Overview
- The long-standing advisory commission was dissolved on Nov. 30 after resolving just 26 cases in 22 years.
- Federal and state museums have agreed to accept the panels’ binding decisions, but fewer than 50 of roughly 11,000 municipalities have opted in.
- New rules require claimants to prove persecution in each case, including for sales made abroad, which lawyers warn shifts the evidentiary burden onto heirs.
- Cases can proceed only if all heirs are identified and appear, a condition advocates say could block complex claims such as the Welfenschatz dispute.
- Bavaria will submit the 16-year fight over Picasso’s “Madame Soler” to arbitration, as the Jewish Claims Conference expresses cautious support and continues to call for a restitution law.