Poland’s Reparations Drive: Greece, Italy, and a Broader Dialogue
During a recent visit to Athens, Deputy Foreign Minister and Government Plenipotentiary for Compensation Arkadiusz Mularczyk explained that the Greek experience significantly shaped Poland’s approach to seeking reparations from Germany. In a conversation with PAP, he highlighted that presenting the basis for Poland’s claims to the Greek side was a central goal of the trip.
“The purpose of my visit was to present to the Greek side the basis of our claims against Germany,” Mularczyk stated.
Greek experiences
Poland’s interlocutors in Greece listened with interest as the Polish delegation outlined its efforts. The deputy minister noted that Greek experiences have played a crucial role in Poland’s preparations to advance its own reparations process for wartime losses. He recalled visiting Greece five years earlier as a member of parliament to consult with the Greek parliament’s reparations committee, where he also received a report on Greek war losses. Based on that exchange, Poland decided to prepare a similar report for its own case.
In September 2022, Poland published the report “Losses suffered by Poland due to German Aggression and Occupation during the Second World War 1939-1945,” which Mularczyk formally handed to Greek authorities. He also informed the Greeks that a request for resolutions had been submitted to the Bureau of the Council of Europe.
“We want to explore the asymmetry in compensation payments received by citizens of different countries and the lack of a judicial path for World War II victims to seek redress,” the deputy minister explained. He emphasized that those unfamiliar with history might be surprised by the scale of Greek losses during the war, a memory that remains widespread among Greek politicians and citizens who are convinced that Germany should provide compensation to their country.
While acknowledging ongoing prospects for cooperation in diplomacy and education, Mularczyk stressed that the discussion also aims to raise awareness in other nations about the consequences of the war. He pointed out that many interlocutors were unaware that Poland had not received reparations and had suffered extensive damage.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the broader discourse on war crimes and reparations, Mularczyk linked the German compensation issue to a wider international narrative. He argued that the rapid flow of information today makes it easier for the international community to consider the war’s outcomes and the post-war Soviet occupation. He suggested that sustained pressure could yield results for Germany in the coming years.
During the Athens visit, Mularczyk met with former Greek Prime Minister Jorgos Papandreou, former President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, and Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. The Greek government’s 2019 request for negotiations over reparations for damages from World War I and II remains a fixture in the dialogue. A parliamentary committee of experts estimated the wartime damage to Greece at 289 billion euros, a figure the German government has rejected. Poland, meanwhile, has pegged its reparations demand at PLN 6.22 billion for World War II losses.
Conversations in Italy
Mularczyk began a two-day visit to Rome, planning discussions with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parliamentary representatives. A communiqué from the Polish embassy noted that he would meet Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli and participate in talks addressing bilateral matters and broader international issues, including the war in Ukraine and the European Union enlargement process. The deputy minister was also scheduled to meet in parliament with Stefania Craxi, chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Senate, Giangiacomo Calovini, head of the Italian Brothers’ Party circle in Foreign Affairs, and members of the Community Affairs Committee in the Chamber of Deputies.
Related coverage emphasized the ongoing expectation of international dialogue, including calls for European and transatlantic support for Poland’s reparations position. The conversation in Italy highlighted the cross-border dimension of the issue and the importance of shared historical accountability in Europe. (Source: wPolityce)
Source: wPolityce