Seimas supported the proposal to pay compensations for the Jewish immovable property expropriated by the Nazis and Soviets

Press release, 20 December 2022

The Seimas approved the Law on Good Will Compensation for the Illegally Expropriated Immovable Property of the Jews of Lithuania and Jewish Religious Communities of Lithuania by 74 votes in favour, six against and two abstentions. The Law stipulates the procedure of compensation for immovable property of Jewish Religious Communities of Lithuania nationalized or illegally expropriated by the Nazi and Soviet totalitarian regimes. This Law replaces the Law on Good Will Compensation for the Immovable Property of Jewish Religious Communities.

The compensation will be paid for the following property illegally expropriated during the period of occupations by totalitarian regimes:

1) the remaining immovable property of the Jewish Religious Communities of Lithuania, except for land;

2) the immovable property, except for land, of Jewish persons who lived in Lithuania before or during the Second World War to which they or their heirs did not have a legal possibility to restore their ownership rights in accordance with the procedure established by the Law on Restoration of the Rights of Ownership of Citizens to the Existing Real Property, as well as the immovable property taken over by the State because it was left without owners or heirs as a result of the Holocaust.

Over EUR 37 million 71 thousand will be allocated for paying compensations for the illegally expropriated immovable property of the Jewish Religious Communities of Lithuania and EUR 37 million will be allocated for paying compensations for the immovable property taken over by the State because it was left without owners or heirs as a result of the Holocaust.

The compensation paid may be used only for the following purposes:

1) for the religious, cultural, health care, sports, educational, scientific or other goals related to fostering the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Lithuania pursued by the persons of the Jewish nationality residing in Lithuania or having the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania;

2) to support Lithuanian Jews who suffered from the totalitarian regimes during the periods of occupation. An amount of EUR 868 860 is allocated for this purpose;

3) to meet individual requests submitted to the Fund by Lithuanian Jews or their heirs for the payment of compensation for the immovable property of Lithuanian Jews (hereinafter referred to as 'the request'). The minimum amount of EUR 5 million and the maximum amount of EUR 10 million may be allocated for this purpose by the decision of the Fund;

4) for the administrative expenses of the Fund, the annual amount of which may not exceed 10 per cent of the annual share of the compensation to be approved in each year's national budget.

Lithuanian Jews or their heirs will have to submit their requests and supporting documents to the Fund before 31 December 2023. The Fund will assess the validity of the requests received by 31 December 2024 at the latest and will determine the equal amount of compensation to be paid to all Lithuanian Jews or their heirs.

For all illegally expropriated immovable property belonging to one Lithuanian Jew, the Fund will allocate a single amount of compensation, which will not depend on the value of the immovable property owned. The specific amount to be paid will be determined by the decision of the Fund, taking into account the total amount of all substantiated requests received and the amount of the compensation. The amount of the compensation, allocated by the Fund will be paid to a Lithuanian Jew or his/her heirs in equal amounts by 1 July 2025 at the latest.

The immovable property transferred under this Law will have to be used only for the religious, cultural, health care, sports, educational, scientific or other goals related to fostering the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Lithuania pursued by the persons of the Jewish nationality residing in Lithuania or having the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania.

The Law enters into force on 1 January 2023.

Saulė Eglė Trembo, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected]