This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Revolution in Romania, an event that put an end to the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. The European Parliament has now recognised its significance in Europe’s common history.
During a debate in Strasbourg, MEPs shared their views on the topic, ahead of the vote on a resolution about it on Thursday.
Cristian Terheş MEP, a Romanian Socialist, said: “The December 1989 Revolution put an end to the criminal regime in Romania. The return to democracy in my country was shaped by human sacrifice. These sacrifices are added to the thousands of people who, since the installation of the communist regime in Romania, have fought to restore democracy, dignity and human rights. People went to jail for opposing the communist ideology and for refusing to serve the interests of the communist party. The 1989 Revolution was the peak of the struggle against corruption in Romania, a struggle that was 40 years long.”
“I am glad that all Romanian representatives in this parliament will vote in favour of this resolution. This is proof of what unites us and of what has united us as a people: the fight to respect the liberty and dignity of our country and of its future generations.”
Carmen Avram MEP, another Romanian Socialist, said: “30 years on, justice is trying to be made, but it is a much delayed justice. I cannot and will not understand why a serious investigation was never held and why 20 million Romanians still have, to this day, 20 million versions of the Revolution of 1989.”
“It is also a tragedy that 30 years on, we have yet to reach the ideal for which Romanians have fought and sacrificed themselves. Moreover, the commemorations and official statements of regret seem false. What is worse, I seem to discover a lack of respect in our societies towards the generations that have lived under terrible conditions before 1989 and whose children have died or have remained traumatised after the events which took place 30 years ago; people who have built the country we live in now.”
“In the historical scale, 30 years is not such a long time. For a person it represents a lifetime. A lifetime which, if not educated in the spirit of gratitude and respect towards the past, is doomed to be forgotten.”
“This is why I believe that it is compulsory that the communist period and the 1989 Revolution should be introduced in a special manual and studied thoroughly in all Romanian schools.”
