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Ref. DC 032 (2016)

“Blood antiquities”: new Council of Europe initiative to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property

Strasbourg, 02.03.2016 – The Council of Europe is preparing a new criminal law convention to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property.

Illicit trafficking in cultural property is increasingly exploited by terrorists’ organisations, notably Daesh / ISIS, and it is linked to international cross-border organised crime. 

Recent events in Iraq and Syria have emphasised the vulnerability of historic and archaeological sites, with a deliberate destruction of humanity’s heritage threatening our democratic values, identity and memory. Trafficking in cultural property is a highly clandestine crime and a source for money laundering practices affecting all European countries.

“The terrible destructions of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the ruins of Nimrud in Iraq have highlighted the concern for ‘blood antiquities’. This convention will be the first international legal instrument to fight illegal trade in the art market. It will help states to combat this criminal phenomenon effectively though a joint action at Pan European level”, said Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland. 

The new convention, to be ready by next year, will be a pioneering treaty open to signature also for countries beyond Europe and it will replace the 1985 European Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property (known as the “Delphi convention”).

The initiative aims to criminalise the illicit destruction and trafficking of cultural property, preventing offenses, and fostering co-operation within the international community.

Background

On the 6th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Cultural Heritage, the Ministers adopted the Namur Declaration, launching the idea of a European cultural heritage Strategy for the 21st century and underlining the relevance of cultural heritage in addressing new societal challenges.

The Ministers also expressed their alarm at the increasing number of acts of deliberate destruction of cultural heritage in the context of conflicts all over the world and adopted the Namur Call, thus deciding to initiate discussions in the Council of Europe to reinforce European co-operation on the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage and illicit trafficking in cultural property. 

Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, Spokesperson/Media officer, Tel. +33 3 90 21 56 04