Working group on museum activities

Building on the work of the six groups established in the framework of the Action Plan for the EU Promotion of Museum Collections' Mobility and Loan Standards

, a Working Group on Mobility of Collections was established by the Council in its Work Plan for Culture (2008-2010) within the context of the implementation of the European Agenda for Culture.

This group has the remit to consider, report and make recommendations (including in the form of validating best practices, making proposals for cooperation initiatives between Member States or at EC level and for elements of methodology to evaluate progress), as appropriate, on the following areas:
- proposing incentive mechanisms for the mobility of collections, including long-term loans (e.g. indemnity, digitisation, non-insurance, expert meetings, comparison of valuation systems for collections, building up trust),
- studying possibilities of eliminating barriers to the mobility of collections that still persist in relevant legal and administrative frameworks at national level (e.g. insurance matters, lack of immunity from seizure),
- comparing national laws on museums or equivalent in order to promote access to culture,
- exchanging best practices in the prevention of theft, return of stolen goods, trafficking of collections and examining ways of improvement, including by applying the relevant Community law (in particular, Council Directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State and Council Regulation (EEC) No 3911/92 on the export of cultural goods) etc.,
- exchanging best practices on promoting access to museums.
The Group gathers experts from all Member States with the exception of Denmark and the Slovak Republic. Members have been designated by the respective national authorities.

The group produced a final report in June 2010, with recommendations addressed to Member States, the museum community and the European Commission. (OMC report on Mobility of Collections / Museum Activities pdf - 4 MB

[4 MB] )
NEMO, the Network of European Museum Organisations, participated in the work of the group as an observer.
This report will feed into discussions by the Cultural Affairs Committee of the future Council Workplan on Culture for 2011 onwards.

The recommendations are grouped around 5 main issues:
- state indemnity schemes
- immunity from seizure
- long-term loans
- prevention of theft and illicit trafficking
- mobility of museum professionals

Final report
Immunity from Seizure [124 KB]	Mobility of Professionals [266 KB]	Summary report -	State indemnity and shared liability agreements [184 KB]
1) Long Term Loans	Long-tserm loans best practices [258 KB]	Long-term loans [34 KB]
2) Prevention of Theft and Illicit Traffic	Implementation of Due Diligence [753 KB]	Illicit Traffic - draft document [152 KB]	Interoperability of databases (synthesis of answers) [226 KB]
Conclusions and Recommandations
'Immunity from Seizure' - Conclusions and recommandations [124 KB]	Long term loans Conclusions and recommendations [74 KB]	Mobility of Professionals Conclusions & Recommendations [69 KB]	State indemnity and shared liability agreements Conclusions and recommendations [129 KB]
Prevention of Theft and Illicit Trafficking Conclusions and Recommandations	Recommandations on Due Diligence [87 KB]	Recommandations on Due Diligence - Interoperability Internet - 21-05-10
Questionnaires
1) State Indemnity and shared liability agreements	Questionnaire for Countries which do not have state indemnity scheme [126 KB]	Questionnaire for Countries with indemnity general [130 KB]
2) Immunity from seizure	Questionnaire Immunity from seizure for cultural objects on temporary loan [82 KB]
3) Prevention of Theft and Illicit Traffiking	Questionnaire on Implementation of Due Diligence [105 KB]	Questionnaire on Internet & illicit traffic [98 KB]	Questionnaire on Improving the traceability of cultural goods [78 KB]
4) Mobility of Museum ProfessionalsExchange of Experties	Questionnaire on Exchange of Museum professionals [96 KB]
OMC Working Group Mobility of Collections experts Group
Expert group table - State indemnity / non insurance [114 KB]	List - Mobility of Collections [96 KB]
Long Term Loans litterature
Long Term Loans Definition [44 KB]	Long Term Loans Conditions [91 KB]	Long Term Loans Fees [66 KB]
The Bizot group of Museums Directors guide lines
Revised Courier Guidelines Executive Summary [50 KB]	Revised Loans Guidelines Executive Summary [108 KB]
DG JLS - Terms of reference for study on illicit traffiking of cultural goods
Call for Tender NO.JLS/2009/ISEC/PR/019 - F2 (open procedure) [218 KB]