ABSTRACT
Days of commemoration are primarily meant for individuals to remember a past event that is considered important for the community or the state. One recent example worth studying in this context is the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which was commemorated as victory day in Moscow. A closer look at the decision-making process of the Baltic presidents reveals many levels on which European politics today are closely linked to questions of collective memory and history culture. Thus the international gathering on 9 May 2005 in Moscow provides a perfect case to identify and illustrate the various levels of memory politics in Europe. The author argues that there are at least three distinct levels of analysis worthy of study when trying to understand the link between memory and politics in Europe today. It includes domestic memory politics, memory politics in bilateral relations and memory politics in the European Union.
