The issue of compensation from Germany exclusively for surviving Polish victims of World War II, as well as purchases from the German arms industry – these are among the matters Donald Tusk will discuss with Friedrich Merz on Monday in Berlin. These are the first intergovernmental consultations with the current chancellor.
The Polish delegation, in addition to the prime minister, will include representatives of several ministries – ministers responsible for foreign affairs, defense, internal affairs, infrastructure, finance, energy, and culture. Also expected to attend is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.
As reported, “during the consultations, the announcement of a timeline for the creation of a permanent monument commemorating Polish victims of German aggression and occupation during World War II is expected.” Soon it will be half a year since Germany placed… a stone in tribute to the Polish victims of World War II.
The talks are also set to cover compensation for World War II. The agenda does not mention reparations or sums that could even approach the calculations of the team led by Arkadiusz Mularczyk (over 6 trillion PLN). The discussion is expected to focus on compensation exclusively for surviving Polish victims. As stated in the dispatch of the Polish Press Agency (PAP), “Warsaw maintains that an acceptable amount would be 10,000 euros annually for each surviving victim.”
In addition, the talks are expected to include strengthening military cooperation – Warsaw is looking toward German technologies capable of countering threats posed by drones.
In this area, opposition politicians had previously warned that a large portion of the loan from the European Commission SAFE program (Poland is counting on as much as 190 billion PLN) would be used by Warsaw to finance purchases from foreign arms manufacturers – including Germany.
Berlin, for its part, is expected to be interested in intensifying cooperation with Poland in the Baltic Sea region. This includes, among other things, sea patrols and the protection of underwater infrastructure. Discussions on the return of cultural assets and migration policy are also planned.
This will be the 17th meeting of the governments of both countries in this format. The intergovernmental consultations will be chaired by the host, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Prime Minister Tusk. The previous meeting was held in Warsaw in July last year, when the German government was still headed by Olaf Scholz.