- From November 22 to 24, 2022, the University of Barcelona and La Modelo Espacio Memorial will host the international conference “Assessment of Memory Policies in Europe: Legislation and Victim Databases,” organized by the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) of the UB Solidarity Foundation and the State Secretariat for Democratic Memory.
- The conference coincides with the fifth annual meeting of the EUROM network and will showcase the progress made on the census of victims of the Spanish Civil War and Francoism across various autonomous communities. This work is part of the new Spanish Law on Democratic Memory. Additionally, the event will explore international experiences related to victim archives, databases, and the preservation of memory.
- The conference will open on November 22 at 6 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the historic University of Barcelona building. It will feature remarks from UB Rector Joan Guardia, Barcelona City Council’s Councillor for Democratic Memory, Jordi Rabassa, and Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez. The Director General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, Ana Gallego Torres, will participate remotely.
Barcelona, November 21, 2022 – The European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) of the UB Solidarity Foundation and the State Secretariat for Democratic Memory (SEMD) are organizing the international conference “Assessment of Memory Policies in Europe: Legislation and Victim Databases,” from November 22 to 24, 2022, in Barcelona. This event, which coincides with the fifth annual EUROM network meeting, will gather authorities and experts in memory and memorial legislation from Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Israel, and Argentina. It will take place in the Aula Magna of the University of Barcelona and the auditorium of La Modelo Espacio Memorial.
The conference is supported by the Department of Democratic Memory of the Barcelona City Council and the European Parliament, with contributions from the Jean Monnet House and the House of European History. Attendance is free and open to the public, but prior registration is required [link]. Simultaneous interpretation will be available.
The program will emphasize progress on the census of victims of the Spanish Civil War and Francoism across Spain’s autonomous communities, as outlined by the new Spanish Law on Democratic Memory. It will also feature discussions on international experiences with victim databases, archives, and data protection. Renowned institutions such as the Arolsen Archives, Yad Vashem, the National Archive of Memory of Argentina, and the International Council on Archives will share their expertise.
The conference will officially open on Tuesday, November 22, at 6 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the University of Barcelona (Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes, 585). Speakers will include UB Rector Joan Guàrdia, Councillor for Democratic Memory of the Barcelona City Council, Jordi Rabassa, and Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez. Remote contributions will be made by Ana Gallego Torres, Director General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, and Constanze Itzel, Head of the House of European History at the European Parliament. The welcome address will be delivered by Jordi Guixé, Director of the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM).
The first roundtable discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a presentation by Gilles Pelayo, Head of Unit for the European Commission’s Citizenship, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programme, highlighting the first-year results of the program. This will be followed by a series of presentations showcasing best practices, featuring representatives from Casa Jean Monnet, the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS), Memorial de la Shoah, EUROCLIO – European Association of History Educators, and the State Secretariat for Democratic Memory.
On Wednesday, November 23, sessions will move to the auditorium of La Modelo Espacio Memorial (c/ Entença, 155). The second session will start at 9:30 a.m. and will feature remote interventions from Alexander Avram, Director of the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem; Giora Swillig, Head of Archives at the Arolsen Archives; and Silvia San Martín, Coordinator of the Unified Registry of Victims of State Terrorism in Argentina. This session will focus on different models of governance, treatment, and dissemination of victim databases used by these institutions.
The conference will continue with further discussions exploring various models for victim databases and their role in memory preservation.
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