Exhibition on Nazi atrocities in EU Parliament as Greek and Polish MEPs demand reparations

Published connected 01/07/2025 - 23:48 GMT+2•Updated 02/07/2025 - 7:44 GMT+2

The opening of nan photographic accumulation "Legacy of War—The losses of Poland and Greece: A March Towards Memory and Justice" opened connected Tuesday astatine nan European Parliament successful Brussels.

The arena was hosted by Greek MEP Emmanouil Fragkos and Polish MEP Arkadiusz Murlancik, some members of nan European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) governmental group.

The exhibition, pinch photographs depicting nan invasion, business and nan resistance, intends to callback nan grade of nan devastation suffered by Poland and Greece astatine nan hands of Nazi Germany during World War II, pointing retired nan grounds that nan 2 states must usage successful their ineligible conflict for reparations.

A statement connected "War Crimes and Reparation - Safeguarding nan Rule of Law by Addressing Past Injustice" was held pinch nan information of experts from Greece, Poland, and Italy and members of nan European Parliament.

In his statement, Fragkos said astir Greece's long-standing recognition pinch conscionable demands, noting nan value of justness successful bid to adjacent nan wounds of World War II.

He referred to nan crimes committed by nan Nazis against nan Greeks and nan country's infrastructure, which condemned Greece to poverty, noting that nan declare for reparations is simply a legally progressive demand.

His Polish counterpart said astir transitional justice, nan norm of rule and nan value of world work successful addressing humanities crimes and ensuring accountability.

The German MEPs did not be nan event, contempt being invited.

Only nan first measurement successful renewed efforts to execute compensation

On nan Polish side, nan organiser was ECR MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk. Previously, arsenic lawman overseas curate and Polish MP, he supervised nan mentation of a typical study connected warfare reparations:

"We spent agelong months connected nan work, trying to estimate thing that is almost intolerable to value. How to worth nan agelong and short-term losses caused by nan demolition of Poland, of its infrastructure, its monuments, its economy, its potential? Losses successful people, those murdered, but besides those maimed physically and psychologically, nan demolition of nan Polish elite?"

So far, nan taxable is ignored by Germany, which moreover claims that it is simply a closed issue. However, location are countries wherever compensation processes are still going connected moreover now, though it is done successful an different way. In Italy, for example, wherever Italian lawyers record lawsuits connected behalf of victims, victims' families and triumph compensation, nan Italian authorities pays.

MEPs reiterate that nan convention and accumulation are only nan first measurement connected a agelong road. The adjacent ones will beryllium nan constitution of a typical intergroup connected warfare reparations from Germany and, wrong this framework, practice betwixt nan affected countries and legislative acts - specified arsenic resolutions of nan European Parliament, for example.

Video editor • Dominika Cosic