High-ranking officials in Poland have announced their intention to broaden their efforts to secure substantial World War II reparations from Germany. They are looking to Greece and other European nations as potential partners in this initiative.

Last year, Poland officially requested $1.3 trillion in compensation, a sum nearly equivalent to its current annual GDP. Greece has also made claims exceeding $300 billion for damages suffered under Nazi occupation during the war.

Germany maintains that these claims were settled after the war concluded. However, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that the Polish government will collaborate with other countries that experienced Nazi occupation to pursue justice.

Speaking at a reparations conference in Athens, co-organized by the Polish Foreign Ministry, Mularczyk emphasized the need for collective action. He argued that individual countries have been unsuccessful in securing justice for victims, necessitating a joint effort.

Mularczyk underscored the undeniable nature of the harm and losses suffered, citing statistics of 5.2 million Polish deaths, a population decrease of 11.4 million, and 2.1 million Polish citizens subjected to forced labor.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos, a former Greek President and law professor, explained that Greece revived its claims after German reunification in 1990. He argued that Germany's previous division had been used as a justification for limiting compensation. While acknowledging Germany's apologies and participation in commemorative events, Pavlopoulos maintained that these actions do not invalidate the compensation claims.

Greece formally renewed its claims in 2019 under a previous administration. The current government, while not actively pressuring Berlin, considers the matter unresolved. The Athens conference included representatives from Greek towns where Nazi forces committed civilian massacres in retaliation against resistance movements. These towns hold annual commemorations for the victims.