Italy is advancing landmark legislation that would, for the first time, establish a formal process for returning artwork and cultural property looted or confiscated during the Holocaust and the Nazi and Fascist eras.

Unlike many other European countries, Italy has never had a dedicated legal framework for restoring property seized under anti-Jewish racial laws, leaving many Holocaust victims’ families and heirs facing years of legal obstacles in their efforts to recover stolen possessions.

The bill, introduced before the Italian Parliament’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education, would authorize the government to create a specialized restitution mechanism covering artwork and cultural assets confiscated, looted, or lost under Italy’s Fascist racial laws beginning in 1938, as well as during the Nazi regime that began in Germany in 1933.

Federico Mollicone, chairman of the parliamentary committee and a senior member of Italy’s governing party, is overseeing the legislation as it advances through Parliament.

Gideon Taylor, president of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), welcomed the proposal, calling it “a historic opportunity to finally deliver justice to victims of Nazi and Fascist persecution and to their heirs.”

If approved, the legislation would bring Italy into line with other European nations that have established formal processes for returning Holocaust-era looted art and cultural property.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)