Author Description

This study contributes to a better understanding of the illicit trade in cultural goods in Europe by providing insights into its various aspects, such as source, transit and destination of illicitly traded goods; trafficking routes; trends and patterns of trafficking and illicit trade operations and actors involved. It also discusses approaches to measuring the volume of the illicit trade, and explores national and international criminal justice responses to trafficking in cultural goods to identify challenges faced by the relevant law enforcement authorities in implementing effective responses. In this context, this study analyses the possible benefits and shortcomings of existing and new technologies that are used or can be used by competent authorities for identifying illicitly traded goods, for improving information sharing and for other forms of inter-agency cooperation. Based on the analysis of data and information collected through interviews with experts and practitioners, stakeholder surveys and desk-based research, this study formulates a range of recommendations and concrete steps that the EU and Member States should undertake in order to intensify and render more effective their efforts in combatting illicit trade in cultural goods.