Thuringia starts new procedures for the return of Nazi robbery!
Thuringia starts new procedures for the return of Nazi robbery!
Thüringen, Deutschland - The return of Nazi robbery is currently in the focus of political and social debates in Germany. On May 20, 2025, Thuringia's Minister of Culture Christian Tischner took the initiative to submit a "standing offer" for cultural institutions preserving. The aim is to facilitate the return of this often controversial cultural heritage and to find fair solutions for the open cases that are now over 80 years old. A new way to clarify the claims is paved by the establishment of an arbitration tribunal, as https://bildung.thueringen.de/ministerium/Medienservice/ns--raubgut-freis-thueringen-get-stebot-gebot-zum-zum-schieds-abrung-ab) reports.
In March 2025, the decision was made to set up an arbitration court for Nazi robbery in Berlin at a top cultural policy discussion in Berlin. This court is intended to act as an alternative dispute settlement mechanism in order to decide disputed returns according to a preliminary procedure. It is noteworthy that the descendants of the former owners can call the court unilaterally-a great progress compared to the previous practice, where joint consent was required, as [https://www.weltkunst.de/kunstwissen/2024/neues-schiedsicht-soll-rueckgangen-bestbessen) emphasized.
The new arbitration court
The arbitral tribunal will act instead of the advisory commission set up in 2003 to return Nazi persecution due to cultural assets. It is named together by the federal government, the federal states and Jewish organizations. Timon Gremmels, Chairman of the Conference of Culture Ministers, emphasizes the need to return. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews, also emphasizes that this is an important step towards a binding restitution law. Gideon Taylor, President of Claims Conference, also calls for such a law to overcome the legal hurdles.
Another important aspect of the new procedure is financing. The costs are covered by the federal and state governments, which makes it easier. In addition, an evaluation of the procedure after the first ten arbitration sayings or after three years at the latest is planned to ensure that the new regulations actually apply. However, the likelihood of concrete arbitration cases in Thuringia is estimated to be low, reported [education.thueringen.de.
criticism and challenges
But the discussions about the return of Nazi robbery remain critical. During a technical discussion of the cultural committee on November 4, 2024, concerns about the draft law "to make it easier to enforce the return of Nazi persecution due to cultural assets withdrawn. Points of criticism refer to the planned modifications to the right to refuse performance and the question of the extent to which the law actually represents an improvement for affected cultural goods. Dr. Christina Berking from the German art trade interest group complained that the law could hinder the restitution.
The introduction of the arbitral tribunal should also ensure more clarity. The cultural committee has 19 members and is responsible for cultural issues, which indicates that these debates are led at the highest level. The extensive discussion about the creation of a binding rating framework for the arbitration shows that a few hurdles have to be taken before a legally secure procedure is established, as is [https://www.bundestag.de/dokument/dokument/2024/kw45-pa-kultur--kulturgut-1025692).
In the coming months, the deadline for the submission of the "standing offer" for collections in Thuringia - until the end of September 2025 - will also be decisive. It remains exciting how the Situation around the return of Nazi robbery will develop.
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| Ort | Thüringen, Deutschland |
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