Poland drops German war reparation claims

The new Polish government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk will drop demands for World War II reparations from Germany instigated by the previous PiS government and instead seek another form of compensation such as restoring historic buildings or investing in mutual defence, announced Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

The previous conservative PiS government, which lost power last December, sent a diplomatic note to Berlin in 2022 asking for €1.3 trillion in World War II reparations.

But Tusk’s centre-left coalition no longer intends to pursue this line of action, citing legal issues.

“My predecessor, Anna Fotyga, responded many years ago to a parliamentary inquiry that Poland’s position is that reparations were already recognised at Potsdam. Unfortunately, they were appropriated by the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the legal position is that reparations cannot be obtained,” Sikorski said at press conference attended by his British counterpart David Cameron after one of the journalists brought up the issue.

In 1953, under pressure from the Soviet Union, Poland’s communist government renounced all claims to war reparations. Moscow wanted to release East Germany, another Soviet satellite, from any liability.

The PiS government said the agreement was invalid because Poland could not negotiate fair compensation at a time when it was dependent on the USSR.

Nevertheless, Sikorski said Poland should try to get “what is possible to get” from Germany, meaning some other form of compensation for the occupation by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Different forms of war compensation

Berlin making up for World War II atrocities is an “important issue” for the new Polish government, he insisted in a recent interview for Der Spiegel.

“Poland was a victim of the Second World War twice: once by Germany and then when Soviet troops imposed communism on us (after the war),” he said, adding that this left Poland with huge material losses and decades of poverty.

He also stressed that while Berlin considers the issue of war reparations for Warsaw to be “closed”, it recognises its “moral responsibility” for war crimes committed during the occupation of Poland.

Asked what other form of compensation he would like to see, he mentioned “a visible sign” as a “centre for documentation and dialogue that recognises the suffering of Poles and is also a place of remembrance”.

“After all, Germans have flawed memories. They know about the Holocaust, they remember the blockade of Leningrad and Stalingrad, but they have forgotten what they did to the Polish civilian population,” he said.

Asked if this meant Poland was officially abandoning its reparations claims, he replied: “If Berlin wants to transfer this money – fine!  We will even agree to a reduction if the money is received by the end of the year”.

“But seriously, money is a difficult thing in times of war and crisis. We are asking the German government to prepare a package to convince our public opinion and show them that Germany is ready to deal with the matter”.

For example, Germany could help rebuild one of the destroyed buildings in Warsaw, perhaps the Saxon Palace on Piłsudski Square, which was never rebuilt after World War II, Sikorski said.

Berlin could also fund medical care for war survivors or invest in the defence capabilities of both Poland and Germany “so that we can join forces in defending against Putin,” he noted.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)

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