Basic documents and information

In this section, basic documents accompanying the Terezin Declaration process that was initiated by the Holocaust Era Assets Conference (HEAC) in 2009, and the creation of the European Shoah Legacy Institute an year later, are available. Here you can find valuable sources of information, including the Experts Conclusion upon which the Terezin Declaration was created and the HEAC Proceedings in full. Also included in this section are the Joint Declaration between the Czech Republic and the European Commission that could potentially be utilised for further cooperation with relevant EU bodies. Finally, a summary of ESLI's activities and Annual Reports from 2010 to 2017 are archived here. In its entirety, this section presents a general overview of the Terezin Declaration process and the European Shoah Legacy Institute that grew from it.

The European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) was created in 2009 following the conclusion of the Holocaust Era Assets Conference in the Czech Republic and the signing of the Terezin Declaration by forty-seven participating countries, including all European Union member states. Cooperating with governments, non-governmental organizations, and independent experts, ESLI sought international solutions to the problems of the restitution of immovable property, art, Judaica, and Jewish cultural assets stolen by the Nazis; the provision of adequate social welfare support for Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazism; and the promotion of Holocaust education, research, and remembrance.

ESLI organised numerous international events on social welfare for victims of Nazi persecution, restitution of immovable and movable property and provenance research, five of which were hosted by the European Parliament - a very important body for tackling post-Holocaust issues. Moreover, ESLI commissioned a number of studies, including two extensive databases mapping the current availability of social welfare services provided by states to victims of Nazism and the restitution of immovable property across all 47 Terezin Declaration countries. The European Shoah Legacy Institute firmly believes that the aforementioned activities can be expanded upon and continued by individuals and organisations dedicated to continuing this important mission.

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The Terezin Declaration at a glance

The Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets and Related Issues was adopted on 30 June 2009 in Terezín, Czech Republic, the site of the former Theresienstadt ghetto. It closed the Holocaust Era Assets Conference, which the Czech Republic hosted in Prague and Terezín during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Forty-six states signed it in 2009. Serbia, which attended as an observer, endorsed it later, so the Declaration is usually described as having 47 participating states. The Declaration is not legally binding, but it sets out shared moral and political commitments in five areas:

Welfare of Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution: survivors should be able to live in dignity, with help such as hunger relief, medicine and home care. See Social welfare.
Immovable (real) property: private and communal property that was wrongfully seized, including through forced sales and sales under duress, should be restituted, or fairly compensated where restitution is impossible. Heirless property may be used to help needy survivors and to support Holocaust education. See Property issues.
Nazi-confiscated and looted art: the Declaration reaffirms the 1998 Washington Conference Principles and calls for provenance research and just and fair solutions.
Judaica and Jewish cultural property: ritual objects, books and archives should be identified and returned to their rightful owners or communities.
Holocaust education, remembrance, research and memorials: see Education and remembrance.

The Declaration also called for an institute to follow up on these commitments. That institute became the European Shoah Legacy Institute, which is described on About ESLI.

Timeline of the Terezin process

June 2009: Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague and Terezín; the Terezin Declaration is adopted on 30 June.
2010: ESLI is established in Prague. The Guidelines and Best Practices for the Restitution and Compensation of Immovable (Real) Property are adopted, and 43 states endorse them.
November 2012: The Immovable Property Review Conference in Prague reviews progress, with 39 countries taking part.
May 2015: The International Conference on Welfare for Holocaust Survivors takes place in Prague, and ESLI's Social Welfare Database is launched.
April 2017: The "Unfinished Justice" conference at the European Parliament launches the restitution study covering all 47 countries.
August 2017: ESLI is wound up, and its web archive remains public.

After ESLI: the Terezin commitments today

The commitments outlived the Institute. The US JUST Act of 2017 led to a State Department report, published in 2020, on how each Terezin Declaration country had dealt with Holocaust-era property. On 5 March 2024, 21 countries endorsed new Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. The documents linked above, especially the Experts' Conclusions and the Conference Proceedings, are still the primary sources for understanding what the states agreed to in 2009.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Terezin Declaration legally binding?

No. It is a non-binding political declaration. Its weight comes from the moral commitment of the 47 participating states and from follow-up mechanisms such as the 2010 Guidelines and national reporting.

Where can I read the full text of the Terezin Declaration?

The full text is available as a PDF in the navigation list above under "Terezin Declaration 2009", together with the Experts' Conclusions and the full proceedings of the 2009 conference.

Who maintains this archive?

This website is an independent archive of ESLI's public materials. It is not operated by ESLI, which closed in 2017, or by the Government of the Czech Republic.