| Series Title | EurActiv |
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| Series Details | 12.03.15 |
| Publication Date | 12/03/2015 |
| Content Type | News |
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Greece’s strained relations with Germany took a turn for the worse on 11 March 2015 when the Greek government raised the spectre of seizing German assets for war reparations that it claimed Germany has refused to honour. In an address before the Greek parliament, Alexis Tspiras, the Greek prime minister, said Germany had 'a moral obligation' to make amends for the atrocities wrought during three devastating years of Nazi occupation. Berlin, he said, had deliberately flouted its duty employing 'legal tricks and delay'. Mr Tsipras had already before raised the issue, as you can check here. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert later stated that 'it is our firm belief that questions of reparations and compensation have been legally and politically resolved'. The issue of war reparations has long dogged Greek-German ties, specially while Greece tried to negotiate changes on its bailout programme with the EU authorities. On 16 March 2015, it was confirmed that Mr Tsipras would meet with Ms Merkel in the following week to relieve the tension between the two countries and to further negotiate the terms of the Greek bailout. Greek sources suggested on the 17 March 2015 that the situation of Greece would now also feature in the European Council of the 19-20 March 2015, despite European Council President Tusk's desire to keep the summit meeting of EU leaders focused on other issues. Check the contents of this European Council by clicking here. On the 5 April 2015 Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas told a Greek parliament committee that private and state reparation claims from Greece were worth €278.7bn. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/greece-raises-world-war-ii-reparations-issue-germany-unimpressed-312834 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Germany, Greece |
