Berlin has revealed the amount it intends to pay as war reparations to Poland, while Polish officials insist on yearly payouts until the survivors’ deaths, sparking renewed debate.
Berlin Slows Decision-Making
According to Onet, the German government last year offered Poland a one‑time €10,000 for each living WWII victim, a proposal Poland rejected. Polish authorities insist on payments made annually until the beneficiary’s death, a demand Berlin has yet to address.
Jakub Deka, chair of the Polish‑German Reconciliation Foundation, reports that recent talks included a proposal of about 10,000 PLN per year, disbursed quarterly, semi‑annually, or monthly. No final decision has been announced.
Reparations Issue Declared Resolved
During a German‑Polish conference in Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the reparations debate is settled politically and legally. He reminded that Germany had planned to allocate €2 billion to survivors of Nazi terror and acknowledged historical responsibility.
Tusk Demands Faster Action
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk answered Merz by saying Germany remains bound to a diplomatic act of the 1950s, a period when Poland had little say. He claimed that the 1950s renunciation of reparations was not in line with the Polish nation’s will and highlighted that there are about 50,000 living direct victims today.
Tusk urged Berlin to expedite the gesture and suggested that next year Poland might meet the need from its own resources, provoking sharp opposition from political adversaries.
Poland Regains Valuable Archives
In the same conference, Germany returned 73 Polish documents seized during the occupation, including the oldest from 1215. Merz confirmed that these are not the final returns of Polish‑stolen archives.