2006 Press Releases
U.S., France Sign Agreement on Payments to Holocaust Survivors and Heirs
March 3, 2006
The governments of France and the United States exchanged letters on February 21, 2006, agreeing that France will provide a special $15,000 payment to many Holocaust survivors and a further $1,000 payment to thousands of heirs of Jewish victims of the Holocaust with seized bank accounts in France.
These letters provide for final implementation of an agreement signed in January of 2001, which provided for the processing and payment of claims of Holocaust survivors and their heirs against French banks for deposits made during World War II. The original agreement in 2001 led to the dismissal of class action suits brought against French banks in U.S. courts.
Under the 2001 agreement, French banks established two funds to cover claims by individuals, who were either able to document the existence of an account or who were able to establish the probability of an account. The deadline for filing claims was July 18, 2002. Since then, approximately 11,000 people have received payments under the funds.
Under the agreement reached this February, unclaimed money from the two funds will now be used for additional payments to qualified individuals. Otherwise, the money would have been returned to the banks. The United States appreciates the decision of the banks and of the French government to offer these additional payments, which is in keeping with the spirit of the 2001 agreement. The United States also appreciates the leadership role of the Prime Minister’s office and of Ambassador Jacques Huntzinger.
As Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, U.S. Ambassador Edward B. O’Donnell, said in Paris, “This program brings an additional measure of justice and assistance to victims of the Holocaust and their families. It helps people in need in the United States, France, and across the world who were affected by the Holocaust. It is just one more reflection of the many shared values of our two countries.”