Emissiebank in Brussels. Activity and liquidation

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: National Archives of Belgium 2 – Joseph Cuvelier Repository

Holding institution (official language):: Archives Générales du Royaume 2 – Dépôt Joseph Cuvelier

Postal address:: Hopstraat 26-28 / Rue du Houblon 26-28, 1000 Bruxelles

Phone number:: +32 (0)2 274 15 00

Web address:: http://www.arch.be/

Email:: agr_ar_2@arch.be

Reference number:: NAB2-Brussels-545-258

Title:: Emissiebank in Brussels. Activity and liquidation

Title (official language):: Emissiebank te Brussel. Activiteiten en liquidatie

Creator/accumulator:: Emissiebank; Banque d’Émission

Date(s):: 1940/1946

Extent:: 411.8 linear metres

Scope and content:: This fonds – which is of great importance to the study of the spoliation of Jews during the Second World War – contains large series of files, correspondence and documents of a financial nature, dating from the war years as well as from the immediate post-war period. They relate to the operation and liquidation of the Emissiebank. Some 31,000 Dossiers Centralisés (indicated by a ‘C’-number) contain information on the management and liquidation of the accounts of businesses with the Emissiebank or other banks. Furthermore, there are so-called AWG-files (AWG referring to Allgemeine Warenverkehrsgesellschaft) for some individuals or companies whose possessions or assets were placed under the control of a Verwalter. In addition this fonds also contains information on accounts in the name of Jews with known ‘spoliation banks’ (roofbanken) such as the Hansabank, Westbank etc. The fonds is however very difficult to access, as it has not yet been numbered, and no finding aid exists apart from a number of lists for certain specific series.

Administrative/biographical history:: The Emissiebank / Banque d’Émission was created in June-July 1940 at the initiative of Belgian private bankers and the German occupier, in order to maintain the circulation of payments and credit. In terms of legal status, the bank was a “legal monstrosity”: it was a company (vennootschap) set up under Belgian law (no naamloze vennootschap/société anonyme), but adapted to the circumstances of war. The Emissiebank continued to function after the return of the Belgian National Bank (NBB) to occupied Belgium (July 1940), because the Germans considered it an instrument that could be beneficial to the war economy. Subsequently, the Emissiebank replaced the NBB (at the request of its governor Georges Janssen) as the partner in financial transactions between Belgium and Germany. The main activity of the bank was not the issue of banknotes, but primarily the – for Belgium extremely disadvantageous – ‘clearing’ with Germany, the pre-financing of supplies and services of Belgian businesses to Germany, and the payment of the purchases made by the occupier on the black market. The NBB retained its traditional role as state treasurer (staatskassier) and credit provider to the economy. The “policy of the lesser evil” conducted by the two institutions – led by the same governor, sharing premises and staff – remains controversial. The post-war dismantlement and liquidation of the Emissiebank was not only hindered by economic interests but also by its hybrid legal form. Liquidation was announced in 1952 but only finally terminated in 1967. (P. Nefors, Industriële “collaboratie” in België. De Galopindoctrine, de Emissiebank en de Belgische industrie in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, Leuven, Van Halewyck, 2000; J.-M. Yante & P.-A. Tallier (ed.), F. Plisnier, S. Carnel, G. Coppieters & V. Pirlot, Gids van de instellingen van openbaar nut in België. Deel II. Band I. Notities van de parastatalen onderworpen aan de wet van 16 maart 1954 en van diegene die daarvoor afgeschaft werden (notities 1 tot 159), Guides/Gidsen no. 70, Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2008, pp. 85-88.)

Access points: locations:: Brussels

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Antisemitism--Antisemitic measures; Financial matters; Financial matters--Banks, banking, and bankers; Holocaust; Plunder; Plunder--Forced closures; Trade and commerce

Access, restrictions:: The fonds cannot be consulted for the time being.

Finding aids:: There is a rudimentary list (made in 2014), albeit for only a part of the fonds. Searching in the ‘C’-files is possible by means of the various card indexes; there are also summary lists of these files. We also note an unpublished, contemporary list of the files of the AWG.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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