Progress Made on Holocaust Restitution Negotiations with Europe
Israel announces major political progress in Holocaust restitution negotiations with Germany, Hungary, Romania, and the EU Parliament.
Jerusalem, 14 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry for Social Equality and the Advancement of Women said there has been “significant and wide-ranging political progress” with many countries, including Germany, Hungary, Romania, and the European Parliament, on issues of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust, compensation, and looted art.
For example, the Israeli and German governments are establishing a working group led by the Ministry and the German Ministry of Finance for direct dialogue on the rights of Holocaust survivors. This is a significant political move that transfers the treatment from non-state actors to a professional intergovernmental dialogue, focusing on the unique needs of Holocaust survivors living in Israel, including expanding responses in the areas of health and welfare.
The Ministry is also currently promoting, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leading bodies in the European Union, a draft resolution to be submitted to the European Parliament for discussion, which aims to make the issue of Jewish property from the Holocaust a binding pan-European issue. At the same time, the Ministry is working to establish an international working group to implement standards for the restitution of looted works of art in, among others, Germany, the Netherlands, and France.
In addition, negotiations are underway with Romania to remove bureaucratic barriers to receiving compensation for looted Jewish property, alongside ongoing dialogue regarding nationalized Jewish property and looted art.
