In its initial chamber, the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs rejected the PiS draft resolution focused on continuing efforts to obtain reparations from Germany. Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski stressed that Poland is owed compensation, but the shape of that compensation remains unsettled. He noted that for years politicians in the current ruling bloc have debated how such compensation should be framed, and when the PiS government raised the topic it faced steady criticism from the opposition, a change in power in Poland followed by renewed discussions. By December 13, 2023, the new government had already held several meetings with German authorities, yet still no concrete details had emerged.
Toward the end of last year, PiS MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk announced plans to submit a Sejm draft resolution urging the Prime Minister and other council of ministers to pursue Poland’s reparations, compensation for losses, and restitution for damages caused by Germany during World War II.
The Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee convened on Thursday for the first reading of the bill. KO MP Marek Krząkała proposed a motion to reject the project. Sixteen committee members voted in favor, nine against.
Bartoszewski: The government will persist in its efforts
During the committee discussion, Deputy Foreign Minister Bartoszewski criticized the PiS draft resolution. He recalled that in September 2022 the Sejm had adopted a resolution calling for compensation for the harm Poland suffered in World War II, a motion supported by 418 lawmakers.
The issue with the text before the committee is simple: another Sejm resolution is being considered, which in his view is markedly weaker than the 2022 resolution adopted on September 14. He called it a failed initiative because it weakens the significance, message, and impact of the previous one.
He added that the PiS draft unnecessarily confuses the moral entitlement to compensation with the plan to erect a monument in Berlin honoring Polish victims.
Bartoszewski asserted that the new government would raise the compensation issue in talks with Germany.
Our government continues to push for accountability, and every bilateral visit to Germany includes a statement that Poland is entitled to compensation; the question remains what form it should take.
– noted Bartoszewski.
“In 2022 they were still in favor.”
Any lingering illusions about the December 13 Coalition have faded. At the first reading in the Foreign Affairs Committee, some members signaled opposition to the draft resolution calling for ongoing ReparationsForPoland activities. The stance from 2022, when support existed, was contrasted with the present position by MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk on social media.
From the outset, it appeared that Donald Tusk’s coalition preferred not to foreground reparations, even joking about the process. When the PiS government launched a broad diplomatic campaign to highlight the extent of Poland’s losses under Nazi aggression, the then opposition criticized the move, arguing it would strain relations with Western partners. Critics suggested the pursuit of reparations could be used as a political tool, even disconnecting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the mind of some observers.
Today, the December 13 Coalition faces scrutiny over its stance on reparations, and its posture toward Germany has drawn questions about independence from external influence. The subject remains highly sensitive for Berlin, which has yet to fully address its wartime past despite repeated assurances and explanations.
aja/PAP