The European Commission proposed, on Tuesday 13 December, an EU Action Plan against Trafficking in Cultural Goods, calling on Member States to keep sales registers and to improve the tracing of stolen objects on their territory. The action plan also includes a dialogue with the art market and proposes partnerships with UNESCO.
“To intensify global action against trafficking in cultural property in various fields, this action plan aims to effectively deter criminals, address evolving security threats and protect cultural heritage”, the document explains.
The action plan is based on four objectives: - improving prevention and detection of crimes by market participants and cultural heritage institutions; - strengthening law enforcement and judicial capabilities; - boosting international cooperation; - gaining the support of other key stakeholders to protect cultural goods from crime.
The action plan uses a broad definition of cultural goods, which includes objects of historical, artistic, scientific or ethnological interest, as mentioned in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention.
The monitoring and control of trade in cultural goods “can vary considerably within the Single Market. This leaves important loopholes for criminals to cover their tracks and disguise the origin of an asset. Measures to increase the traceability of the transfer of ownership of cultural goods within the Single Market could thus contribute significantly to the detection of infringements”, the plan suggests.
Furthermore, establishing the provenance of cultural objects falling within the scope of Directive 2014/60/EU would improve the functioning of the return mechanism provided for by the Directive itself.
Many Member States have already set up sales registers for categories of cultural goods. Implementing similar measures across the EU “would help to strengthen the prevention and detection of crime in cross-border cases and provide a comprehensive picture of illicit goods”.
In addition, the efficiency of existing sales registers could be improved, for example by ensuring that information is stored digitally and that registers are interconnected, the Commission suggests.
It also proposes that private holders of art collections also play the game and ensure the traceability of their assets.
“It is also necessary to identify, assess and understand the risks of trafficking in cultural property, money laundering and terrorist financing as part of their national policy and to adopt adequate measures to mitigate these risks”.
Link to the action plan: https://aeur.eu/f/4nl (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)