German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany plans to provide aid to surviving victims of the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II.
“Germany is aware of the gravity of its guilt, of its responsibility for the millions of victims of the German occupation and of the mission that results from it,” Scholz said at a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on Tuesday, following joint government talks at which German and Polish leaders agreed on an action plan to address both current and historical problems.
Germany stands behind its historical responsibility, without any ifs or buts, Scholz stated.
“The situation of elderly victims is of great concern to us and we will also take measures in this regard,” the German leader added.
Scholz did not say when or how much compensation would be paid to the approximately 40,000 victims of the German occupation of Poland who are still alive.
Tusk says he hopes payments will begin ‘soon’
However, Tusk said he hopes the announced compensation for Scholz will be paid out quickly.
“This is not a matter of years, but of months,” Tusk said in Warsaw after the German-Polish government meeting.
Tusk described Scholz’s announcement as a step in the right direction. “There is no amount of money that could compensate for everything that happened during World War II,” he said.
He acknowledged that the issue of reparations was formally and legally closed. Nevertheless, the aid promised by the German government to the victims of the occupation could improve German-Polish relations, “because good gestures are also very important in politics,” Tusk said.
The previous nationalist conservative government of the Law and Justice party (PiS) demanded reparations totaling €1.3 trillion ($1.39 trillion). Since the change of government in Poland in December, the tone towards Germany has become friendlier.
Tusk noted that Germany’s commitment to security in Europe is currently an important issue. “For me it is important that Germany is prepared to take much more responsibility for the security of the continent, to ensure that there will be no war in Europe,” he said.
Action plan agreed
The plans to address not only past mistakes but also current issues such as defence policy were set out in a document distributed by the German government when Scholz and a group of ministers visited Warsaw for government consultations.
However, the document did not provide any concrete figures on war reparations or military aid.
Now that both countries have a centre-left government, bilateral relations are experiencing something of a new beginning. For example, the government consultations are the first talks since November 2018.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said in the past that he expects Germany to pay material and moral compensation for the damage caused during World War II.
The action plan states: “The two governments will conduct an intensive dialogue on measures to support the surviving victims of the German aggression and occupation in the years 1939 to 1945, remembrance and security.”
The article refers to the construction of a German-Polish House in Berlin as a further project of reconciliation. The house is intended to commemorate the complicated German-Polish history and the brutal German occupation from 1939 to 1945 and to create a place of remembrance for the Polish victims.
Defense needs an important part of the action plan
Scholz was previously received with military honors in Warsaw by Tusk, marking the start of joint government talks.
He traveled to Poland with 12 federal and state ministers. According to government sources in Berlin, the consultations should give “a strong impetus” to good neighborly relations.
Much of the 40-page action plan addresses the countries’ current defense problems.
Poland, a member of the EU and NATO, is one of the most committed political and military supporters of Ukraine, as well as of neighboring Ukraine and Russian ally Belarus.
The action plan states: “We will strengthen the interoperability and standardization of our defense capabilities, increase production capacity and promote investment in our defense industry.”
The document specifically refers to the development of joint initiatives in the field of tanks and ammunition, including increasing the availability of spare parts for Leopard main battle tanks, which both countries have supplied to Ukraine.
