There is neither the political will nor any plan to pursue this matter further. Civic Platform and Donald Tusk categorically reject this issue, says Law and Justice MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk, sharply criticizing the government for its passivity regarding reparations from Germany. He admits, however, that the current presidential constellation has opened a window for fruitful cooperation.
For over 20 months of the December 13 coalition’s rule, the issue of compensation to Poland for the harm inflicted during World War II has been abandoned. Arkadiusz Mularczyk, head of the team that prepared the report on wartime losses, has been closely monitoring developments on this front. The report estimated Poland’s war damages at 6 trillion 220 billion 609 million PLN.
“During the Law and Justice government, when I served as deputy foreign minister, Civic Platform criticized us for being unable to conduct dialogue with Germany. We kept hearing that, if they were in power, they would be more effective. They claimed to support reparations, but not in the way PiS pursued them,”
the PiS MEP said.
He recalled that under the United Right government, “a report was prepared, a diplomatic note was sent, and resolutions were passed by both the Sejm and the Council of Ministers.” He adds: “Today, after nearly two years of Civic Platform’s rule, we see that this matter has been completely abandoned. There is neither political will nor any plan to pursue it further. Civic Platform and Donald Tusk categorically reject the issue,” Mularczyk assesses.
He continued: “German chancellors pressure Tusk into declaring that the matter doesn’t exist. Tusk’s government doesn’t raise the issue at all; it has fallen off the bilateral agenda. And this agenda was embraced, among others, by Mr. Marek Prawda and Krzysztof Ruchniewicz. I would even say that they acted in the interests of Germany, not Poland.”
The politician believes that with the arrival of new presidencies, first Donald Trump’s and now Karol Nawrocki’s, a three-year window has opened:
“A significant element that gives hope here is Karol Nawrocki’s victory. In his election campaign, he strongly emphasized the reparations issue. I believe we now have a window to move this matter forward. In Washington, Donald Trump is in office; he doesn’t particularly care for Germany but does appreciate Poland. I see this as an opening for certain cooperation.”
He declared that the matter will be pursued further in international relations, “including in relations with Jewish organizations.” As he concludes: “Poland has the right to reparations or compensation for World War II.”