During the period of World War II (WWII), 1941–1944, Greece remained under the occupation of German and Italian forces—over 300,000 troops—and was compelled to cover the maintenance costs of these forces from the resources of the Greek economy.

During this time, Greece suffered major destruction at the hands of the occupying troops—to its infrastructure, its economy, and its productive capital. It also suffered looting of its cultural heritage and a significant reduction of its population.

After WWII, at the 1946 Paris Peace Conference, Greece demanded that Germany and Italy pay for the damages and losses it had suffered. Greece’s claims against Germany and Italy are set out in four thematic categories:

• Return of the sums forcibly extracted from the Greek economy—either to cover the maintenance of the occupying forces or in the form of loans. It concerns Occupation Loans.
• Restoration of the damage Greece suffered to its infrastructure and productive capital. It concerns War Reparations.
• Compensation to victims and their heirs for the destruction of private property, executions of civilians, and deaths from famine attributable to the occupation forces.  It concerns the Compensation to Victims of the Occupation.
• Return of ancient statues, books, paintings, and other cultural wealth stolen from Greece’s museums and libraries, and illegally exported abroad. It concerns the Repatriation of Stolen Cultural Treasures.

Italy agreed to satisfy Greece’s claims to a large extent. By contrast, Germany— which caused the greatest destruction and benefited most from the economic plunder of Greece—has systematically refused to repay its obligations, even though eighty years have passed since then. Germany’s refusal violates every principle of ethics and justice, as well as the international law, and sets a harmful precedent in interstate relations. Our struggle is not only for the application of law in Greece, but also for the restoration of dignity and justice in Europe.