ENThe article of EHU Professor Dr. Rasa Čepaitene debates historical and memorial politics of Western and Central-Eastern European countries, new members of the European Union since 2004. The author tries to be frank and objective, highlighting the circumstances of the formation and pointing out the shortcomings and internal problems of both different approaches to public history. Dr. Čepaitene draws a rather pessimistic conclusion about impossibility to harmonize them in a modern world. However, it is extremely important to save academic freedoms and possibilities for intellectual exchange.