France, April 19 -- The new law, approved by parliament on Monday, allows returns to be authorised by decree. 

Until now, each restitution required MPs to vote on legislation allowing objects to be released, on the principle that national collections are inalienable and cannot be broken up.

The law aims to speed up the return of artefacts taken during the colonial period, a process that has often been criticised as slow and cumbersome.

Momentum around restitution has been building in recent years. Since President Emmanuel Macron pledged in 2017 to return looted heritage, France has received demands from Algeria, Mali, Benin and other countries.

Diagne, professor emeritus of philosophy and French at Columbia University, ...