TIRANA, Oct.6 /ATA/ The Council of Ministers approved today a draft decision, which defines the procedures, the manner of administration and the relevant institutions that will administer the database of stolen cultural properties.
The Albania’s Minister of Culture Elva Margariti said today that, “this decision is part of a much wider package of Ministry of Culture, on the prevention of trafficking in cultural property, which aims to create a wider database of stolen cultural properties, to make it accessible and to link it to the various reforms of the Ministry and the government, known as digital reform, and to expand reforms related to the licensing of the art trade, turning the Ministry in a key factor not only in monitoring, but also in dialogue and capacity building of businesses later, getting into this extensive database.”
According to Margariti, it has been a long work on the creation of the legal framework supported by the EU. We have seen the possibility through this database to create even more synergies with institutions such as Interpol, or the General Directorate of Police, but we have extended the database to the business and civil status.”
The Minister Margariti noted that, this is an initiative that has been embraced by the US as well.
Margariti also stressed that the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, which has so far operated as on-site collector of information has begun to have an international approach. //a.i/
