Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

**Stanislaw** · 2012-09-05 18:39

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...ions-bill.html

Greece’s Finance Ministry will calculate the country’s claim for World War II reparations against Germany, Deputy Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said.

The General Accounting Office will make the calculation for the first time, Staikouras said today in response to a question from a lawmaker from the Independent Greeks party. The ministry has begun collecting archival material to be examined by a group of experts, he said.

“The German reparations are a particularly complex legal issue and subject to study and settlement at an international level in accordance with the rules of international law,” Staikouras said. “The case is still outstanding, and as a country we reserve the right and the possibility to manage it to a satisfactory conclusion.”

Some Greek politicians have evoked memories of the country’s Nazi occupation during World War II since the start of the country’s debt crisis. During the country’s election campaigns in May and June Independent Greeks demanded Germany pay reparations.

Greece has in the past decade had to juggle claims on war reparations from Germany with close bilateral relations between the countries. The claims include compensation for loans the country was forced to make to Germany during the Nazi occupation.

Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled in March 2006 it didn’t have to pay compensation to individuals seeking damages over war crimes committed during World War II. Germany paid 115 million deutsche marks ($74 million) to Greek victims of Nazi crimes under a 1960 treaty, in addition to funds paid out to victims of forced labor under the Third Reich, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke told reporters in 2010.

Sure, your country's struggling. But isn't this quite the low move?

**Ragnus** · 2012-09-05 18:43

Goddamn. Scumbag Greece up in here.

**Azull** · 2012-09-05 18:54

Guess Greece has never heard the phrase "Dont bite the hand that feeds you"

**Xno Kappa** · 2012-09-05 18:56

Works for the Jews on an even much grander scale, why not give it a shot.

**Churchill** · 2012-09-05 19:00

Originally Posted by Hirokei Kiaza

Works for the Jews on an even much grander scale, why not give it a shot.

This and, if anything, Germany is the only reason we don't think of Greece as we do the majority of India.

I love when rivers are just full of human waste, aw yea.

**Drex** · 2012-09-05 20:00

Oh man, merkel is dead if she puts up another cent in taxpayer money for greek bailouts lol. Next week on "As the EU turns"...

**Stumblingdrunk** · 2012-09-05 20:05

And just today I was thinking "i haven't heard anything about the eurozone in quite some time, I wonder how that's going?"

**Kerberoz** · 2012-09-06 04:25

Did Greece just Godwin their economy?

**Helm** · 2012-09-06 05:04

Hey Germany, I know you basically keep our ass afloat, but about that shit you owe us because of the Nazis. Classy Greece, very classy.

**Kuya** · 2012-09-06 06:12

If they really wanted to give Germany the finger, they'd leave the EU. Or if Germany didn't want to antagonize Greece, well maybe they shouldn't have attached austerity to the bailout loans.

**Kuya** · 2012-09-06 06:24

In fact, this whole EU rescue package is a political claptrap.

The German government wants to keep the EU in tact, since they benefit from it economically just as much if not more than everyone else in Europe, but Merkel & friends know that the bailout is politically unpopular to the German people, so they want to make it seem like they're not giving out free money to those filthy, lazy southern europeans. And so they attach back breaking austerity as a condition to the bailouts so Merkel can point at Greece and say "See? See!? The money we're giving them isn't free! It comes with the consequence of destroying their society!".

And somehow, with Greece having massive unemployment, outbreaks of suicides and crime, we're supposed to be mad at the Greeks for being so ungrateful. Am i supposed to blame the Greeks for lashing out? I know the German government can't be mad, because they're getting what they wanted, which is political expediency.

**Seraph** · 2012-09-06 10:22

I do think the entire Euro economic situation is a clusterfuck, but I am extremely amused at all the Greek hate about not paying debts when Germany did it first. Payback is a bitch 65+ years after the fact I guess?

**AidenCarby** · 2012-09-06 10:37

This is fucking jokes lol. Gives a whole new meaning to "we reserve the right to retaliate at a later date" xD

**ronin sparthos** · 2012-09-06 11:01

Originally Posted by Kuya

In fact, this whole EU rescue package is a political claptrap.

The German government wants to keep the EU in tact, since they benefit from it economically just as much if not more than everyone else in Europe, but Merkel & friends know that the bailout is politically unpopular to the German people, so they want to make it seem like they're not giving out free money to those filthy, lazy southern europeans. And so they attach back breaking austerity as a condition to the bailouts so Merkel can point at Greece and say "See? See!? The money we're giving them isn't free! It comes with the consequence of destroying their society!".

And somehow, with Greece having massive unemployment, outbreaks of suicides and crime, we're supposed to be mad at the Greeks for being so ungrateful. Am i supposed to blame the Greeks for lashing out? I know the German government can't be mad, because they're getting what they wanted, which is political expediency.

The Greeks are not squeaky clean in this arrangement. Years of tax evasion being the national sport and little to no law enforcement to crackdown on such behavior led a situation of unsustainable funding propping up a country that was taking in shit for revenues.

**Callisto** · 2012-09-06 11:24

40 acres and a bratwurst

**Drex** · 2012-09-06 13:16

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

The Greeks are not squeaky clean in this arrangement. Years of tax evasion being the national sport and little to no law enforcement to crackdown on such behavior led a situation of unsustainable funding propping up a country that was taking in shit for revenues.

Not so much a sport as an obligation. Greeks view "starving the beast" as a duty because their government is so corrupt and untrustworthy. Pretty scary preview of where the US is probably headed...

**archibaldcrane** · 2012-09-06 13:53

All I know is the stock market is fucking stoked today over the revelation that the ECB will start buying government bonds.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily...153518325.html

Up 2% today.

**Xno Kappa** · 2012-09-09 14:49

Originally Posted by Callisto

40 acres and a bratwurst

lol

Thread: Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

Thread Tools

Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

Re: Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

Re: Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

Greek Finance Ministry Calculating German War Reparations Bill

Latest Threads

Up & Coming Threads

Hottest Threads