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Parliamentary question - E-003599/2020(ASW)Parliamentary question
E-003599/2020(ASW)

Answer given by Ms Johansson on behalf of the European Commission

The Commission deplores any damage to religious and cultural heritage and cooperates with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) on raising awareness of the implications of illicit trade in cultural goods.

Trafficking in cultural goods is addressed in the framework of the EU policy cycle on organised and serious international crime — the EU’s framework to tackle the most important criminal threats in a coherent and methodical manner — where it is part of the priority ‘organised property crime’.

Subsequent cross-border and multi-disciplinary actions against criminal groups active in the trafficking of cultural goods, which were conducted with the support of Europol[1], have shown promising results. In its recently adopted Security Union Strategy[2], the Commission committed to explore how to improve the online and offline traceability of cultural goods.

As regards stolen cultural objects currently located within the European Union, European Parliament and Council Directive (EU) No 2014/60/EU[3] provides for mechanisms for the return of national treasures unlawfully removed from the territory of one EU Member State to another Member State after 1 January 1993.

It is also open to Member States to return cultural objects unlawfully removed before this date. Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009[4] regulates the export of cultural goods located within the customs territory of the Union, by subjecting them to a system of export licences.

European Parliament and Council Regulation 2019/880[5] regulates the import into the Union of cultural goods created or discovered in third countries and prohibits the introduction by any means into the Union of cultural goods unlawfully exported from third countries.

Last updated: 14 September 2020
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