Greater European co-operation urged to prevent art theft

The conference took place in a former salt mine designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

Checking Internet sales to identify stolen works of art was one of the resolutions passed by delegates at the conference.

The 5th International Conference on the Illicit Traffic in Cultural Property Stolen in Central and Eastern Europe took place from 18-20 September in Wieliczka, Poland, with 125 participants from 21 member countries, as well as representatives of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Council of Museums and the World Customs Organization.

Participants discussed new trends in art theft and illicit trafficking, legal and practical aspects of international co-operation in this area, communication and investigation tools offered by INTERPOL, and ways to address emerging challenges, such as the increasing use of the Internet to sell cultural objects.

Among the recommendations passed, countries were urged to implement the Basic Actions drawn up by INTERPOL, UNESCO and the International Council of Museums to counter the illicit sale of cultural objects over the Internet, and to communicate information about cultural property thefts, stolen or recovered objects, and details on the individuals and networks involved in illicit trafficking to INTERPOL for collection and analysis.

Member countries were also recommended to extend access to INTERPOL’s database of stolen works of art to all law enforcement agencies with a hand in investigating cultural property crimes.

Polish Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Interior and Administration Pawel Soloch opened the conference, which took place in a former salt mine designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

RECOMMENDATIONS

CONSCIENT of the various threats to cultural property by illegal activities in all the regions of the world,

MINDFUL of the particular vulnerability of religious objects in Central and Eastern Europe,

AWARE of the deficiencies concerning the documentation of cultural property and theft prevention strategies,

RECOGNISING that counteracting illicit traffic in cultural property requires co-operation on an international level,

TAKING NOTE of the Basic Actions concerning cultural objects being offered for sale over the Internet, jointly recommended by UNESCO, ICOM and INTERPOL,

ACKNOWLEDGING the communication and investigation tools developed by the INTERPOL General Secretariat,

RECOMMEND member countries:

1. to adapt the national legislation on the protection of cultural property and the resources to combat cultural property crimes to the needs identified in each country,
2. to provide UNESCO with national cultural heritage legislation and their regular updates, to be included in UNESCO’s legislation database,
3. to consider ratifying the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention if they are not already State Parties,
4. to establish close and continuous co-operation on a national level between all bodies, agencies and institutions concerned with the safeguarding of cultural property,
5. to improve protection in museums, public collections, places of worship and archaeological sites,
6. to promote the setting up of inventories, including photographs, using internationally recognised description standards such as Object ID, and to encourage ICOM and UNESCO to provide Object ID training in their countries,
7. to regularly check offers on the art market and the sales of cultural property over the Internet, and to encourage the implementation of the Basic Actions concerning cultural objects being offered for sale over the Internet,
8. to communicate relevant information about cultural property thefts, stolen or recovered objects, and details on the criminal individuals and networks involved in the illicit trafficking, to the INTERPOL General Secretariat for data entry and crime analysis purposes,
9. to use the INTERPOL e-ASF works of art database for remote queries and extend connectivity to that database beyond the NCB to all law enforcement agencies investigating cultural property crimes,
10. to consider establishing joint cultural property crime investigation teams through bilateral or multilateral agreements according to the Council framework decision of 13 June 2002 on joint investigation teams,
11. to encourage authorities in charge of postal services to strengthen checks on packages likely to contain illicit cultural property.