EU to seek UK promise on fighting illegal trade in historical objects
Greece among nations pushing for demands in Brexit talks mandate
Greece and other EU governments are calling for commitments from Britain that it will fight the illegal trade in historical objects after Brexit, saying that assurances are needed because of the country’s role as a global auction hub.
Athens has a longstanding grievance against Britain over its refusal to return the “Elgin Marbles”, sculptures held by the British Museum but originally sited on the Parthenon. It wants the UK to make guarantees that it will fight the smuggling of precious artefacts.
Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus have succeeded in convincing the rest of the EU to insert demands into their draft mandate for negotiations with the UK, saying that both sides should “address issues relating to the return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin”.
The mandate will guide the EU’s stance in the talks to come with Britain on building a post-Brexit relationship.
EU officials said the request did not relate to objects displayed in museums so much as modern smuggling and theft, but confirmed that Greece was one of the driving forces behind the move, along with Italy, Spain and Cyprus.
Greece “stressed this was an important issue for them” during discussions among EU diplomats last week, said one official.
The new language is one of the main additions to the draft mandate made by national governments. Diplomats said that, while the European Commission’s initial draft left the issue unaddressed, Athens and its allies wanted to make clear that Britain had to provide assurances.
The language added to the draft negotiating mandate says that the EU and UK should continue to honour EU rules in this area. Brussels has created a system called EU- CULTNET that brings together law-enforcement authorities to fight the illegal trade in cultural goods. The bloc also has laws regulating exports of national treasures.
Trafficking in cultural goods covers everything from theft from museums to looting of archaeological sites.
A UK government spokesperson said: “The EU are still finalising their mandate — this is currently in draft.”
“The UK’s position on the Parthenon Sculptures remains unchanged — they are the legal responsibility of the British Museum. That is not up for discussion as part of our trade negotiations,” said the spokesperson.