Following recent exchanges with the antisemitism representatives of France, Germany and the UK I had a very informative meeting with the Italian Special Representative on Antisemitism, Milena Santerini Professor at the Catholic University of Milan. Ms Santerini was a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly from 2013 to 2018 and Rapporteur on combating against racism and intolerance. She is currently in charge of a report for the Italian Government on promoting and strengthening the fight against anti-Semitism in Italy and of the implementation of the IHRA non-binding definition on antisemitism.

Santerini previously served on the Italian Parliament’s “Jo Cox” Commission on xenophobia, racism and hate (2017) and on a 2020 report on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate by the University of Milan.

Ms Santerini welcomed progress on the Council of Europe Recommendation on passing on remembrance of the Holocaust and preventing crimes against humanity and hoped it would be adopted by the Committee of Ministers in January. She expressed interest in the Council of Europe partial agreement on the establishment of an Observatory on History Teaching initiated by France. Given her long standing experience in the field I invited her to the Council of Europe for a meeting in the context of my mandate in the near future.