Published on: 2026-05-06
Source: The People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Paris, May 6 /Xin Hua/ — The National Assembly (lower house of the French Parliament) on Wednesday, after another round of debates, approved a bill on the restitution of cultural values acquired illegally.
The bill was adopted by 141 votes “for” with no votes “against.” At the same time, the number of votes cast turned out to be relatively low, considering that the total number of deputies in the National Assembly is 577 people.
The bill is aimed at creating clearer and simpler legal frameworks for the return of cultural valuables acquired by France through illegal means, including looting, theft, and forced sale. The scope includes cultural valuables acquired in the period from 1815 to 1972, with the exception of war items and certain archeological objects.
According to the long-established principle of the inalienability of public collections in France, cultural objects could previously be returned to the country of origin only through the application of special legislative norms and only in specific cases and in a limited quantity.
In accordance with the procedure provided by French legislation, the bill requires the approval of the Senate / upper house of parliament / at the session scheduled for May 7, after which it will be able to come into force following publication. –0–
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