International meeting on illicit traffic of cultural property

The International Workshop held in Rome on 16/17 December 2009 during Italy’s G8 Presidency offered an outstanding opportunity for experts, academics and officials from various Countries and international Organisations involved in the cultural sector to meet and exchange news and views. Nowadays, an increasing number of Countries is involved in the fight against illegal trafficking of cultural properties. According to the principles established by the UNESCO and UNIDROIT Conventions, the main issues addressed during the Workshop ranged from the organisation of control systems and investigative tools to cooperation between the police forces and judiciaries of the various Countries, as well as adaptation of national rules and regulations. Focus also came on the issue of identifying the necessary resources to institute legal claim proceedings, often long and costly due to the highly diversified regulatory systems of the various States.