Commission to re-examine Beneš Decrees

A Czech-Austrian commission will examine the Beneš Decrees that sanctioned the deportation of ethnic Germans, Hungarians and Austrians from Czechoslovakia after World War II. However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry denied the commission, formed last week, has any specific objective.

"We have decided with the Austrian side to set up a commission of historians," said Milan Řepka, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry. "It should be compiled in a matter of weeks. There are going to be eight historians in total: four from our side and four from the Austrian side. [The commission] does not have a specific goal. They are going to meet and discuss common issues, and they will communicate their views."

Řepka ruled out any similar commission with the Germans, though the commission is viewed as the first step in a process of diplomacy that could, at some future date, include the Germans.

The Beneš Decrees have long been a source of friction between the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. The decrees were a number of laws passed in the immediate postwar period that legalized the expulsion of Germans, Austrians and Hungarians from Czechoslovakia. The property of those expelled was confiscated. As Czechoslovakia was recovering from the ravages of war, a national parliament had yet to be established. President Edvard Beneš signed the laws, hence the term the Beneš Decrees.

Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kohout said the scope of the commission would not be limited. Neither will the commission be confined to the decrees, but will also deal with the 1968 communist reform movement. It is important for experts to examine joint historical moments, Kohout said, "including those on which our views differ."

The names of those selected to serve on the commission will be announced in the near future, but Kohout insisted their reputations "will be a guarantee of quality."

The Germans, the main focus of the decrees, were accused of supporting the Nazis during the war. But Berlin and Vienna have made calls, especially since the Czech Republic entered the European Union, to have the decrees re-examined.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com