OSCE-supported training course on smuggling and illegal trade in cultural property concludes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A two-day training course on the fight against illegal trade in art and cultural property concluded on 13 November 2019 in Sarajevo. Organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the French Embassy in BiH, the training course brought together representatives of law enforcement agencies from across BiH.

Participants had an opportunity to learn from French customs professionals and local art experts about measures being taken against trafficking in cultural property and were given practical examples of art smuggling.

“Issues and challenges related to the trafficking of cultural property and art are highly complex and necessitate a multi-stakeholder approach that utilizes the full range of expertise and resources. Therefore, it is necessary to improve co-operation among relevant agencies both within the country and internationally in responding to this serious crime in a more systematic manner,” said Alexander Chuplygin, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH.  

“France has been working for a long time in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, both on its territory and throughout the world, with the competent authorities and bodies and in co-operation with the United Nations, in particular UNESCO, and naturally within the context of European integration”, stated Guillaume Rousson, French Ambassador in BiH. “It is by raising awareness of this issue and acting at an interdepartmental level that public action will be most effective.”

The training course was organized with the support of the Centre for the Fight against Trafficking in Art and the Agency for Education and Professional Training of the BiH Ministry of Security.