German Centre for Cultural Property Losses - Stiftung Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste :

22 January 2015: First Board Meeting of the German Centre for Cultural Property Losses

At the inaugural meeting of the new Foundation - the Stiftung Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste -  in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin a board of 15 trustees from the federal, state and municipal associations was established. Culture Minister Monika Grütters was appointed chair of the board, and Stephan Dorgerloh, Culture Minister of the state of Saxony, where the Centre is based, deputy chair.

The art historian, Professor Dr Uwe M. Schneede, was appointed managing director of the board by Monika Grütters for what she called his reputation and commitment to provenance research which she said provides the Centre with the necessary national and international standing.

A new Research Council is to be chaired by Dr Hermann Simon of the Centrum Judaicum in Berlin, whom Monika Grütters said brought into the Centre the perspective of the victims and their interests. The Council will evaluate project applications.

Directives and authorisation policies were adopted. Guidelines were expanded to include private individuals and institutions which will now be able to apply for funding to undertake provenance research if their research can be shown to be in the public interest.

Funding from the Federal Government will triple in 2015 from 2m euros to 6m euros. The Centre will move into its new building in Magdeburg in April.

To read the government's press release, click here.