The new Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, was asked about the issue of reparations for crimes committed during World War II. Standing beside Donald Tusk, he dispelled any doubts regarding Germany’s position. This time, however, no one protested…
The topic of compensation for victims of World War II had been a subject of negotiations between the Polish government, under the United Right (Zjednoczona Prawica), and the German side.
On October 3, 2022, Zbigniew Rau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Law and Justice (PiS) government, signed a diplomatic note addressed to the German side concerning war reparations. In the note, Poland demanded, among other things, compensation for material and non-material losses in the amount of PLN 6 trillion 220 billion 609 million, as well as redress for the damages suffered. On January 3, 2023, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the German Foreign Office had responded to the note, stating that the issue of reparations and compensation for war damages remained closed and that the German government had no intention of engaging in negotiations on the matter.
In December 2023, power changed hands in Poland—and recently, in Germany as well. Now, everyone is speaking with one voice…
A day after taking office, the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Warsaw for a visit. At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Merz was asked about reparations for Poland in connection with the damage caused during World War II.
Regarding reparations for Poland, Friedrich Merz declared that… “this matter is legally closed.”
“As for the legal aspects in the context of possible reparations, they are concluded. This does not mean, however, that we will not talk about joint projects, joint ideas,” he stated. He did not, however, specify what those projects or ideas might be.
Read more: Germany’s New Chancellor Closes the Door on WWII Reparations — in Warsaw, Next to Tusk