France, U.S. agree on Holocaust reparations

A spokesman for the French Embassy in Washington confirmed those transported to Nazi concentration camps on the French SNCF railway during World War II, and their survivors, would share in a $60 million compensation fund provided by the French government and administered by U.S. authorities. The company transported over 76,000 detainees during the war.

The agreement resolves demand by Holocaust survivors in the United States who have long claimed the French railroad industry never adequately compensated victims for its role in the deportations to concentration camps. The attempts of an American SNCF affiliate, Keolis, to bid on transportation contracts in the state of Maryland was impeded by state legislation, pertaining to the reparations, in 2011 and 2014.

Thousands of people may be eligible for the reparations, including citizens of the U.S., Canada and Israel. U.S. negotiator Stuart Eizenstat said survivors could receive up to $100,000 each, with spouses and descendants eligible for tens of thousands of dollars.

The agreement still requires the ratification of the French Parliament.

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