Doc. 9955 revised

13 octobre 2003

Modernisation of history teaching in Romanian schools

Written question No 435 to the Committee of Ministers

presented by Mr Neguta

      Considering that in a number of Romanian school and university textbooks, approved by the Romanian Ministry of Education, certain periods of contemporary history, especially the role of Romania and its leadership in the Second World War is interpreted in a way to rehabilitate the war crimes and the Holocaust organised by the Romanian leaders of that period. Till this summer the leadership of Romania also denied the participation of the country in mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War (during those 1213 days of Romanian occupation of Moldova a Jew was killed approximately every 2 minutes). At the level of public perception Marshal Ion Antonescu, a war criminal, is considered a national hero. Such manipulation of history, such an official position, contribute to the perpetuation of the nationalistic, anti-Semitic and xenophobic spirits in the Romanian society, a spirit that is in flagrant contradiction with modern European values,

      Mr Neguta

      To ask the Committee of Ministers,

      What measures will the Committee of Ministers undertake to assist the Romanian Government in the modernisation of history teaching in Romanian schools and universities?

Signed ¹:

Neguta, Moldova, UEL

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group