ABSTRACT
The purpose of the Declaration was to cement bilateral co-operation and finally to agree on a formula of words that adequately expressed official German regret for the occupation and subsequent destruction of Czechoslovakia, whilst allowing the Czech government to do the same with regard to the post-war expulsions. The Czech government has conceded that all Germans must have the same rights as all other EU citizens. The EU is satisfied with the position of the Czech government as are the authorities in Berlin. In the Czech Republic some intellectuals have also questioned the notion of collective guilt and the way in which it was applied in 1945. The tardiness of both the German government and business in agreeing to establish the fund left a sour taste in both Poland and the Czech Republic, where around 12,000 people had lodged claims. With regard to the Czech Republic, bilateral relations with Germany may best be described as stable.
