The CD&V party has proposed a plan to return art stolen by the Nazis to its rightful owners through a dynamic database, proactive provenance research, and increased collaboration between regional governments.
In July, experts spoke in the Flemish Parliament about how to address the legacy of art stolen by the Nazis during World War II or forcibly sold under duress before the war. They concluded that Belgium has historically done too little and highlighted the urgent need for a coherent approach and clear policy.
Flemish CD&V MP Katrien Partyka called for enhanced provenance research and expertise-building within universities and museums to support the establishment of restitution mechanisms. She also suggested linking provenance research to certain subsidies as a way to encourage broader engagement.
CD&V advocates for creating a dynamic database to track Nazi-looted art and emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation. Partyka questioned whether a Flemish restitution committee alone would be effective and proposed a Belgian-level mechanism to address the issue comprehensively.
She also recommended dialogue with neighbouring countries about the origins of looted art.
The party stressed the need for a robust commemoration policy, including exhibitions and television programmes about Nazi-looted art.
Attention should also be given to how victims process their losses, Partyka stated, particularly the way claims from rightful heirs are handled by a permanent restitution committee.
"The return of Nazi-looted art to its rightful owners is a moral duty of our society," said Partyka.
She added: “For stolen works of art that can no longer be returned, they must nonetheless be identified and publicly acknowledged as Nazi-looted art. Additionally, a framework is needed to properly handle claims from descendants of the victims.”
