On July 30, 2025, the French government adopted a significant bill aimed at expediting the return of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin.

This legislation is a response to President Emmanuel Macron's commitment made eight years ago to acknowledge past colonial abuses and facilitate the restitution of African cultural heritage.

While primarily focused on African nations, the law has a universal scope, allowing for the restitution of cultural properties to any country from which they were illicitly appropriated between 1815 and 1972.

Pending restitution requests have been noted from several countries, including Algeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Ethiopia, and Chad.

The bill creates exceptions to the principle of inalienability for artworks in French national collections, allowing the return of items acquired through theft, looting, or coercion.

Under the new law, restitution decisions will no longer require individual legislative processes; instead, they can be enacted by a decree from the Council of State, based on recommendations from a bilateral scientific commission.

This commission will assess the legality of the appropriation of requested works, involving experts and historians from both France and the requesting state.

France has previously returned 26 artefacts to Benin in 2021 and a 'talking drum' to Ivory Coast earlier in 2025, but critics argue that the country is lagging behind others in returning colonial artifacts.

The topic of colonial restitution remains sensitive in France, particularly with the rise of far-right sentiments, which complicates broad moral condemnations of the French empire.

The proposed law, titled 'Project Law on the Restitution of Cultural Goods from States Illegally Deprived of Them,' aims to streamline criteria for restitution and expedite the overall process.

The bill is set to undergo scrutiny by the Conseil d’État, with a senate report due on September 11, 2025, and a vote scheduled for September 24, 2025.

This legislation fulfills a promise made by President Macron in Ouagadougou in 2017, reflecting France's ongoing efforts to address historical injustices related to colonialism.