The topic of reparation for Poland usually returns twice a year. On the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II and its ending. Now we are on the second day. Exactly 80 years ago, Nazi Germans unconditionally capitulated, which meant the end of military operations in Europe.
Despite the passage of years, the matter of reparations is still not taken care of in Poland. It was particularly loud about it In the autumn of 2022, when a special report was created by the MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk under the PiS rule.
PiS wanted PLN billion
It was announced on September 1, 2022, i.e. on the 82nd anniversary of Germany's assault on Poland. During a special press conference, PiS politicians argued at the time that our Western neighbors had never really paid for destruction. The government adopted a resolution in this matter in the spring of 2023.
– The Germans attacked Poland and made us great damage. The occupation was extremely criminal, extremely cruel and caused the effects that in many cases continue to this day. We cannot pass by this indifferently only because it seems that Poland has a lower position than other countries – said PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński at the time.
Informed that The sum of the expected compensation is over EUR 1.3 trillion, i.e., according to the then course, about PLN 6 trillion PLN 200 billion. – This is the sum that was adopted by the most limited conservative method, it could be increased very much – said the PiS president.
He noted that “the Germans never really settled for crimes against Poland.” – German historical policy did not take a crime against the Polish nation. We must strive to rebuild the awareness of the German nation – he added.
The Mularczyk report shows that the losses of the Polish population are 5 million 200 thousand. people. The amount of lost remuneration for fatalities was estimated at approx. PLN 4 trillion PLN 300 billion. However, the sum of material losses amounted to PLN 797 billion PLN 398 million. Adding up all partial values gives The total amount of Poland's losses in the amount of PLN 6 trillion PLN 220 billion PLN 609 million.
Let the size of this amount be demonstrated by the fact that it was twice of the then Polish GDP.
See also: PLN 6220 billion from Germany. Here's how much Polish GDP, debt, export
Anyway, the calculations from 2022 were not the only one. Shortly after the war, the war compensation office made similar attempts.
In 1947, post -war experts estimated the amount of reparations at PLN 258 billion, which, according to the course, corresponded to $ 50 billion. After converted into a value from 2004, they amounted to around $ 650-700 billion.
Scholz “lost his chance”
Despite the change in power in October 2023, the government did not give up their efforts to compensation from Germany. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski spoke about this in the autumn of 2024.
In an interview with the Financial Times he admitted that in terms of war claims The government of Donald Tusk is now “more or less” on the same side as Andrzej Duda and PiS. As he pointed out, the last public opinion polls show that most Poles want reparations from Germany.
See also: More than half of Poles want the government to fight for reparations [SONDAŻ]
Donald Tusk offered Germany a solution other than PiS. He demanded the creation of a Polish monument in Berlin, German investments in military cooperation, as well as an indefinite amount of money for compensation for Polish Nazi victims.
The then Chancellor Olaf Scholz was to offer only EUR 200 million compensation and did not plan to invest in a joint defense.
It seemed that the announcement of compensation could take place during the Polish-German intergovernmental consultations held in Warsaw in July 2024. Contrary to high expectations, they ended up at the announcements of the creation of the “place of memory” of the Polish victims of the Third Reich.
Minister Sikorski in the interview with “FT” emphasized that this is not enough, and Scholz himself had “lose the opportunity” in July 2024 to fulfill Poland's demands. He claimed that the ball is now on the side of Germany.
Scholz's successor Friedrich Merz stated on Wednesday during a visit to Warsaw that “the subject of reparations is legally completed”.
– As for legal issues in the context of possible reparations, they are completed. Which does not mean that we will not talk about joint projects, common ideas – said the new German Chancellor. However, he did not provide any details.
Donald Tusk also at a joint press conference also for this issue. – Have Germany ever compensated for the losses, the tragedy of World War II in Poland? No, of course not. Is this to think at all? I am a historian, I am from Gdańsk, I could talk for hours about what this bill looks like. And he has never been satisfied, but we will not ask for it, it is also a matter to rethink by all parties – said the head of the Polish government
Conversations without the final
The subject of compensation for the victims of World War II is still the subject of talks of the Polish government with the German side. The announcement of support for Poles who were still living in World War II fell during the previously mentioned Polish-German intergovernmental consultations in July, but the details of this assistance remained unspecified. On Wednesday in Warsaw, Friedrich Merz announced the opening of the monument to Polish victims of Nazism.
He declared that “Germany would never forget these millions of victims.” –Win we want this commemoration to have a permanent place. Also for me it is a very important matter that this constant commemoration takes place. I am glad that we will soon open a temporary monument in Berlin, and then the final solution will appear And certainly the federal government will keep its finger on the pulse and will force this solution – he said.
On October 3, 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the PiS government Zbigniew Rau He signed a diplomatic note to the German side regarding war damages. Poland demanded in it, among others Compensation for material and intangible losses in the amount of 6 trillions 220 billion 609 million zlotys and compensation for damage.
On January 3, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Ministry of Diplomacy of Germany responded to this note, considering that the case of reparations and compensation for War losses remain closed, and the German government does not intend to negotiate in this matter.
We asked about possible diplomatic procedures on reparations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When we get the answer, we will publish it here.
The matter of reparations also sometimes appears in the election campaign in Poland. – There is also a basic issue referring to the German state. Donald Tusk should be demanding from Olaf Scholz today to make Germany pay reparations – PiS candidate Karol Nawrocki recently said.
See also: Jurasz: Three reasons why Poland will not receive reparations from Germany [KOMENTARZ]
The minister from PiS agreed
The problem is that Poland really renounced reparations in the previous era, and more specifically in 1953. All thanks to the document, which published the government of the Polish People's Republic under the leadership of Bolesław Bierut. Years later, the Polish press agency resembled the content of the statement.
“Considering that Germany has already largely compensated for their obligations for compensation and that the improvement of Germany's economic situation is in the interest of their peaceful development, The government of the Polish People's Republic – wanting to make your further contribution to the work of regulating the German problem in the peace and democratic spirit and in accordance with the interests of the Polish nation and all peace of loving nations – He decided to waive on January 1, 1954, repayment of compensation to Poland” – The document was.
Years later, however, some historians said that any decisions from 1953 were invalid. PiS came out of a similar assumption a few years ago.
However, as we wrote in Business Insider Polska, in the first term of the rule of Jarosław Kaczyński's party (2005-2007), the then head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Fotyga admitted that there could be no reparation.
In response to Janusz Dobrosza's parliamentary interpellation, she wrote that “”The position of the Polish doctrine of international law is unambiguous and leaves no doubt as to the fact that Poland's waiver of reparations from Germany. “
“In later years, the Polish government has repeatedly stated that the problem of exercising the reparation rights of Poland from Germany is closed. An analogous position in this matter was taken by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland in 2004, which (…) took a position on the parliamentary draft resolution on German reparations for Poland. It was repeated in a statement of October 19, 2004. It confirmed that the problem of exercising Poland's reparation rights from Germany is already closed. This position is the last view of the government on this subject, “reads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was signed by Anna Fotyga.
