Szabolcs Takács said the greatest achievement of Hungary’s chairmanship was an agreement between the IHRA and the European Union that the EU’s data protection law will not restrict access to documents related to the Holocaust.

He said future generations will have less and less knowledge about the Holocaust, which was why Hungary made it a priority in 2015 to ensure that “humanity’s saddest and worst” period is not forgotten and that all archival materials related to the genocide are fully accessible to the public.

The fact that the IHRA was able to enforce its interests in another international organisation is the alliance’s greatest achievement to date, he said.

Takács said the IHRA should examine and, if need be, improve its effectiveness to ensure that its principles on Holocaust education impact future generations.

Hungary formally passed the 12-month rotating chairmanship of the IHRA to Romania on Tuesday.

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