Cultural heritage: Meritocrazia Italia, ‘the defense of cultural heritage is the defense of civilization’

“On December 14, the Senate approved the bill no. 882 on crimes against cultural heritage. The idea is to make a new version of the Criminal Code, to bring back the penalties, with some adjustments, today mainly contained in the Code of cultural heritage. We would like to carry out a profound restructuring of the matter, redefining the structure of the discipline with a view to a tendential tightening of the sanctioning treatment “. Thus in a note Meritocrazia Italia. “The design – explains the note – provides for the expansion of the catalog of crimes in relation to which the so-called enlarged confiscation is allowed, with the inclusion of the crimes of receiving cultural assets, of use of cultural assets deriving from crime, of laundering and self-laundering of cultural assets and activities organized for illicit trafficking, and the addition of 19 new articles to Title VIII-bis, entitled ‘Crimes against cultural heritage’. An important step forward. often, in fact, a problem of interpretative coordination between the Code of Cultural Heritage and the Criminal Code. Especially with reference, for example, to the hypothesis of flagrant crime “. “That the opportunity is also useful to raise awareness on the problem – notes Meritocrazia Italia -. The awareness that the defense of cultural heritage is the defense of civilization is not yet rooted. Yet the alarming data of a black market, that of so-called grave robbers, far more profitable even than drugs. It is worth remembering that the Council of Europe Convention on infringements relating to cultural property, signed in Nicosia on May 19, 2017, has not yet entered into force due to the lack of achievement of the prescribed number of ratifications. Same fate for the previous Delphi Convention on the same subject, opened for signature in June 1985 “. “In welcoming the legislative initiative, Meritocrazia Italia undertakes to share the technical details of new legislative adjustments. In order to ensure further and more effective tools to combat crimes against cultural heritage, it also considers fundamental, since immediately: strengthen the control system with greater investments in instrumental equipment on archaeological sites (cameras, …); proceed to new international agreements with foreign museums to facilitate the return of stolen works; provide for an increase in the penalties for c. dd. grave robbers and introduce the provision of arrest in flagrante delicto; set up a toll-free number with direct connection to the nucleus for the protection of the cultural heritage of the Carabinieri for notifying citizens of crimes against cultural heritage “, concludes Meritocrazia Italia.