European Parliamentarians From 18 Countries Join  To Call for Holocaust-era Restitution

BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 14 – Lawmakers from 18 nations today urged European Parliament President Martin Schulz to increase the body’s attention to the restitution of Holocaust-era property, noting the need for resolution seven decades after the end of World War II.

Thirty-six MEPs signed the letter supporting Holocaust survivors, stressing that European parliamentarians “bear a particular moral responsibility to promote the restitution of property unjustly taken during the Holocaust and its aftermath, as well as to advocate for the social welfare of aging survivors and the enduring remembrance of the Holocaust.”

The newly formed coalition of members of the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union, is known as the European Alliance for Holocaust Survivors.

“We appreciate the wide-ranging European support for an increased focus on unresolved Holocaust-era issues,” said Gideon Taylor, World Jewish Restitution Organization chair of operations. “We look forward to seeing an ongoing leadership role and meaningful outcomes by the MEPs comprising the European Alliance for Holocaust Survivors.”