Exploring overlaps of cultural property crime with organised crime in EU policy documents

• In Event: Social Networks I

Abstract

In recent years the interrelation of the trafficking of cultural property with other forms of organised crime has gained prominence in EU policies on the protection of cultural heritage. This article analyses how the EU has conceptualized and operationalized this overlap in terms of describing the phenomenon and designing countermeasures. Through a content analysis, we evaluate the articulation and use of this connection in EU policy documents published from 1993 to 2023 that include both terms (n=58). The analysis demonstrates deficits of conceptualization and operationalization and a correspondingly weak foundation for EU policy. Misunderstandings related to the organised nature of trafficking in cultural property and its overlaps with other forms of organised crime, particularly the financing of terrorism, may result in misguided policies with the potential to undermine law enforcement efforts. Conversely, recognition of the white-collar crime nature of the illicit trade in cultural property in the anti-money laundering framework opens new opportunities to disrupt the illicit financial flow in the art and antiquities market.

Authors

• Patricia Faraldo Faraldo-Cabana, Universidade da Coruña

• Silvia Rodríguez-López, Universidade da Coruña