jews, their practices and traditions, the Vice-President of the European Commission for the promotion of the European way of life, Margaritis Schinas, stated on Tuesday.

While in Bucharest for the 4th meeting of the Working Group for the implementation of the EU Strategy to combat anti-Semitism and promote the Jewish way of life, an event organized by the Romanian Government in cooperation with the European Commission and with the support of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, Schinas informed that a campaign is going to be launched in 2024 to increase the level of awareness on antisemitism.

Margaritis Schinas was confident that the discussions in Bucharest will boost the development of national strategies by other member states too. He added that, until now, 14 member states have developed national strategies and expressed his hope that by the end of the year all EU member states will do the same. The EC Vice-President emphasized that efforts to combat anti-Semitism should not stop at the EU's borders.

"As Europeans, we have made a conscious choice to highlight the international dimension of this phenomenon as part of our strategy. And I think the most recent developments have proved us right. In January, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accused the West that - and I quote here - is 'seeking a final solution for Russia,' thus taking the Kremlin's rhetoric of distorting the memory of the Holocaust to a new level. At the EU level, we have strongly condemned such statements. No parallel can be drawn between the Nazi regime's crimes and the international aid provided to Ukraine in order to defend its own territory and the Ukrainian people against unjustified aggression. This is a lie that we must reject," he said.

Also, the EC vice-president stated that it is "important" for the working group to carry out its work in the member states as well, because the fight against anti-Semitism cannot be won only from Brussels. According to Margaritis Schinas, during the last year and a half, the working group has become the "cornerstone and epicenter of capacity" to transform EU policies into tangible actions. Margaritis Schinas welcomed Romania's proposal that representatives of the communities from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova participate in the work of the working group in Bucharest.

He also thanked the Romanian authorities for their "excellent collaboration," noting that this proves our country's commitment to "being a champion of the fight" against antisemitism.

"During the Romanian Presidency of the International Alliance for the Remembrance of the Holocaust, in 2016, a decision on antisemitism was indeed adopted by consensus. And Romania played an important role in this field, of combating anti-Semitism, when Romania held the Presidency of the EU Council in 2019. Two years ago, in May 2021, Romania adopted a national strategy on combating discrimination, hate speech and antisemitism," said Schinas.

He reminded that, in December 2022, three calls for projects were launched that aim to finance initiatives in the following areas: combating racism and antisemitism (deadline June 23), commemorating the Holocaust (June 30) and promoting European values, by combating hate speech