On February 25, Ukraine became the eighth country in the world – and the first in wartime – to ratify the Council of Europe’s Nicosia Convention. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the decision.
This document, submitted for ratification by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, criminalizes offenses like the destruction of cultural heritage and the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, along with other government bodies, played a key role in its adoption.
The Nicosia Convention sets legal rules for prosecuting crimes against cultural heritage. It covers theft and illegal possession of artifacts, unauthorized excavations, smuggling of cultural objects, and the deliberate destruction or damage of historical monuments.
It also promotes international cooperation, providing a legal framework for extradition and mutual legal assistance to ensure justice and the return of stolen cultural property.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also passed, in its first reading, the draft law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine in Connection with the Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Offenses relating to Cultural Property”. The proposed amendments will update the laws “On Export, Import, and Return of Cultural Property”, “On Culture”, and “On E-Commerce”.
The Nicosia Convention was adopted on May 3, 2017, in Nicosia, Cyprus.
