Keywords
humanitarian security
public administration
post-conflict settlement
transitional justice
memory politics
totalitarianism
Nazism
Russian imperialism
Europe
Ukraine
European Union
Council of Europe
How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines European policies of remembrance regarding World War II, which constitute an important element of the collective security system in Europe. The study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the administrative and legal foundations of European policies of remembrance regarding World War II. To achieve this goal, the study examines European collective memory and Ukrainian national memory. The methodological framework of the study comprises general scientific and specialized research methods from various fields of science, among which the methods of systems analysis, formal-logical analysis, legal analysis, content analysis, and the comparative-historical method played a significant role. The source base of the study consisted of international and Ukrainian legal acts that regulate and govern public policy regarding European collective and national memory. The results of the study demonstrate that the formation of the modern administrative and legal foundations of European memory policy regarding World War II consisted of the development of pan-European approaches to the assessment of Nazi and Communist totalitarian regimes. The article examines the administrative and legal foundations for regulating issues related to the condemnation of crimes committed by totalitarian regimes, the recognition and commemoration of their victims, the memorialization of World War II, and so on. Attention is given to the inclusive dimension of contemporary European memory policy, which entails taking into account the historical past of various peoples (the Holocaust, the genocide of the Roma, and the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people). The article examines the role of international organizations in promoting educational and commemorative practices within the context of memory policy. The article analyzes the transformations of public policy on national memory in Ukraine in the context of European integration, particularly changes in commemorative practices after 2014, the legislative enshrinement of new approaches to commemorating World War II, the rejection of Soviet narratives, and integration into the pan-European memory discourse. It is concluded that contemporary European memory policy regarding World War II emerges as an important tool for strengthening collective security in Europe. It is based on coordinated legal and value-based approaches to condemning totalitarian regimes, honoring the memory of victims, and fostering a culture of accountability. Ukraine is actively integrating into the European memory space by adapting its own memory policy to European standards and values. At the same time, the Russian-Ukrainian war highlights the need to further develop this policy as a tool for the legal assessment and condemnation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the strengthening of the international legal order, and the consolidation of democratic states’ efforts to counter contemporary threats.
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