Will Greece manage to recover the Parthenon marbles? According to the latest draft EU negotiating mandate, of which AFP obtained a copy on Tuesday, Europeans could include the question of stolen cultural property, in particular Greek or Roman antiquities, in discussions on their future relationship with the UK.
The mandate, which sets the objectives and the red lines of the EU, now includes an article inviting the parties to " tackle the questions relating to the return or restitution to their country of origin of illegally displaced cultural objects ". This article was added at the request of Greece, with the support of Cyprus and Italy, said a European source.
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According to a diplomatic source, it " has nothing to do " with the old Greco-British litigation of the Parthenon friezes, exhibited at the British Museum in London. The purpose of the article is to ensure that stolen cultural property found on British territory is automatically returned, the source said.
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London has always refused to return the Parthenon friezes to Greece, even though in 2009 Athens had an ultramodern museum to welcome them. These sculpted plaques were seized in the early 19th century by the British ambassador to the Ottoman court at the time, Lord Elgin. According to the British, the Ottoman rulers in Greece had granted him permission to take them away. For Athens, the authorization to take the friezes in question was granted by the occupier and not by Greece and is therefore not valid.
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Once arrived in London, the historic sculptures were then sold to the British government, before being exhibited at the British Museum. When Brexit was announced, the Greek government had already tried to negotiate the return of the stones to the European Commission.
But neither the museum nor the government gave in to growing pressure from Greece and the Prime Minister to have them repatriated. “ The Parthenon sculptures were acquired legally and help us tell the History of humanity presented at the museum. They are accessible to the 6 million global visitors that the establishment welcomes each year, "said a museum spokesperson to the Guardian.
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The new draft EU mandate is due to be approved by representatives of the member states on Wednesday before being formally adopted at a ministerial meeting on 25 February. The United Kingdom left the EU on January 31, when it entered a transitional period where it continues to apply European rules.
The British and Europeans have promised to agree on their future relationship during this period, which will end on December 31, 2020.
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