German politician calls for reparations from Poland regarding Nord Stream sabotage; Chancellor expresses regret over EU Mercosur decision delay.
Germany Disappointed with Mercosur Decision
The European Parliament on Wednesday, January 21, voted to refer the Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The aim is to “check its compatibility with EU treaties.” Consequently, the approval or rejection of the document will only occur once the Court issues its opinion.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed “regret” in this matter. “I regret that the European Parliament has placed another obstacle in the way of Mercosur. But be assured: we will not be stopped. The Mercosur agreement is fair and balanced. There is no alternative if we want to achieve higher economic growth in Europe,” the politician wrote.
German Deputy Demands Compensation from Poland
European Parliament PiS member Dominik Tarczyński drew attention to the mood in the German government. “Germany got slapped in the face by republican forces today. We worked on this quietly and it worked. The arrangement is falling apart. This is just the beginning…” the politician announced.
A deputy from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party responded to his post. “1.3 trillion euros should be enough as compensation for complicity in the Nord Stream sabotage. My first official action as finance minister will be to present these accusations to Poland. He who laughs laughs last,” wrote Kay Gottschalk.
Recall that suspected by German services of blowing up Nord Stream was Volodymyr Zh., who was arrested in Poland. However, the District Court in Warsaw in October refused to extradite him to German authorities and lifted the preventive measure of temporary detention, ordering his immediate release – reported PAP.
War Reparations from Germany?
The amount of 1.3 trillion euros, or more precisely 6 trillion 220 billion 609 million zł, refers to reparations demanded by the PiS government. The amount was estimated by a parliamentary team and experts from various disciplines, who presented a report on this issue on the 83rd anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
“We are today obliged to calculate as accurately as possible. And based on these calculations to present the appropriate bill to those who are responsible,” said then-Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Jarosław Kaczyński also spoke out on the matter at the time. “Poland will demand war reparations, compensation for what Germany did in Poland in the years 1939-1945,” the politician said in TVP Info. The PiS president stated at the time that he expected a “negative” reaction from Germany, “but such matters must be fought for, and sometimes one has to fight for many years.”
As Reuters Agency recalled, however, the communist authorities of Poland renounced all claims to war reparations under pressure from the Soviet Union in 1953.