“A decision was made to officially apply for war reparations and compensation for what the Germans did in Poland between 1939-1945; it is a Polish duty to raise these issues,” ruling party leader Jarosław Kaczyński said on Thursday, on the 83rd anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
It is intended to obtain compensation for the damage done to Poland by the German people between 1939 and 1945. This is our goal – said Jarosław Kaczyński at the Royal Castle. He noted that the calculated sum of Polish losses is PLN 6 trillion 200 billion. According to Kaczynski, a sum of this magnitude can be borne by the German economy
“In terms of the Polish state’s functioning, this is a goal that fits within the concept of rebuilding normality. Various countries in the world have received compensation from Germany, though in a vastly different capacity, sometimes minimal – but Poland has not received one. “– said the president of the Law and Justice party.
“It was a bit of a shortcoming. This is a lack of initiative, a gap in a sphere of activity that every state should, must undertake, if it is to be a serious state, a state that protects its citizens, a state that cares about its interests” – he emphasized.
In international relations, it is the case that if one state causes a great deal of damage to another, it must later compensate for these damages following the defeat. There is no reason why Poland should be excluded from this rule – asserted the president of the Law and Justice party.
“That’s why we’re taking it. This is the first premise: the Germans invaded Poland and did us great damage. The occupation was cruel and caused effects that in many cases continue to this day. Poland cannot forget about that just because of someone’s belief that it (Poland – ed.) is fundamentally inferior to other nations. – said Kaczyński. “We reject this attitude,” he added.
Polish casualties and losses in World War 2 – report
The report on the losses suffered by Poland because of German aggression and occupation published by a parliament inquiry led by PiS MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk shows that:
- as a result of the war and the shift of borders Poland lost about 11.2 million citizens within 7 years,
- more than 2.1 million people were forcibly transferred to slave labor,
- 590,000 Polish citizens became invalids during the war, not only as a result of direct hostilities but also as a result of medical experiments.
- The Nazis taken hostage approximately 200,000 Polish children for forced Germanization, with only 30,000 surviving.
- the amount of population losses, incurred solely by Germany, was set at 5 million 219 053 people, 21% were children up to 10 years of age,
- lost salaries of victims who survived World War II: approx. PLN 500 billion ($105 billion)
- losses in cultural assets and works of art incurred because of hostilities and German occupation amounted to about PLN 19.31 billion,
- The total amount of material losses was close to PLN 800 billion.
“We know that we are embarking on a long path and will not be easy. We are not expecting a quick success. I have already heard from a very important German politician that no German government will ever agree to this,” Kaczynski said.
“Although the road will be long, we are convinced that one day we will succeed here” the head of the Law and Justice party said.
The report on the losses suffered by Poland during the war was prepared by the Parliamentary Team for Estimating the Amount of Compensation Due to Poland from Germany for Damage Caused During World War II, which functioned in the previous parliamentary term – since September 2017 – and headed by PiS MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk. About thirty scientists — historians, economists, property appraisers — and 10 reviewers worked on the report.
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