After the failure of a negotiated solution in the dispute between the public sector and the descendants of the last German emperor, it is now the Potsdam Administrative Court’s turn again.
“The procedure will now be started,” said the spokesman for the administrative court on Thursday of the German Press Agency.
How to proceed in the legal dispute over compensation claims is still unclear – as is the timetable. Those involved would get involved in the matter further, said the court spokesman.
The administration of Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, which operates in Potsdam as the “General administration of the formerly ruling Prussian royal family”, has not yet made a statement. The “regrettable decision” was noted, it said on Thursday only.
Return of art objects
The federal government and the participating states of Berlin and Brandenburg reject an agreement beyond the court. This emerges from a letter from the Brandenburg Ministry of Finance to the responsible administrative court in Potsdam, which is available to the German Press Agency.
Negotiations have been going on with the Hohenzollerns since 2014 about the return of numerous art objects and compensation. The talks are on hold after Brandenburg resumed a process about expropriated real estate that had been running since 2015. The country had rejected compensation on the basis of the unification agreement. The Hohenzollerns are complaining about this. It’s about 1.2 million euros. According to the law, there is no compensation for those who “considerably promoted” the Nazi system.
letter to the court
After the court’s most recent extension of the deadline for statements by those involved, the public sector voted again. A meeting took place between Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth, Berlin’s Senator for Finance Daniel Wesener (both Green), Berlin’s Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer (Left Party), Brandenburg’s Minister of Culture Manja Schüle and Brandenburg’s Minister of Finance Katrin Lange (both SPD). “The result of this vote is that all those involved in the public sector – with the exception of the Brandenburg Ministry of Finance – clearly reject further talks with the House of Hohenzollern with the aim of a possible out-of-court overall solution,” says the letter to the court.
A continuation of settlement negotiations must therefore be ruled out, a willingness on the part of the public sector is “not (any longer) the case”. Therefore, no other solution can be seen than a decision by the court. The administrative court was asked to open the pending proceedings
resume and a court decision on the merits
bring about yourself.
No alternative
“According to the general assessment of the representatives of the public sector, there is no other alternative (anymore),” wrote the Brandenburg Ministry of Finance. The federal government and Berlin had repeatedly questioned out-of-court negotiations.
Prussia, as head of the Hohenzollerns, had previously requested a further extension of the break. The ongoing proceedings should be suspended for another twelve months “to enable talks with the new federal government and the new government in Berlin for an out-of-court settlement,” it said in a statement. “Further constructive talks would require compromises on both sides. I’m ready for that,” Prussia was quoted as saying.
Contrary to many historians, von Prussia denies the advancement of his ancestors. He relies on other assessments. He was recently quoted as saying: “I fully accept the historical responsibility of my family. That’s why I’m actively involved in the historically critical processing of our family history in the 1920s and 1930s.”
There have been and still are numerous legal disputes between Hohenzollern and several historians, media houses and other organizations. (dpa)