Appointed by the Council of Ministers, the Government Plenipotentiary for Compensation for Damage Caused by German Aggression and Occupation in 1939–1945 took it as a priority to carry out an information campaign among foreign partners and representatives of international organisations concerning the pursuit by the Government of the Republic of Poland of compensation and reparations for the damage sustained by Poland as a result of German aggression and occupation in 1939–1945.

With this purpose in mind, intense promotional efforts were made among 189 out of the 193 member states of the UN in order to internationalise the issue. As shown by the experiences to date, the steps taken in this regard have met with interest and, partly, understanding among politicians and non-governmental organisations.

On 23 November 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland submitted diplomatic notes to the member states of the European Union, NATO, and subjects of international law interested in the matter. Calling for support for Poland’s stance on the compensation, the note was appended by the English version of the three-volume “Report on the Losses Suffered by Poland as a Result of German Aggression and Occupation during the Second World War, 1939–1945”.

This was the beginning of a long-term diplomatic action whose aim was to point out the uncompensated losses inflicted on Poland by Germany and to draw attention of the international community to the universal nature of responsibility for committed crimes. In the course of the work it was found that people in other countries worldwide have scant knowledge of the German occupation in Poland. This also applies to the academia.

The next stage of the information campaign was to send versions of the Report to foreign ministers of 50 states. To support the campaign, seminars and conferences were organised with the participation of external experts; these were held in European capitals, including Berlin, London, and Athens, as well as outside Europe. Moreover, a website was set up which became the source of information for foreign politicians, journalists, opinion multipliers, and those interested in the subject matter.

On 18 April 2023, the Council of Ministers adopted, upon request of the Plenipotentiary, a Resolution on the need to settle Polish-German relations regarding the issue of reparations and compensation for the losses suffered by Poland as a result of German aggression and occupation. The resolution explicitly confirmed that the issue of reparations was not appropriately regulated, neither in times of the communist-controlled People’s Republic of Poland nor after the country regained sovereignty. The resolution became a legally binding act for other state authorities.

In total, over 80 meetings took place in eight months, both in Poland and abroad. The most important of these include:

 

Germany:

7 December 2022: the Plenipotentiary visited Berlin, where he held talks at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office with Minister of State Anna Lührmann and State Secretary Andreas Michaelis, and met with Dietmar Woidke, Minister-President of Brandenburg (SPD) and former Coordinator of German‑Polish Intersocietal and Cross‑Border Cooperation. The talks marked the beginning of dialogue among political circles.

17 November 2022: talks with Manuel Sarrazin, a politician of the Greens, a co-ruling party, and the federal government’s Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkan. The meeting served to explain that the issue of compensation, which is a matter of dispute between Warsaw and Berlin, is a priority for Poland.

21–22 May 2023: the Plenipotentiary met with a group of the Bundestag MPs. During an informal discussion, the officials spoke about difficult topics in bilateral relations, including the issue of compensation. The visit agenda covered, inter alia, meetings with Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP) and Knut Abraham (CDU) as well as a discussion with a group of MPs at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). The interlocutors were informed that in Poland there is a cross-party consensus on the need to seek reparations from Germany.

21 May 2023: the Plenipotentiary sent letters, with the Report attached, to all MPs of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat in order to initiate a discussion.

Iceland:

19–21 January 2023: the Plenipotentiary met with Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Auðunn Atlason, foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister, and Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2021. The talks covered, among other things, the final declaration of the Council of Europe summit prepared by Iceland's presidency. The visit was aimed at bringing a broader problem of an aggressor state’s liability for human, material and non-material losses to the attention of Iceland's presidency.

US:

20 March 2023: the Plenipotentiary sent letters to eleven American congressmen and senators (among others to the chairs of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, as well as the Polish-American Friendship Group) where he elaborated on the problem of unsettled compensation after the Second World War. In his letters, he asked the addressees to examine the asymmetry of compensation granted to Eastern European countries against the one granted to Western European states, as well the fact that Poland was not included in the process, and called for creating a forum for Polish-German dialogue at the US Congress. In August 2023, Chris Smith, a Republican congressman, called upon the US authorities to support Poland's efforts to receive reparations from Germany.

29 January–6 February 2023: the Plenipotentiary attended 13 meetings with members of both chambers of the US Congress. The visit also included meetings with representatives of the Polish diaspora in the US, including President of the Polish American Congress Frank Spula. The talks resulted in an expression of support for the Polish Government’s efforts.

In February 2023, the Polish American Strategic Initiative (PASI) submitted a draft resolution on war compensation to the US Congress. A network of Polish consulates in the US was mobilised to cooperate with the Polish diaspora leaders in all states.

20 March 2023: Plenipotentiary's official letters were sent to all congressmen and senators. They stated arguments concerning the asymmetric treatment of Poland in the light of the agreements of the Potsdam Conference and the fact that Germany invokes the immunity from jurisdiction which, when applied, deprives Polish victims of their right to be treated equally with other nations, including the possibility to initiate a private prosecution for damages and losses suffered as a result of the German occupation. The letter also deployed the argument of a universal character of Polish claims in the context of Russia’s aggression against, and occupation of Ukraine. Moreover, it drew attention to the question of asymmetric reparations and the creation of a forum for Polish-German dialogue at the US Congress. The Polish American Congress, the PASI, and other Polish diaspora organisations assured of their far-reaching support for the Plenipotentiary's actions.

23–26 July 2023: the visit was intended to garner support of the Department of State, the US Government, the Jewish circles, and the Polish community, for Poland’s position on this issue. Also discussed were procedural issues regarding a US Congress Resolution to support Poland’s efforts to make the Federal Republic of Germany aware of the need to comply with international law, including just compensation and damages for death and destruction that Germany inflicted on Poland during the Second World War.

Greece:

14–16 February 2023: possible cooperation in the context of similarities in uncompensated damages in relations of both countries with Germany were discussed with Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. A meeting was also held with Greek former president Professor Prokopis Pavlopoulos and former prime minister George Papandreou, and scientists and professors of Greek universities. The talks with Ambassador ad honorem Leonidas Chrysanthopulos resulted in the launch of cooperation between Polish and Greek diaspora in the USA regarding compensation claims from Germany.

13 June 2023: a scientific conference in Athens. The idea was highly appreciated by many institutions and experts in this area, which translated into a number of established lawyers from Poland, Greece, Italy and Serbia, as well as a delegation from the UK attending the event.

Serbia:

22-23 February 2023: during the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić in Belgrade, the two officials discussed compensation from Germany for losses incurred during the Second World War. The Government Plenipotentiary offered closer cooperation with the representatives of Serbian academia, experts, and the Foreign Ministry regarding documents on German occupation in Central and South-Eastern Europe. Dejan Ristić, Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims, was particularly open to collaboration.

Namibia:

10 May 2023: the talks in Warsaw with Namibia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Jenelly Matundu. The Namibian side was informed of formally made claims, Germany’s lack of willingness to enter into negotiations, and on current information and diplomatic measures, and expressed interest in exchange of experiences in this area. They also declared that Namibian society does not accept the agreement with Germany, and the negotiations remain open.

The United Kingdom:

27-28 April 2023: the Plenipotentiary met with UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Europe Leo Docherty at the MFA. He also met with members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Cooperation was established with a specialist lobbying agency with a view to enhancing Poland’s message.

Activities within the European Union:

30 May 2023: the Plenipotentiary sent letters with the full English version of the Report to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, President of the European Council Charles Michel, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borell, Vera Jurova, Vice-Presidents of the European Commission, and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. Similar information was sent to all 705 members of the European Parliament. At the same time work is in progress on next steps within the European Union.

Furthermore—in line with the Polish Government’s proposals—the final declaration from the Council of Europe summit held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023 included an entry on the necessity of just compensation for losses incurred during conflicts. Also adopted by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the document highlights the universal principle that no statutes of limitation apply to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The text also mentions war reparations.

The issue of open compensation claims was also officially communicated in writing to:

• Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay;
• Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić;
• Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Chair of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs;
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres;
• President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi;
• President of the UN Human Rights Council Václav Bálek;
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

The Plenipotentiary simultaneously sent letters to the authorities of 16 provinces, 2,477 municipalities, 314 districts, and 66 towns and cities in Poland, calling on them to support measures taken by the Government to obtain compensation from Germany. He asked them to join in the efforts to propagate and consolidate historical truth. So far, a few dozen cities, including Gdańsk, Lublin, Bochnia, Wieluń, have adopted resolutions, positions, and statements to this effect.

This statement presents just the most significant examples of activities pursued by the Government Plenipotentiary for Compensation for Damage Caused by German Aggression and Occupation in 1939-1945 within his area of competence.

 

MFA Spokesperson

Photo: Barbara Milkowska/MFA