Poland is to present today (1pm) a report on the estimated amount of damage inflicted on the country by Nazi Germany during World War II.
The report is intended to substantiate the demands for reparations made by Poland’s national conservative PiS government to Germany. It was developed by a parliamentary commission convened in 2017.
Date and place of report publication
The day of the performance has great symbolic value: on September 1, 1939, the German invasion of Poland began. It was the beginning of the Second World War with at least 55 million dead – other estimates even go up to 80 million. There are no exact numbers. It is estimated that up to 6 million people lost their lives in Poland alone. According to previous Polish estimates, based on an inventory from 1946 plus interest, the damage amounts to 800 billion euros.
The place where the report is presented is also symbolic: the Warsaw Royal Castle is considered a symbol of the city that was largely destroyed by Nazi Germany in World War II and later rebuilt.
Poland’s government had repeatedly announced the report prepared by the parliamentary commission. It is considered the basis for a decision by Warsaw on possible reparation claims against Germany. Former commission chairman Arkardiusz Mularczyk said on Polish radio that a three-volume report would be presented and “the amount by which we estimate the losses to the Republic of Poland from World War II.” Further decisions on this topic, “whether of a diplomatic or political nature”, are a matter for Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and PiS Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Germany’s attitude
The federal government rejects any claims for reparations. For them, the question of the two-plus-four treaty on the foreign policy aspects of German unity is closed.
The PiS government has recently intensified its anti-German rhetoric. With a view to the forthcoming parliamentary elections next year, she hopes that she will get additional votes in this way. Poland’s Environment Minister Anna Moskwa recently warned of false reports (fake news) from Germany in connection with the fish kill in the Oder. This caused considerable irritation in Berlin.
