2000: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Compensation approved for slave/forced laborers

World War II era slave and forced laborers got some measure of relief this year as settlement agreements were signed with Germany and Austria.

After 18 months of negotiations, the representatives of five Central and East European countries - Belarus, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Ukraine, Israel, Germany and the United States and German industry, as well as legal representatives of former victims of Nazi persecution signed a settlement agreement to compensate victims for their suffering during World War ll. The signing took place on July 17 at the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin.

These negotiations marked the closing chapter regarding reparations for war crimes that occurred over half a century ago. The settlement also served as a symbol of the recognition of millions of victims from Central and Eastern Europe who were forcibly deported from their homelands and compelled to work against their will for the German war machine.

Unanimity concerning the settlement was achieved in stages because of the multiplicity of parties and various objectives and goals. The first accord was reached on December 17, 1999, when the overall compensation package of 10 billion DM was agreed upon. The second stage was reached on March 23, when agreement on the allocation of the 10 billion DM among all the categories of victims was achieved. It is estimated that over 2 million Ukrainians were forced laborers in Germany, and about 610,000 are still alive.

Slave laborers who were interned in concentration camps will receive up to 15,000 DM; forced laborers in industry up to 5,000 DM and it is anticipated that agricultural workers will receive about 1,000 DM. Payments to residents of Central and Eastern Europe will be processed through existing reconciliation foundations, while Jewish claimants will be processed through the Jewish Claims Conference. Non-Jewish victims who live outside Central and Eastern Europe will be processed by the International Office for Migration.

The negotiating parties also addressed the third stage, dealing with the issues of required legal structure needed to implement the settlement. This accord was finally reached via international teleconferences and discussions in Washington and Berlin. The concluding document was a joint statement outlining the terms of the settlement signed by each government involved in the negotiations, by German industry and by the class action lawyers and victims representatives. Ukraine's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Oleksander Maidannyk signed the joint statement on behalf of Ukraine, and Myroslav Smorodsky signed on behalf of Ukrainian class action victims.

Unlike the protracted German negotiations, Austrian negotiations didn't require that all claims be settled immediately as part of one settlement package. Instead the signed agreements contemplated the immediate completion of the slave/forced labor component. In addition, women who gave birth while in forced labor will also be compensated as will children up to age 12 who accompanied their parents to Austria.

It is estimated that 220,000 forced laborers deported to Austria are still alive and 43,000 reside in Ukraine. The Austrian settlements provided for compensation in amounts similar to that of the German settlements. These funds will be distributed in Central and East European countries by existing reconciliation foundations in those countries. The Austrians themselves will distribute the payments to victims who live in other parts of the world.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 7, 2001, No. 1, Vol. LXIX

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