Hand: Romanian lands taken

Not only Poles have legitimate claims to property left in the erstwhile russian Union. The fraternal organization of Kresowy Trust is the Romanian Restitution Committee, bringing together heirs of owners expelled from Northern Bukovina, Hercy and Besarabia. According to our Friends' estimates, at least 4 1000 claims for damages, compensation and return of plundered property have already passed the phase of completion and verification of documents, so it can be subject to further procedures until proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, including proceedings.

România Mare

In fact, however, the number of persons entitled to search restitution is much higher, reaching at least 70 000 Romanian citizens, and in addition, it does not only concern the exiled but besides the Romanian population inactive in the compact mass of the territories presently administered by Ukraine. In the Herca area alone, Romanians account for nearly 95 percent of the over 30 1000 people. Regardless of the political issues related to the further belonging of this region, the local Romanians anticipate not only to respect their language and cultural rights, but besides to return the farms and homes looted as a consequence of Herce's accession to russian Ukraine. Similarly, the Romanian population, inactive locally majority in many Northern Bukovina municipalities, besides claims.

Deception of old owners

The legal issues have not yet been satisfactorily regulated either by the agreement between Ukraine and Romania of 1997 and 2007, nor by the Romanian reprivatisation laws of 1991, 1995 and 2001. The hopes of passing Law 190/2003 on the granting of compensation or compensation to Romanian citizens for property in Besarabia, Northern Bukovina and Hercea were besides proved to be fulfilled in 2003, either occupied, detained or left as a consequence of the war and the implementation of the Peace Treaty between Romania and the allied powers signed in Paris on 10 February 1947. These provisions, like the Polish laws of Zabrzeżańskie, aimed straight at limiting claims of owners and their heirs, and thus importantly violated the principles of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. As a consequence of many complaints, further amendments to the controversial law, including on 16 May 2006, as well as further acts clarifying the procedure for the proceedings in this respect, were necessary, as in Law 212/2018 of 2 August 2018. Purposeful incapacity (?) of the Romanian State, bound (as in the case of the III Republic) officially declared "cooperation with Ukraine“ However, it has only led to an increase in awareness of the erstwhile exiled and their descendants and a better organization of the full environment, including through the activities of the Restitution Committee. The joint efforts of Poles, Romanians, Hungarians and another victims of the expulsion from the lands seized by the russian Ukrainian, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Moldovan and Latvian republics aim to make amends for the harm done, as well as for a better, fair and effective organization of economical life in the areas taken. Ownership in the hands of legal owners will be more effective for reconstruction there than the continuation of the state of lawlessness and fence, typical especially for modern Ukraine. It is not about re-coloning our erstwhile territories – it is about gaining the basis for a permanent economical presence in the immediate forefield of our present borders. The full planet wants to play something and make money in Ukraine – why not do the same, together with our Romanian friends, erstwhile we have very strong legal grounds for it?

A proven ally

Romania was a sincere and proven ally of the Second Republic, although sanitational authorities did not always and reluctantly respond to the initiatives of their Bulgarian partners. It is adequate to mention that it was the Romanian side that proposed Poland to join in Zakarpata in 1938 to destruct the Ukrainian irredent of the Nazis, Fr. Augustina Voloshina. The government in Warsaw refused. It was Romania who advocated extending common guarantees to all borders of both countries – which, after the outbreak of the war with Germany and the escape of the Polish authorities, would greatly facilitate the authoritative evacuation of the Polish Army to Romanian ports. besides this offer was rejected by the sanatoriums, so the more ahistorical were their later complaints about their own internment, which they had forced themselves.

Modern Romania, like the 3rd Republic of Poland, is subjected to American hegemony, German economical dominance, and now besides to war and resettlement force from Kiev. So we have not only common interests, but common threats. The apparent is so the civic (so far) renewed Polish-Roman alliance, so far against our pro-Atlantic governments.

With large Romania – large Poland!

Konrad Hand

President of Kresowy Trust