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The German government is considering ways to compensate the Jewish community in Thessaloniki for the crimes committed against it during World War II. The issue was discussed during the visit of federal Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Roth to Thessaloniki this January.

"The minister and representatives of the community in Thessaloniki discussed the development of various programmes in favour of its members, which will be financed by Germany," said ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer, quoted by the Greek daily To Vima.

The content of the programmes and the cost of financing are not yet clear. In any case, the spokesman of the Ministry of Finance Hans Joachim Nartsinski has rejected the request of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki that it be returned the sum of 2.5 billion drachmas (now about 45 million euro). In 1943, Salonika Jews were forced to pay this amount to buy off from the Nazi forces the freedom of 9,000 men aged between 18 to 45 years, who were subjected to forced labour. The community has recently filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in relation to this matter.

At the same time, Germany's position on the claims of several Greek parties and part of the Greek community for the payment of war reparations remains negative. "More recently, in response to a parliamentary question, the federal government has stated that the issue of reparations is finally completed, for all people and every state," stated Nartsinski.

"There is no point in raising the issue again and again," a German diplomat noted for To Vima. This also applies in the case of the court in Strasbourg since the European Union applies the principle of extraterritoriality. The diplomat explains that, in practice, it prohibits the citizens of a Member Statefrom laying claims against a foreign state and the international judges will therefore be forced to dismiss the claim without considering it. According to him, the fact that the discussion in Thessaloniki between the representatives of the Jewish community and the German Minister took place in the shadow of the claim filed in Strasbourg shows that the question is delicate but does not exclude a positive turn.

At the same time, the Greek parliament has formed a commission involving representatives of all parties that, by the end of the year, will have to submit a report on the German war reparations. The commission has been formed at the request of leader of the radical left SYRIZA party Alexis Tsipras and the written request of the same party MP Manolis Gletzos who is known for his participation in the Greek resistance during World War II.