France Returns Artworks Looted During Colonial Era
Thursday, 2026/04/16145 words2 minutes679 reads
French lawmakers have approved a new bill that will make it easier to return artworks stolen during France's colonial period. The National Assembly passed the law on Monday, and the Senate had already approved it in January.
France still possesses tens of thousands of artworks and valuable objects taken from its former colonies in Africa. Under current French law, each item must be voted on individually before it can be returned, which makes the process very slow.
President Emmanuel Macron promised in 2017 to return African cultural heritage within five years. The new bill targets items acquired between 1815 and 1972. Several countries, including Mali, Algeria, and Benin, have already requested the return of their cultural treasures.
The bill faced some political disagreement. The far-left party wanted broader scope, while the far-right party wanted to limit returns only to countries with friendly relations with France.
