Italy Fails to Restructure Laws Regarding Personal Ownership of Antiquities Inside its Borders

Late breaking news this evening from Italy by way of BigNewsAustralia, one of the first sites to carry it. According to BigNews:

"Italian officials have been forced to withdraw a measure that would have allowed those in possession of illegal archaeological objects to keep them.

The measure was in the form of an amendment to the 2005 budget, now under discussion in parliament.

The bill would allow those with illegal objects to keep them in exchange for payment of 5 percent of their value to the government, it was reported this week.

The rejection was disclosed to the Italian press by Gianfranco Conte, a member of parliament for Prime Minister Berlusconi's Forze Italia party, which introduced the amendment last summer. Conte said he was undeterred and would press ahead with legislation to liberalize Italian law as it relates to cultural goods despite the opposition of Cultural Minister Giovanni Urbani.

As the law stands, it is illegal for private citizens to hold any archaeological items discovered in the past century. Written in the early 20th century, the law was designed to discourage looting of historical sites and black market dealings in antiquities, but it is widely flouted by collectors and dealers alike.

Conte denounced existing laws governing archaeological objects, saying they are excessively restrictive, and have the adverse effect of penalizing dealers, honest collectors, and heirs while stimulating the black market."

Though this is a blow to the growing movement within Italy calling for changes to the country's draconian laws regarding antiquities, it is encouraging to see that Mr. Conte continues to push forward and will not let the issue simply fade away.

Comments

[Eric Overton]

I am doing research on Greek and Italian antiquities law and this is a very interesting update. The professor I am working for proposes allowing the ownership of found objects for a term of years remainder to the state. I would appreciate any input on this topic. Specifically I am looking for the text of the actual laws dealing with the ownership of antiquities for Greece and Italy. Help, Thanks.