Poland Demands Annual Payments From Germany for Living Victims of Nazi Occupation

According to the outlet, the Polish government is seeking payments from Berlin of 10,000 zlotys a year to living Polish victims of Nazism—about €2,333 per person. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul earlier backed compensation for Polish victims of crimes committed by the Nazi regime, but the question of funding remains unresolved.

Poland’s previous government, formed by the right-nationalist Law and Justice party, demanded large-scale reparations from Germany for Nazi crimes. On September 1, 2022, exactly 83 years after Germany’s attack on Poland, Warsaw presented Berlin with a bill for 6.22 trillion zlotys—about €1.316 trillion.

The German government refused to pay that amount, citing the lack of a legal basis and concerns that similar demands could also be made by other countries.

At the same time, as the outlet notes, even in Warsaw, there was apparently little expectation that Germany would actually pay such a sum. Donald Tusk’s new Polish government has noticeably softened the tone in relations with Berlin but continues to insist on compensation.

In 2024, the German government allowed for the possibility of payments to Polish victims of the Nazi regime who are still alive. “With me, you have someone in the German government who supports this,” Wadephul said about two weeks ago.

One of the key obstacles remains Germany’s difficult budget situation. The number of living Polish victims of Nazism is estimated at about 50,000 and is steadily declining.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung’s calculations, if the payments amount to 10,000 zlotys a year, Germany’s costs in the first year would reach about €100 million, while the total volume of payments could amount to roughly €300 million.