Expelled citizens demanding special rights after Poland's EU accession

German citizens expelled from Poland and other Eastern European countries after World War II are demanding special rights, once the countries where they previously resided become members of the EU. Speaking at a news conference in Berlin yesterday, Erika Steinbach, chairwoman of the BdV, the organization representing expelled German citizens, said they would seek compensation as "living casualties of human rights infringements". She called for expelled citizens living in Germany and other EU countries to be exempt from any EU accession agreements on transition periods for land purchase, giving those expelled from Poland the right to settle here immediately after its EU accession. Other demands include the annulment by Poland of acts passed in 1945 and 1946 under which expelled citizens were denied compensation for property abandoned during World War II. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A5) M.T.