BERLIN – Germany wants to double state funding for the hunt for Nazi-looted art, which since 2008 has amounted to €14.5 million ($19.7 million).
The government was criticized by Jewish groups last year for being slow to announce the discovery of more than 1,400 artworks in a Munich apartment in early 2012.
Some of the paintings, drawings and prints are claimed by the heirs of former owners persecuted by the Nazis.
The affair has prompted fresh scrutiny of how Germany handles disputes over Nazi-looted art.
Monica Gruetters, the government's top cultural official, told lawmakers Wednesday it was "unbearable that there is still Nazi-looted art in German museums."
She pledged to create a central point of contact for claimants to avoid the impression that German officials were trying to duck responsibility.