The families or heirs of Jews whose possessions were plundered in Belgium during World War II will receive 55,5-million euros under an agreement reached late on Thursday between representatives of the Jewish community and the Belgian Banks Association (ABB), Belga news agency reported.
As the government, central bank, and insurance companies signed an agreement one week ago to dole out 55,8-million euros, the total to go to the Belgian Jewish community now comes to around 111,3-million euros.
Thursday’s agreement came after weeks of haggling between the Jewish community, which wanted between 65 and 88,5-million euros, and the Belgian banks which did not want to go over 45-million euros.
Reached after mediation by Finance Minister Didier Reynders, the accord was formalised in a declaration of intent and the two sides said they would sign an official protocol within a week.
Some 30 000 Belgian Jews were deported to Germany during the war, and only around 1 200 came back after the war’s end in 1945.
The agreement stipulates that the money will be handed out after the creation of a ”Memory Foundation” made up of Belgian Holocaust survivors and their relatives. – Sapa-AFP