Poles Vote to Seek War Reparations

Tensions between Germany and Poland over WWII reparations are heating-up. On Friday, the Polish parliament voted to seek damages from Germany.

The lower house of the Polish parliament voted unanimously on Friday to seek compensation from Germany for damages suffered during World War II. The resolution passed with a vote of 328-0, with one abstention.

"Poland has not received its due financial compensation or war damages for the enormous damage and material and nonmaterial losses caused by the German aggression, occupation, genocide and loss of independence," the resolution said. More than 6 million Poles were killed during the Nazi occupation of the country.

At the same time, the resolution stated that the Polish government had "no financial obligations whatsoever toward German citizens," thereby rebuffing recent claims by German groups like the Prussian Claims Society to be compensated for property lost when the Polish borders shifted westward at the end of the war.

The flap between the two neighbors -- an issue since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 -- has heated up since Poland joined the European Union in May of 2004.