BRUSSELS (EJP)---The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, said the crimes committed by the Nazis in WWII “must always remain in the memory of future generations as a warning sign against genocide, which must never occur again.”

In a statement ahead of International Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place on Sunday 27 January, Poettering said: “On this Memorial Day we remember the millions of victims of the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews, as well as of Roma, Poles, Russians and people of other nationalities, who were murdered during World War II in the concentration and death camps built by Nazi Germany.”

“This must be a warning to be vigilant and to fight against any form of intolerance towards other cultures and religions and in particular any form of anti-Semitism or xenophobia.”

He stressed that the European Union is “a community of values.”

“We have reaffirmed our common values which unite us in the European Union with the solemn signature of the Charter of Fundamental Rights on 12 December in Strasbourg by the Presidents of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council.”

“Our history has taught us that the dignity and the rights of every human being and respect for the individual are the highest value which we have to protect and defend. This is the basis for our political action in the European Union and everywhere in the world,” the EU parliament president said.

The European body will hold a special commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday in Brussels.