In the letters, Deputy Minister Mularczyk points out the unregulated matter of compensation for German war crimes and stresses that the reparations awarded at the Potsdam Conference have never been paid to Polish citizens. The deputy minister also highlights the fact that the government in Berlin obstruct individual lawsuits by bringing up state immunity from legal proceedings, and he reiterates that the amount of compensation claimed by Poland is based on many years of work by a team of experts, lawyers, historians, and researchers.

The Secretary of State at the Polish MFA argues that it is necessary to initiate a bilateral dialogue as a goodwill gesture offered by Germany to the Polish nation. Apart from their significant moral and financial dimension, Poland’s claims are also universal in character.

The “United around our values” declaration adopted by the Council of Europe in Reykjavík on 16 May 2023 is the foundation of a continued Poland–Germany dialogue. The signing of the declaration by Chancellor Olaf Scholz proves that Berlin adheres to the universal principle that no statutes of limitation apply to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

MFA Press Office