Compensation for injustice committed in the National Socialist era
Holocaust Memorial, Berlin (Bundesbildstelle)
From the very outset, the Federal Republic of Germany attached special priority to the process of providing moral and financial compensation for the wrongs committed by the National Socialist regime. This task has lost none of its importance for the German Government to this very day.
The basic framework for compensation for National Socialist injustice was established by the Allies after the end of World War II and was adopted and extended by the Federal Republic of Germany following the state’s creation in 1949. Milestones along the way include the Treaty with Israel and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (Jewish Claims Conference, JCC) (1952), the Federal Compensation Act (1956), the Federal Restitution Act (1957) and, following reunification, the Act on the Settlement of Open Property Matters (1990).
Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”
By setting up the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” in 2000, a comprehensive settlement to the question of recompense for forced labour was finally also reached. The Foundation’s capital of 10.1 billion DM (equivalent to approximately 5.16 billion euro) was provided by the German Economy Foundation Initiative and the Federal Government. By December 2006, the Foundation had made payments totalling 4.337 billion euro to more than 1.6 million former forced labourers in nearly 100 countries with the assistance of its international partner organizations. Those eligible for the compensation received one-off payments of up to 15,000 DM (approximately 7670 euro). Since the payment period ended on 31 December 2006, the Foundation has been active as a “promotion foundation”, supporting projects related to its purpose.
Once a year the Federal Foreign Office informs the German Bundestag of the situation regarding legal security for German companies in connection with the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”. The latest report on the issue is the Tenth Legal Security Report (as of 31 March 2009).
The “Remembrance and Future” fund created for the purpose had a starting capital of 418 million euro and has been set up for the long term. The Foundation is charged by statute with supporting projects that serve better understanding among peoples, the interests of survivors of the National Socialist regime, youth exchange, social justice, remembrance of the threat posed by totalitarian systems and despotism, as well as international cooperation in humanitarian endeavours. The work currently focuses on three priorities: coming to grips with the past, working for democracy and human rights, and humanitarian support for survivors of the Nazi dictatorship. The fund is internationally active.
Its promotional activities are primarily based in Germany, those Central and Eastern European countries that were occupied or whose citizens were persecuted by Germany in World War II, as well as Israel and the United States of America. The Foundation has approximately 8 million euro at its disposal each year to fund projects. Since the Foundation was established, more than 40 million euro have been provided to over 1495 projects around the world. For more information please consult
Since 1992, the Federal Government has additionally held annual negotiations under the “Article 2 Agreement” with the Jewish Claims Conference (JCC) on humanitarian assistance for victims of the National Socialist regime who have received little or nothing under the provisions of the above-mentioned legislation and who suffer economic hardship. Pursuant to this Agreement, victims may receive one-off payments of up to 2556.46 euro and regular payments of 291 euro per month. In certain circumstances Jewish victims of National Socialist persecution who have their place of residence in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe may also receive regular payments from the Eastern European Fund managed by the JCC (from January 2010: 240 euro). Further information, including how to apply, can be found on the JCC website,
2002 saw the adoption of the Law regarding the conditions for making pensions payable on the basis of employment in a ghetto (ZRBG), which provides for the payment of pensions to people who were employed in a ghetto on the same basis as if they had been paying pension contributions at the time. There were some problems with implementing the Law, but with several judgements in June 2009 the Federal Social Court made it easier to draw a pension. Now all the proceedings from previous years are to be reopened ex officio with the aim of paying a “ghetto pension” to the numerous rejected applicants as soon as possible.
In total, the Federal Republic of Germany has made compensation payments of more than 66 billion euro (as of the end of 2008). Within the German Government, the Federal Ministry of Finance is the lead ministry for compensation for National Socialist injustice. A detailed treatment of the subject can be found at www.bmf.bund.de
Last updated 20.11.2009