Μake us preferred on Google

Talks between Greece and the British Museum over the future of the Parthenon Marbles have effectively collapsed, the Daily Telegraph claimed in an article on Wednesday.

According to the UK daily, negotiations that began in 2021 now stalled over the fundamental question of ownership and whether the friezes could return to Athens under a long-term loan arrangement.

There are currently no talks and they are not expected to resume in the immediate future, although communication channels remain open, the paper reported.

The breakdown follows years of efforts to find a formula that could overcome the opposing positions of Athens and the British Museum without requiring either side to abandon its legal stance.

The possibility of a compromise had appeared more realistic over the past year. In December 2025, British Museum chairman George Osborne described the Marbles as the institution’s “most intractable problem” and expressed optimism that a solution could be found that accommodated both Greek demands and British law. No agreement was reached, however.

The discussions have included proposals for a broader “Parthenon partnership,” potentially involving long-term loans and reciprocal lending of Greek antiquities to Britain. Such proposals have drawn criticism in Greece, where the preferred outcome remains reunification rather than a conventional loan.

The legal framework remains a central obstacle. British law restricts the museum’s ability to permanently dispose of key objects in its collection, while the British government has said it has no intention of changing the legislation to permit the permanent transfer of the Parthenon Sculptures.

More recently, the arrival of Andy Burnham as British prime minister raised expectations of a possible change in the political environment. Burnham had previously supported returning the sculptures without conditions but subsequently said the matter was ultimately for the British Museum to decide. The museum has continued to describe its discussions with Greece as constructive.

The British Museum’s recent agreement with France over the Bayeux Tapestry has also entered the debate, with the arrangement presented as a possible model for resolving the dispute with Greece. Athens has viewed the comparison cautiously, given the fundamentally different circumstances surrounding the ownership and removal of the Parthenon sculptures.

The latest development, if confirmed, would represent a setback after years of renewed contacts.