The 2021 Draft Law on Restitution aimed to enable returns without individual parliamentary approval for each case. However, the 2023 Martinez report titled “Shared heritage: universality, restitution and circulation of works of art” was postponed, representing France’s broader restitution framework.
Restitution Measures:
Restitution measures include nine criteria for restituting African works, including state origin requirements and bilateral agreement considerations Member Countries.The Martinez report recommends wide-reaching doctrines for cultural heritage, human remains, and Nazi-looted objects.
Limitations:
Limitations persist due to French laws declaring national collections “inalienable and imprescriptible,” requiring exceptional legislation for each restitution case and maintaining restrictive criteria for returns.
