Exporting Fine Art and Cultural Goods to the European Union - Panel Discussion

Описание: On 25 June 2025, Alinea Customs in partnership with Art on Superyachts hosted a seminar and panel discussion on the EU Cultural Goods Act 2019/880. The event was sponsored by Hallett Independent Fine Art & Heritage Insurance and Axa XL. The venue was The Lansdowne Club, situated in Mayfair, London.

The event was moderated by Adam Prideaux, Director of Hallett Independent. The guest presenters and panel speakers were Pandora Mather-Lees, Director, Art on Superyachts, Holly Piggott, Director, Alinea Customs, and Chris Bentley, Head of Fine Art and Specie at Axa XL.
The EU Cultural Goods Act 2019/880 and Commission Implementing regulation 2021/1079 requires any individual or company moving consignments covered by the scope of the legislation – which is applicable to cultural goods discovered outside of the territory of the European Union, to apply for an import licence or an importer statement, using the Import of Cultural Goods (ICG) single trade window that sits on TRACES NT, from 28 June 2025.

The regulation is divided into three parts. Part A covers the export of goods that were illegally exported from their country of creation or discovery at the time of export. There is a derogation to this rule, namely, if the cultural goods were exported from their country of interest prior to 24 April 1972, or if the country of export is not determinable, then evidence that the cultural goods were legally exported from the country in which they have resided for the most recent five years may be presented.

Part B outlines a requirement to apply for an import licence for archaeological objects or parts of monuments at least 250 years old. An import licence is required regardless of the value of these objects.

For cultural goods listed in Part C of the Annex (such as zoological or botanical collections, coins, ethnographic objects, paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and books) that are older than 200 years and have a value above €18,000, an importer statement must be submitted by the importer to customs. The importer statement will consist of a declaration that the goods have been lawfully exported from the non-EU country and a standardised document describing the relevant cultural goods.

The seminar provided insight into the historical context of the regulations, the applicable scope, the EU’s digital window for cultural goods, and outlined the practical steps that must be taken to ensure compliance.

Please note that the guidance regarding the ATA carnet has been updated. Importers can apply for placing goods under the temporary admission customs procedure either by making a customs declaration (where the acceptance of that declaration by customs constitutes authorisation to use the said procedure) or by means of an ATA Carnet (see Article 4(4) of the Istanbul Convention). The reference to the import licence or the importer statement is made in Box 3 (export) or 4 (import) of the ATA Carnet, called ‘other remarks/autres mentions’.

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EU Cultural Goods Act Panel Discussion : https://alineacustoms.com/eu-cultural...