Today, the meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw brought the two countries closer. For six years, the Law and Order (PiS) nationalist government challenged relations between the two neighbours.
The meeting focused on the global challenges the EU faces today, including the war in Ukraine, security issues, the French elections, and the rise of the far-right across Europe, emphasising defence cooperation.
In Poland, reparations and compensation from Germany for war losses remain a significant and unresolved issue. A few months ago, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski urged Germany to find a “creative solution” during a conversation with his German counterpart.
Today, during a joint conference with Tusk, Scholz highlighted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising and the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
Chancellor Scholz mentioned that Germany would endeavour “to take measures to support the surviving victims of the German aggression and occupation between 1939 and 1945.” Furthermore, the German government has already allocated funds for the establishment of a “German-Polish House” in Berlin as a memorial to the victims of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland.
“We are looking for appropriate methods and words with the Chancellor. We both realise how sensitive these issues are. (…) The most important thing is to open certain windows and talk honestly, providing information on who has what limitations, priorities, and what the situation is. We know how to discuss this,” Prime Minister Tusk told reporters.
The nationalists attack
Although Prime Minister Tusk argued that the topic of reparations is not closed, recognising that it is a complex and delicate matter, the nationalist and far-right camp used the occasion to attack the liberal government.
Prominent members of the PiS leadership and simple lawmakers expressed their ire at what the leaders of Poland and Germany discussed, particularly on the war reparations issue.
Mariusz Błaszczak, Chairman of the PiS Parliamentary Club and party vice President, accused the Prime Minister of repaying his debt to Germany.
“In recent weeks, he feigned opposition when migrants were illegally transferred to the Polish side and tried to convince the public that Germany would finance our security projects. Today, on Polish soil, Chancellor Scholz crossed another border because he knew that he could afford anything and that there would be no reaction from Tusk’s government. Instead of over PLN 6 trillion in reparations, almost 80 years after the end of the war, we are promised to seek help for people who survived the occupation and are still alive. Sadly, in just over half a year, we have become a vassal state of Germany”.
Adam Andruszkiewicz, Member of the Sejm and former deputy minister, said Chancellor Scholz’s visit “will go down in history as a blasphemy of the diplomacy of D. Tusk’s government, which stepped into the shoes of Germany’s spokesman, explaining to Poles their policy towards us. And the topic of reparations is certainly not closed!”.
MEP Tobiasz Bocheński, deployed several demands the Polish nationalists promoted.
“Tusk has paid his tribute. I don’t understand the surprise. No one expected a subjective and assertive policy towards Germany from this Prime Minister. Did people expect Tusk to come out and say: we will expand the ports; build the CPK [Redactor’s Note: The Central Communication Port is a megaproject of the government of Poland aimed at the construction of a new, built-from-scratch airport southwest of Warsaw, including a new nationwide high-speed rail]; demand reparations for German crimes and deepen the Oder? This is beyond him”.
PiS MP Joanna Lichocka said Tusk is a huge embarrassment for Poland.
“We know that Tusk means poverty for Polish families. We also know that Tusk means price increases for Poles. Today, we know one more thing – Tusk is a huge embarrassment for Poland. Paying tribute to a proud German is not only embarrassing for Tusk but also a slap in the face for Poles,” she posted on X.
Ironising what Chancellor Scholz said about the Polish WW2 victims, former prime minister and PiS vice-president Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on his account on X:
“The youngest people born during the German occupation will turn 80 next year. Today’s words @OlafScholz are a slap in the face for Poland”.
Also commenting on the meeting, Konrad Berkowicz, from the far-right and anti-Ukrainian Konfederacja party, called Tusk a traitor.
“The Prime Minister of the Polish government, during a meeting with the German Chancellor, repeating the German rhetoric regarding reparations and admitting that they are right, is a traitor, not a representative of the Polish nation”.
