French National Assembly Approves Cultural Property Restitution Bill With 141 Votes In Favor

The French National Assembly approved a draft law on the restitution of cultural property acquired through illicit appropriation, following a new round of debate, with 141 votes in favor and none against. The bill, passed on Wednesday, May 6, seeks to establish a clearer and simpler legal framework for returning cultural assets acquired by France through illicit means, including looting, theft and sales conducted under coercion. It applies to cultural property acquired between 1815 and 1972, excluding military items and certain archaeological objects. Under France’s longstanding principle of the inalienability of public collections, cultural objects could previously be returned to their countries of origin only through specific legislation on a case-by-case basis and in limited numbers.

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The Assemblée nationale reported that, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the National Assembly examined and then adopted the conclusions of the Joint Committee on the bill relating to the restitution of cultural property that had been illicitly appropriated. The same Assemblée nationale page also described the National Assembly’s public session schedule, including consideration of the bill updating the military programming for the years 2024 to 2030 and provisions concerning defense, and a separate bill on strengthening security, administrative detention, and prevention of the risk of terrorist attacks. The restitution bill’s legislative path referenced a joint committee composed of seven deputies and seven senators working to reconcile differing provisions. Xinhua said the revised draft law still requires Senate approval in a review scheduled for Thursday before it can proceed to promulgation.

France also carried out a specific restitution by returning the skull of a beheaded king to Madagascar, with three skulls dating from the colonial period returned by France. The skull attributed to King Tuera, who was beheaded in 1897, was moved from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, where it had lain among hundreds of human remains from the island in the Indian Ocean. Culture Minister Rachida Dati said, "These skulls entered the national collections under circumstances that clearly affronted human dignity and in a context of colonial violence." Madagascar’s Culture Minister Velamiranti Donna Mara described the return as "significant," adding that it represents "the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the two countries."

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