The Council of Europe is currently implementing a Project entitled “Fight against Offences relating to Cultural Property”. The project is designed to primarily provide technical assistance and support to the State Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property (the Nicosia Convention).

The project will provide a gap analysis of the legal and procedural issues leading to the criminalisation of the offences relating to cultural property in the States having signed/ratified the Nicosia Convention and will assess the needs in terms of harmonisation of the legislation in line with the Nicosia Convention standards.

The analysis and needs assessment of the national legal framework will serve as a roadmap to all the CoE member and non-member States to put in place criminal sanctions addressing, prosecuting and preventing the most common and serious offences that may bring about destruction, deterioration or loss of cultural property.

The project is structured around two components:

• Gap analysis aiming to improve legal frameworks in State parties in line with the Nicosia Convention standards;
• Promotion of the Nicosia Convention and path towards its ratifications.

This project will be implemented within 12 months, until 31 December 2021.