EP Resolution: Russia Must Fully Return Romania’s National Treasure!

On Thursday, March 14, the European Parliament asked the Russian Federation to fully return to Romania the national treasure sent to Russia in 1916 and 1917. The European legislature voted on Thursday on the resolution regarding the return of Romania’s national treasure, now in Moscow, illegally appropriated by Russia.

The resolution was initiated by Romanian MEP Eugen Tomac, one of the Romanian MEPs, and most European Parliament members voted it.

Huge success in the European Parliament! The resolution regarding the restitution of the Romanian Treasury seized in Russia was voted by a large majority of votes. The resolution we initiated is the first official European document by which we explicitly ask Russia to return the illegally seized Treasury. It is a matter of national dignity. Romania cannot and must not accept anything less than the return of the 91.5 tons of gold and the entire cultural treasure.

MEP Eugen Tomac, initiator of the Resolution on Romania’s National Treasure in Moscow

The story of the Romanian Treasure in Moscow is a tangled tale of war, revolution, and a nation’s struggle to reclaim its heritage. During the tumultuous years of World War I, facing the threat of invasion, the Romanian government made a fateful decision. In 1916, to safeguard the nation’s gold reserves and a collection of priceless artifacts, they were shipped to Russia, then an ally, for safekeeping. The trove included an estimated 120 tonnes of gold and cultural artifacts of immense historical significance, never to be returned.