(Un)shared memory: European Parliament and EU Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism

This article explores the role of the European Parliament in fostering and promoting shared remembrance of the victims of terrorist attacks. First, we discuss the origins of the EU Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism, established by the EP on the very day of the Madrid bombings, on March 11, 2004, and the earlier stages of its institutionalisation. We scrutinize the rationale for this transnational day of remembrance, the main actors involved, and the tools used to promote it. Then, we examine the effectiveness of this promoted ‘shared’ remembrance by analysing how the EU and its member states commemorate March 11th. It appears that, while the EP’s role evolved from a norm setter to a passive actor, the EU’s Remembrance Day remains for now ‘European’ essentially by name.