The government of Athens has raised the topic of further reparations for infrastructure damage and military crimes of fascists during the occupation of Greece, not long before resuming negotiations on Greece’s compliance with its financial obligations. The Greeks are demanding compensation for the debt imposed by the occupants. Berlin insists that it has already paid everything according to the agreement on compensation to victims of the national-socialist persecution of 1960. Germany paid 115 million Deutsche Marks. Speaker of the German Government Steffen Seibert said that the problem of the imposed debt was covered in the agreement. In other words, Germany rejects Greece’s demands, as Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier clearly said on February 11.
Greek Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos stated that if Germany and Greece fail to reach an agreement on WWII reparations, he would allow confiscation of German property on the territory of Greece, which includes assets of the Goethe-Institut and the German archeological museum. The topic of confiscations has been raised before, but all previous justice ministers were blocking any practical steps, unlike the incumbent minister.
Minister Paraskevopoulos reminded about the Distomo massacre committed by the Nazis in June 1944. After fighting guerillas, SS troops killed 218 inhabitants and burned the village down. Germany called those acts a repentance measure. The local court of Livadeia ruled that relatives of the massacre victims deserve a total compensation of 28 million euros. The Supreme Court of Greece confirmed the ruling in 2002.
The German property the government may confiscate will be used to pay the compensation. The relatives have tried to solve the problem by addressing the European Court of Human Rights directly. The Court responded that the immunity of foreign property cannot be violated in this particular case, according to international law.
Hans Michelbach, a lawmaker of the CDU chairing the Bundestag financial committee, clarified that the topic had been closed back in the 1950s. Germany would protect its property from any Greek attempts to take over its property, Michelbach warned in an interview with Handelsblatt.
Greece has analyzed the repatriation demands to Germany. The Supreme Court of Greece will evaluate the compensation demands. Previous secret research published by To Vima last Sunday says that Greece expects reparations worth 269-332 billion euros. Comparatively, the governmental debt of Greece is about 320 billion euros. Greek officials themselves have not named the sum of the country’s demands so far.
The confiscation of German property would undeniably be hailed by the population. The government of Alexis Tsipras would strengthen its authority in the eyes of Greek society, taking into account the boiling anti-German sentiments there. Meanwhile, it would not mean an open confrontation with the economic and political leader of the EU. Vice President of the European Parliament Alexander Graf Lambsdorff made a transparent hint that demands for refinancing of the credit, threats of flooding with refugees and talk about property confiscation would only undermine the existing goodwill in the Bundestag that Greece could need when further stabilizing the country. Most likely, the issue of reparations and confiscation of German property is a tactical step to strengthen the extremely slow-paced negotiating position of Greece in the upcoming dialogue with the “troika”. Should any confiscations take place, it would be a serious indicator of Greece’s determination to withdraw from the EU.
If so, it would be a serious indication of its withdrawal from the European UnionThe government of Athens has raised the topic of further reparations for infrastructure damage and military crimes of fascists during the occupation of Greece, not long before resuming negotiations on Greece’s compliance with its financial obligations. The Greeks are demanding compensation for the debt imposed by the occupants. Berlin insists that it has already paid everything according to the agreement on compensation to victims of the national-socialist persecution of 1960. Germany paid 115 million Deutsche Marks. Speaker of the German Government Steffen Seibert said that the problem of the imposed debt was covered in the agreement. In other words, Germany rejects Greece’s demands, as Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier clearly said on February 11.Greek Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos stated that if Germany and Greece fail to reach an agreement on WWII reparations, he would allow confiscation of German property on the territory of Greece, which includes assets of the Goethe-Institut and the German archeological museum. The topic of confiscations has been raised before, but all previous justice ministers were blocking any practical steps, unlike the incumbent minister.Minister Paraskevopoulos reminded about the Distomo massacre committed by the Nazis in June 1944. After fighting guerillas, SS troops killed 218 inhabitants and burned the village down. Germany called those acts a repentance measure. The local court of Livadeia ruled that relatives of the massacre victims deserve a total compensation of 28 million euros. The Supreme Court of Greece confirmed the ruling in 2002.The German property the government may confiscate will be used to pay the compensation. The relatives have tried to solve the problem by addressing the European Court of Human Rights directly. The Court responded that the immunity of foreign property cannot be violated in this particular case, according to international law.Hans Michelbach, a lawmaker of the CDU chairing the Bundestag financial committee, clarified that the topic had been closed back in the 1950s. Germany would protect its property from any Greek attempts to take over its property, Michelbach warned in an interview with Handelsblatt.Greece has analyzed the repatriation demands to Germany. The Supreme Court of Greece will evaluate the compensation demands. Previous secret research published by To Vima last Sunday says that Greece expects reparations worth 269-332 billion euros. Comparatively, the governmental debt of Greece is about 320 billion euros. Greek officials themselves have not named the sum of the country’s demands so far.The confiscation of German property would undeniably be hailed by the population. The government of Alexis Tsipras would strengthen its authority in the eyes of Greek society, taking into account the boiling anti-German sentiments there. Meanwhile, it would not mean an open confrontation with the economic and political leader of the EU. Vice President of the European Parliament Alexander Graf Lambsdorff made a transparent hint that demands for refinancing of the credit, threats of flooding with refugees and talk about property confiscation would only undermine the existing goodwill in the Bundestag that Greece could need when further stabilizing the country. Most likely, the issue of reparations and confiscation of German property is a tactical step to strengthen the extremely slow-paced negotiating position of Greece in the upcoming dialogue with the “troika”. Should any confiscations take place, it would be a serious indicator of Greece’s determination to withdraw from the
