Centro de Documentação da PJ
Analítico de Periódico
CD 368
Exploring the EU perspective on the organised nature of the trafficking in cultural goods [Recurso eletrónico] / Patricia Faraldo Cabana
European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin, Luxembourg, Special conference (Edition n. 7, 2026), p. 19-32
Edição especial da conferência n.º 7, da “CEPOL R&S Conference 2024/2025”, subordinada ao tema “Tackling the World of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN)", que teve lugar em Ostia (Roma), nos dias 25 a 27 de março de 2025.
TRÁFICO DE OBRA DE ARTE, CRIME CONTRA BENS CULTURAIS, PROTECÇÃO DE BENS CULTURAIS, CRIME ORGANIZADO, FINANCIAMENTO DO TERRORISMO, POLÍTICA COMUNITÁRIA
In recent years, the characterisation of the trafficking of cultural property as a form of organised crime has gained prominence in EU policies on the protection of cultural heritage. This article analyses how the EU has conceptualised and operationalised this link in terms of describing the phenomenon and designing countermeasures. Through a content analysis, we evaluate this connection in EU policy documents published from 1993 to 2023 that include both “organised crime” and “trafficking of cultural property” or similar terms (n = 59). The analysis demonstrates conceptual deficits and a correspondingly weak foundation for EU policy, since misunderstandings relating to the organised nature of trafficking of cultural property and its overlaps with other forms of organised crime, particularly terrorist financing, may result in misguided policies with the potential to undermine law enforcement efforts. We also address the addition of persons trading or acting as intermediaries in the trade of cultural goods to the list of obliged entities and persons in the anti-money-laundering (AML) framework, because it opens new opportunities to disrupt the illicit financial flow in the art market. This paper is one of the results of the EU project on research, intelligence and technology for heritage and market security.
