Politics

Building capacity to combat illicit cultural heritage trafficking with the EuroMed Justice Project

Published

2 months ago

April 20, 2025

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From 8-10 April in Cairo, Egypt, the EuroMed Justice Project brought together experts and officials from Europe and South Partner Countries for a three-day Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) activity aimed at protecting cultural heritage and combatting its illicit trafficking.

The TAF activity, which was organised upon request from Egyptian and Cypriot authorities, brought together 35 participants from Algeria, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Palestine*, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to share strategies and best practices in combating the illicit trade. The activity was officially opened and attended by the Ambassador of Cyprus to Egypt, the Deputy Head of the European Delegation in Cairo and high level representatives from Egypt. The Country representatives shared case studies and success stories, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of their efforts to protect cultural heritage.

The illicit trafficking of cultural goods has become a lucrative business for organised crime. It can be used for money laundering, sanctions evasion, and terrorism financing, and comes with a devastating cost. To combat this, the TAF activity facilitated cooperation and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders.

In addition to the sharing of case studies and success stories, the participants also gained insights from presentations delivered by the representative of the Eurojust Anti-Trafficking Team, as well as several international organizations (Council of Europe, UNICRI, and UNODC). Bilateral meetings were also arranged alongside the main activity.

By sharing knowledge and expertise, the gathering has set the stage for enhanced cooperation and collaboration to combat illicit cultural heritage trafficking.

The EuroMed Justice project aims to develop sustainable cooperation mechanisms for cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters between Member States of the European Union and the South Partner Countries. It organises TAF activities upon request of participating authorities in order to provide tailored support to activities and actions.

*This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

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Samantha Wilson

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EU changes protection status of wolves in Europe

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Commission adopts Ocean Pact to protect marine life and strengthen blue economy

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54 minutes ago

June 6, 2025

Laura

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The ocean shapes our economies, our food systems, even the air we breathe. To better protect our ocean, the Commission has adopted a European Ocean Pact, which will help to promote a thriving blue economy and support the well-being of people living in coastal areas.

This Ocean Pact brings together EU ocean policies under one single and coordinated framework. It will do so through a collaborative approach between EU countries, regions, and stakeholders, including fishers, innovators, investors, scientists, and civil society. Six priority areas for action will define this work, namely

protecting and restoring ocean health by supporting EU countries in their efforts to restore degraded coastal marine habitats
boosting the competitiveness of the EU sustainable blue economy including by strengthening the EU’s maritime industry and by introducing a Blue Generational Renewal Strategy, to foster access to young professionals in marine research, ocean tech, and sustainable fisheries
supporting coastal and island communities, and outermost regions by presenting new or updated strategies for these regions and communities
enhancing maritime security and defence by strengthening EU coast guard cooperation and maritime border security
advancing ocean research, knowledge, skills and innovation by proposing an ambitious EU Ocean Observation Initiative
strengthening EU ocean diplomacy and international ocean governance by stepping up its fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

The European Ocean Pact will be complemented by an ocean act by 2027, which will help to ensure the implementation of the priorities of the pact.  An EU Ocean Pact dashboard will be used to track progress.

 For more information

Press release: Commission adopts European Ocean Pact for a healthy ocean, a competitive blue economy and thriving coastal communities

More information about the European Ocean Pact

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