An emblematic case that stress-tests the rule of law

The spectacular theft of historical jewels from the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon shocked the art world and put Europe’s protection and restitution systems to the test. In his interview with RNE, Mr Rodríguez Bernal explains how international law addresses these offences and the EU’s role in recovering stolen heritage.

“Cultural heritage does not belong to a single museum or country: it belongs to humanity.”

The three legal pillars of restitution

1. UNESCO 1970 Convention — prevention, administrative cooperation, and return of illicitly exported objects. Official text: UNESCO 1970.
2. UNIDROIT 1995 Convention — civil restitution of stolen or illicitly exported cultural objects and buyer’s due diligence. Text: UNIDROIT 1995.
3. Directive 2014/60/EU — harmonised restitution procedures between EU Member States (action within 3 years of discovery; 30-year long-stop). Text: Directive 2014/60/EU.

These are complemented by Regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the import of cultural goods, introducing, as of 2025, an EU-wide electronic licensing and importer-declaration system to strengthen traceability of artworks entering the Union.

Due diligence and cooperation: where effectiveness happens

• Market due diligence (provenance checks, stolen-objects databases, valid export certificates).
• Interoperable registries and inventories (INTERPOL, EUROPOL, national inventories).
• Administrative and judicial cooperation between States (within the EU via the IMI system).

As Mr Rodríguez Bernal notes: “Laws alone are not enough; we need international cooperation, up-to-date registers, and a culture of traceability.”

Resources & links

• Law firm: Rodríguez Bernal Abogados — more publications.
• RNE interview: Europa Abierta — RTVE.
• UNESCO 1970: Official text
• UNIDROIT 1995: Convention text