The draft of the position of the 27 EU nations’ position on their future relationship, seeks “return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin”.
This comes after the Greek Cultural Minister announced that the country would step up its campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum and called for support from its peers in the EU.
The document did not specify any cultural objects. However, an EU diplomat said the line was added at the request of Greece, with support from Italy.
A British government spokesperson responded to the document by maintaining that the sculptures were the “the legal responsibility of the British Museum”, “not a part of trade negotiations”.
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