The French Parliament has definitively adopted a framework law on the restitution of cultural property that was illicitly acquired. The Senate unanimously approved the conclusions of the joint committee on May 7, following the National Assembly's approval on May 6, after an agreement was reached on April 30. The law establishes a general mechanism for returning objects from French public collections without requiring a specific law for each case, covering items acquired through looting, theft, forced sale, or other illicit means before the 1970 UNESCO Convention. It creates a permanent national commission and a bilateral scientific committee to assess claims, with restitution ultimately decided by government decree subject to legal review by the Council of State.
This law matters because it replaces France's previous case-by-case legislative approach to restitution, which required a separate law for each return—as happened with the 26 works returned to Benin in 2021 and the Djidji Ayôkwé drum to Côte d'Ivoire. By establishing a permanent, streamlined procedure, France aligns itself with several other European countries that already have such mechanisms. The law also addresses sensitive issues such as claims by indigenous peoples or traditional communities, while maintaining the principle of inter-state restitution. It marks a significant shift in French cultural policy, potentially accelerating the return of contested objects from French museums to their countries of origin.