Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 of 18 December 2008 on the export of cultural goods (Codified version)
Grade B
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Address https://gelex.eu/eli/EU/regulation/2009/116@2008-12-18/en
Contents
- Preamble
- Article 1 Definition
- Article 2 Export licence
- Article 3 Competent authorities
- Article 4 Presentation of licence
- Article 5 Limitation of competent customs offices
- Article 6 Administrative cooperation
- Article 7 Implementing measures
- Article 8 Committee
- Article 9 Penalties
- Article 10 Reporting
- Article 11 Repeal
- Article 12 Entry into force
- ANNEX
- ANNEX I Categories of cultural objects covered by Article 1
- ———(a)(b)(a)(b)
- ANNEX II Repealed Regulation with its successive amendments
- ANNEX III CORRELATION TABLE
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3911/92 of 9 December 1992 on the export of cultural goods has been substantially amended several times. In the interests of clarity and rationality the said Regulation should be codified.
(2) In order to maintain the internal market, rules on trade with third countries are needed for the protection of cultural goods.
(3) It seems necessary to take measures in particular to ensure that exports of cultural goods are subject to uniform controls at the Community's external borders.
(4) Such a system should require the presentation of a licence issued by the competent Member State prior to the export of cultural goods covered by this Regulation. This necessitates a clear definition of the scope of such measures and the procedures for their implementation. The implementation of the system should be as simple and efficient as possible.
(5) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission.
(6) In view of the considerable experience of the Member States' authorities in the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 515/97 of 13 March 1997 on mutual assistance between the administrative authorities of the Member States and cooperation between the latter and the Commission to ensure the correct application of the law on customs and agricultural matters, the said Regulation should be applied to this matter.
(7) Annex I to this Regulation is aimed at making clear the categories of cultural goods which should be given particular protection in trade with third countries, but is not intended to prejudice the definition, by Member States, of national treasures within the meaning of Article 30 of the Treaty,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1 Definition
Without prejudice to Member States' powers under Article 30 of the Treaty, the term cultural goods shall refer, for the purposes of this Regulation, to the items listed in Annex I.
Article 2 Export licence
1. The export of cultural goods outside the customs territory of the Community shall be subject to the presentation of an export licence.
2. The export licence shall be issued at the request of the person concerned: However, without prejudice to paragraph 4, the Member State which is competent in accordance with points (a) or (b) of the first subparagraph is authorised not to require export licences for the cultural goods specified in the first and second indents of category A.1 of Annex I where they are of limited archaeological or scientific interest, and provided that they are not the direct product of excavations, finds or archaeological sites within a Member State, and that their presence on the market is lawful. The export licence may be refused, for the purposes of this Regulation, where the cultural goods in question are covered by legislation protecting national treasures of artistic, historical or archaeological value in the Member State concerned. Where necessary, the authority referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph shall enter into contact with the competent authorities of the Member State from which the cultural object in question came, and in particular the competent authorities within the meaning of Council Directive 93/7/EEC of 15 March 1993 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State.
(a) by a competent authority of the Member State in whose territory the cultural object in question was lawfully and definitively located on 1 January 1993;
(b) or, thereafter, by a competent authority of the Member State in whose territory it is located following either lawful and definitive dispatch from another Member State, or importation from a third country, or re-importation from a third country after lawful dispatch from a Member State to that country.
3. The export licence shall be valid throughout the Community.
4. Without prejudice to the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, direct export from the customs territory of the Community of national treasures having artistic, historic or archaeological value which are not cultural goods within the meaning of this Regulation is subject to the national law of the Member State of export.
Article 3 Competent authorities
1. Member States shall furnish the Commission with a list of the authorities empowered to issue export licences for cultural goods.
2. The Commission shall publish a list of the authorities and any amendment to that list in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 4 Presentation of licence
The export licence shall be presented, in support of the export declaration, when the customs export formalities are carried out, at the customs office which is competent to accept that declaration.
Article 5 Limitation of competent customs offices
1. Member States may restrict the number of customs offices empowered to handle formalities for the export of cultural goods.
2. Member States availing themselves of the option afforded by paragraph 1 shall inform the Commission of the customs offices duly empowered. The Commission shall publish this information in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 6 Administrative cooperation
For the purposes of implementing this Regulation, the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 515/97, and in particular the provisions on the confidentiality of information, shall apply mutatis mutandis. In addition to the cooperation provided for under the first paragraph, Member States shall take all necessary steps to establish, in the context of their mutual relations, cooperation between the customs authorities and the competent authorities referred to in Article 4 of Directive 93/7/EEC.
Article 7 Implementing measures
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation, in particular those concerning the form to be used (for example, the model and technical properties) shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 8(2).
Article 8 Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.
Article 9 Penalties
The Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the provisions of this Regulation and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
Article 10 Reporting
1. Each Member State shall inform the Commission of the measures taken pursuant to this Regulation. The Commission shall pass on this information to the other Member States.
2. Every three years the Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the implementation of this Regulation. The Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission, shall examine every three years and, where appropriate, update the amounts indicated in Annex I, on the basis of economic and monetary indicators in the Community.
Article 11 Repeal
Regulation (EEC) No 3911/92, as amended by the Regulations listed in Annex II, is repealed. References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to this Regulation and shall be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex III.
Article 12 Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 18 December 2008. For the Council The President M. Barnier
ANNEX
ANNEX I Categories of cultural objects covered by Article 1
———(a)(b)(a)(b)
A. 1. Archaeological objects more than 100 years old which are the products of: excavations and finds on land or under water 9705 00 00 archaeological sites 9706 00 00 archaeological collections 2. Elements forming an integral part of artistic, historical or religious monuments which have been dismembered, of an age exceeding 100 years 9705 00 00 9706 00 00 3. Pictures and paintings, other than those included in categories 4 or 5, executed entirely by hand in any medium and on any material 9701 4. Watercolours, gouaches and pastels executed entirely by hand on any material 9701 5. Mosaics in any material executed entirely by hand, other than those falling in categories 1 or 2, and drawings in any medium executed entirely by hand on any material 6914 9701 6. Original engravings, prints, serigraphs and lithographs with their respective plates and original posters Chapter 49 9702 00 00 8442 50 99 7. Original sculptures or statuary and copies produced by the same process as the original, other than those in category 1 9703 00 00 8. Photographs, films and negatives thereof 3704 3705 3706 4911 91 80 9. Incunabula and manuscripts, including maps and musical scores, singly or in collections 9702 00 00 9706 00 00 4901 10 00 4901 99 00 4904 00 00 4905 91 00 4905 99 00 4906 00 00 10. Books more than 100 years old, singly or in collections 9705 00 00 9706 00 00 11. Printed maps more than 200 years old 9706 00 00 12. Archives, and any elements thereof, of any kind or any medium which are more than 50 years old 3704 3705 3706 4901 4906 9705 00 00 9706 00 00 13. Collections and specimens from zoological, botanical, mineralogical or anatomical collections; 9705 00 00 Collections of historical, palaeontological, ethnographic or numismatic interest 9705 00 00 14. Means of transport more than 75 years old 9705 00 00 Chapters 86-89 15. Any other antique items not included in categories A.1 to A.14 between 50 and 100 years old toys, games Chapter 95 glassware 7013 articles of goldsmiths’ or silversmiths’ wares 7114 furniture Chapter 94 optical, photographic or cinematographic apparatus Chapter 90 musical instruments Chapter 92 clocks and watches and parts thereof Chapter 91 articles of wood Chapter 44 pottery Chapter 69 tapestries 5805 00 00 carpets Chapter 57 wallpaper 4814 arms Chapter 93 more than 100 years old 9706 00 00 The cultural objects in categories A.1 to A.15 are covered by this Regulation only if their value corresponds to, or exceeds, the financial thresholds under B.
B. Financial thresholds applicable to certain categories under A (in euro) Value: The assessment of whether or not the conditions relating to financial value are fulfilled must be made when an application for an export licence is submitted. The financial value is that of the cultural object in the Member State referred to in Article 2(2). For the Member States which do not have the euro as their currency, the values expressed in euro in Annex I shall be converted and expressed in national currencies at the rate of exchange on 31 December 2001 published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. This countervalue in national currencies shall be reviewed every two years with effect from 31 December 2001. Calculation of this countervalue shall be based on the average daily value of those currencies, expressed in euro, during the 24 months ending on the last day of August preceding the revision which takes effect on 31 December. This method of calculation shall be reviewed, on a proposal from the Commission, by the Advisory Committee on Cultural Goods, in principle two years after the first application. For each revision, the values expressed in euro and their countervalues in national currency shall be published periodically in the Official Journal of the European Union in the first days of the month of November preceding the date on which the revision takes effect.
Whatever the value
1 (Archaeological objects)
2 (Dismembered monuments)
9 (Incunabula and manuscripts)
12 (Archives)
15000
5 (Mosaics and drawings)
6 (Engravings)
8 (Photographs)
11 (Printed maps)
30000
4 (Watercolours, gouaches and pastels)
50000
7 (Statuary)
10 (Books)
13 (Collections)
14 (Means of transport)
15 (Any other object)
150000
3 (Pictures)
ANNEX II Repealed Regulation with its successive amendments
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3911/92 (OJ L 395, 31.12.1992, p. 1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2469/96 (OJ L 335, 24.12.1996, p. 9) Council Regulation (EC) No 974/2001 (OJ L 137, 19.5.2001, p. 10) Council Regulation (EC) No 806/2003 (OJ L 122, 16.5.2003, p. 1) Annex I, point 2 only
ANNEX III CORRELATION TABLE
Regulation (EEC) No 3911/92 This Regulation Article 1 Article 1 Article 2(1) Article 2(1) Article 2(2), first subparagraph, introductory wording Article 2(2), first subparagraph, introductory wording Article 2(2), first subparagraph, first indent Article 2(2), first subparagraph, point (a) Article 2(2), first subparagraph, second indent Article 2(2), first subparagraph, point (b) Article 2(2), second subparagraph Article 2(2), second subparagraph Article 2(2), third subparagraph Article 2(2), third subparagraph Article 2(2), fourth subparagraph Article 2(2), fourth subparagraph Article 2(3) Article 2(3) Article 2(4) Article 2(4) Articles 3 to 9 Articles 3 to 9 Article 10, first paragraph Article 10(1), first subparagraph Article 10, second paragraph Article 10(1), second subparagraph Article 10, third paragraph Article 10(2), first subparagraph Article 10, fourth paragraph — Article 10, fifth paragraph Article 10(2), second subparagraph — Article 11 Article 11 Article 12 Annex, points A.1, A.2 and A.3 Annex I, points A.1, A.2 and A.3 Annex, point A.3A Annex I, point A.4 Annex, point A.4 Annex I, point A.5 Annex, point A.5 Annex I, point A.6 Annex, point A.6 Annex I, point A.7 Annex, point A.7 Annex I, point A.8 Annex, point A.8 Annex I, point A.9 Annex, point A.9 Annex I, point A.10 Annex, point A.10 Annex I, point A.11 Annex, point A.11 Annex I, point A.12 Annex, point A.12 Annex I, point A.13 Annex, point A.13 Annex I, point A.14 Annex, point A.14 Annex I, point A.15 Annex, point B Annex I, point B — Annex II — Annex III
Versions
Cited by
- Regulation (EU) 2019/880 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods Regulation · Grade B
The protection of cultural goods which are considered national treasures of the Member States is already covered by Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council. Consequently, this Regulation should not apply to cultural goods which were created or discovered in the customs territory of the Union. The common rules introduced by this Regulation should cover the customs treatment of non-Union cultural goods entering the customs territory of the Union. For the purposes of this Regulation, the relevant customs territory should be the cu
- Regulation (EU) 2019/880 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods Regulation · Grade B
The Commission shall be assisted by the committee established by Article 8 of Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 of 18 December 2008 on the export of cultural goods, and in particular Article 7 thereof,
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Detailed arrangements are necessary to implement Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, which provides, inter alia, for the establishment of an export licensing system for certain categories of cultural goods listed in Annex I to that Regulation.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 does not specify whether the export licences should be applied for, processed and issued on paper or electronically.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 requires export licences to be drawn up and issued on a paper form. This goes against the current trend in the Union, where the majority of Member States administrations and authorities have digitalised or are in the process of digitalising their services to citizens, by issuing and using electronic certification. The development of varying electronic solutions for export licences in an increasing number of Member States, while other Member States still issue them on paper, could be detrimental to the uniform implementation of Regulation (EC
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
A paper-based system for issuing export licences only allows limited tracing of the use of an export licence after it has been issued and paper export licences are vulnerable to forgery. To address this vulnerability, and also to improve efficiency and administrative cooperation between the authorities competent to apply Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 in the Member States, the paper-based system for submitting, processing and issuing export licences should be replaced by an electronic one.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Therefore, and to ensure that electronic export licences under Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 are used in an uniform manner throughout the Union, it is necessary to lay down a centralised electronic system which the Member States competent authorities should use for receiving and processing applications for export licences and issuing such licences, and to lay down arrangements for the functioning of that electronic system and the use of electronic export licences.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
A standard licence shall be used for each export subject to Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, except in the cases provided for in paragraphs 3 and 4. However, each individual Member State concerned may decide whether or not to issue any specific or general open licences which may be used instead if the specific conditions relating to them are fulfilled as set out in Articles 5 and 6.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Competent authorities receiving export licence applications for cultural goods that are within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and also within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2019/880 for which an import licence has been previously issued or an importer statement has been drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the latter Regulation shall take into consideration, as far as possible, the information contained in that licence or in that statement and avoid any undue burden or delay in issuing the export licence.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Applications for export licences under Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and this Regulation shall be submitted and processed by means of the ECG system. The decisions on those applications shall also be processed by means of the ECG system. The ECG system shall also be used for the storage and exchange of information between competent authorities and customs authorities of the Member States for the purpose of administrative cooperation.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Reference number. This is the unique alphanumeric code assigned to the document by the ECG system. Status. This is the status of the document in the ECG system. QR code. This is the unique machine-readable optical label assigned by the ECG system, which hyperlinks to the electronic version of the document. National reference*. The competent authority can use this box to indicate the unique alphanumeric code assigned at national level to the document. Member State competent authority. Name of the competent authority and the Member State issuing the export licence. Type of export. Indicate wheth
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1144 of 28 May 2026 laying down provisions on electronic licences for the export of cultural goods under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 Regulation · Grade B
Reference number. This is the unique alphanumeric code assigned to the document by the ECG system. Status. This is the status of the document in the ECG system. QR code. This is the unique machine-readable optical label assigned by the ECG system, which hyperlinks to the electronic version of the document. National reference*. The competent authority can use this box to indicate the unique alphanumeric code assigned at national level to the document. Member State competent authority. Name of the competent authority and the Member State issuing the export licence. Links to other documents. In c
- Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (Recast) Act · Grade B
Directive 93/7/EEC introduced arrangements enabling Member States to secure the return to their territory of cultural objects which are classified as national treasures within the meaning of Article 36 TFEU, which fall within the common categories of cultural objects referred to in the Annex to that Directive, and which have been removed from their territory in breach of the national measures or of Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009. That Directive also covered cultural objects classified as national treasures and forming an integral part of public collections or inventories of ecclesiastical
- Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (Recast) Act · Grade B
Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, together with Directive 93/7/EEC, introduced a Union system for the protection of Member States' cultural objects.
- Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (Recast) Act · Grade B
Since the tasks of the committee set up by Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 are rendered obsolete by the deletion of the Annex to Directive 93/7/EEC, references to that committee should be deleted accordingly. However, in order to maintain the platform for the exchange of experience and good practices on the implementation of this Directive among Member States, the Commission should set up an expert group, composed of experts from the Member States' central authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive, which should be involved, inter alia, in the process of customising a module
- Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (Recast) Act · Grade B
removed from the territory of a Member State in breach of its rules on the protection of national treasures or in breach of Regulation (EC) No 116/2009; or
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 of 9 November 2012 for the purposes of Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 on the export of cultural goods (codification) Regulation · Grade B
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 of 18 December 2008 on the export of cultural goods, and in particular Article 7 thereof,
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 of 9 November 2012 for the purposes of Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 on the export of cultural goods (codification) Regulation · Grade B
Provisions are required for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, which provides, inter alia, for the establishment of an export licensing system for certain categories of cultural goods listed in Annex I to that Regulation.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012 of 9 November 2012 for the purposes of Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 on the export of cultural goods (codification) Regulation · Grade B
There shall be three types of licences for the export of cultural goods which shall be issued and used in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 and with this Regulation: