ABSTRACT
Under Article 7 of the Convention, States Parties undertake to ‘take the necessary measures, consistent with national legislation, to prevent museums and similar institutions within their territories from acquiring cultural property originating in another State Party which has been illegally exported after entry into force of this Convention, in the States concerned’. Clearly, this Article hinges on the effectiveness of ‘national legislation’. There is also an obligation in Article 7 to take steps to recover and return stolen cultural property at the request of the country of origin, provided it has been imported after the entry into force of the Convention and that the requesting state pays ‘just compensation to an innocent purchaser or to a person who has valid title to that property’.
