Since 1952, the federal government has paid so-called compensation payments to the victims of the Holocaust every year. The amount of the sum is determined at the Jewish Claims Conference. A report now accuses Finance Minister Lindner of triggering international tensions with stinginess instead of making amends.
According to a media report, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is said to have tried to save money on payments to Holocaust survivors. At this year's Jewish Claims Conference in the spring, the minister who is conducting the negotiations on behalf of the German side presented himself as extremely stubborn, according to "Zeit". Accordingly, Lindner described the demands of the Jewish Claims Conference for Holocaust survivors as excessive.
The German government's negotiations with the Jewish Claims Conference are routine. According to the report, since the Federal Republic and the State of Israel signed the Luxembourg Agreement 70 years ago, negotiations have been held once a year on the sum that will benefit the 250,000 or so Holocaust survivors and the remembrance work. Both sides usually come to an agreement quickly.
It was different this year, sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper. Lindner therefore argued that there weren't that many Holocaust survivors anymore. In addition, the debt brake will apply again next year, which is why you have to check every item.
The statements made by the finance minister not only provoked severe irritation among Jewish organizations and within the federal government, but also caused international unrest. Governments in Jerusalem, London and Washington complained about a lack of political sensitivity. There should also have been talk of "horror". The Chancellery had to settle.
According to the report, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken even wrote an unusually direct letter to Lindner and Secretary of State Annalena Baerbock. "I am writing to ask for your help in the annual negotiations between the Jewish Claims Conference and the German government on the issue of support for Holocaust survivors," Die Zeit quoted as saying from the document.
According to Blinken, the USA wants to work to give these people "a minimum level of recognition and dignity". "I urge Germany to honor its commitments and secure funding for the Claims Conference, as it has done in the past."
The report accuses Lindner of a "guilt brake" because he had expressed himself in September with completely different words. On the 70th anniversary of the Luxembourg Agreement, Lindner said it was the "contribution of the German people to enable the victims to live in dignity". Lindner is primarily concerned with "historical responsibility". Subsequent reports about Lindner's attempt to cut back on payments for Holocaust survivors were therefore not well received.
