On 27 January 2026, the Council of Europe hosted a commemoration ceremony to mark the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Petra Bayr, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, alongside survivors, community representatives, members of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Permanent Representations, representatives from the City of Strasbourg, and the Council of Europe staff members to honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

“It is our responsibility as the European Romani youth - all of us descendants of survivors, since none of our families were spared from this exterminatory madness - to bring this dark chapter of European history out of oblivion and to keep alive the legacy of resistance that our ancestors passed on to us, and to whom we all pay tribute here today”, stated Anina Ciuciu, of the Collectif de jeunesse Rromani et Voyageur ZOR (France), in front of the Assembly on behalf of the Roma and Traveller communities. Her participation highlighted the ongoing struggle against structural antigypsyism, which, she added, “continuing since the genocide in an attenuated form, yet rooted in the same hatred of our people, still deprives the 12 million Romani women, men, and children in Europe of their fundamental rights and their dignity”, and underscored the importance of including Roma and Traveller history in education and public remembrance.

The ceremony featured an artistic performance of “Ma Terre,” a poem by Hanuš Hachenburg, written in Theresienstadt and interpreted by Rodéo d’âme. The proceedings continued with an address by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Participants then gathered at the commemorative stele on the forecourt of the Palais de l’Europe for a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute of silence in honour of all victims of the Holocaust.

The Roma Holocaust is among the key areas of co-operation between the European Commission and the Council of Europe. Through the joint programme Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education (Roma Memory), this partnership promotes the inclusion of Roma history and Holocaust remembrance in school curricula and teaching materials, raises awareness among journalists, strengthens the fight against discrimination and antigypsyism, and supports the annual European Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial ceremony held on 2 August at Auschwitz‑Birkenau.

Learn more about Roma Memory and Council of Europe’s efforts in the field of Roma History and Holocaust.

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on passing on remembrance of the Holocaust and preventing crimes against humanity
• Recommendation CM/Rec(2020)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the inclusion of the history of Roma and/or Travellers in school curricula and teaching materials