EU proposals for the crackdown on cultural goods imports delayed

Art, antiques and antiquarian book trade associations have lobbied MEPs to amend the proposals, which they believe are ‘unworkable and disproportionate’. Associations are continuing to lobby ahead of the new vote.

Vincent Geerling, chairman of IADAA, said: “While any such delay is good news, we remain deeply concerned by the contents of a confidential document leaked to IADAA disclosing the current draft compromise amendments.”

“Unworkable rules”

He added that despite the “admirable efforts” of British MEP and rapporteur Daniel Dalton in arguing for realistic and pragmatic measures, he believed “political groupings within the European Parliament have ignored the evidence and pushed for unworkable rules to be adopted”.

Geerling said: “We are working with CINOA on further persuasive evidence of how these proposals would prove unworkable, create insurmountable barriers for customs officials and go against everything that all sides in the debate have said they are trying to avoid.”

The new rules were proposed in July 2017 by the European Commission. The rules are designed to stop imports to the EU of cultural goods illicitly exported from their country of origin.

However, the rules propose an increased administrative burden and a severe crackdown on imports of any cultural goods that are ‘more than 250 years old’ regardless of origin.

This article was first published in the Antiques Trade Gazette, the UK's weekly art and antiques newspaper.