Joseph Daul, chairman of the European People's Party group stated::"2009 is a deeply symbolic year, since we celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the creation of NATO and the beginnings of the cold war, and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which ended it.
23. septembra 2008 je 409 članov Evropskega parlamenta podpisalo »deklaracijo o razglasitvi 23. avgusta za Evropski dan spomina na žrtve stalinizma in nacizma«.