Ratification of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, in Light of Directive 2014/60/UE on the Return of Cultural Objects Unlawfully Removed from the Territory of a Member State: The Perspective of Poland

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between the regime of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and the Directive 2014/60/EU from the perspective of the Polish legislative experience. In fact, Poland is just about to ratify the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention. Consequently, a two-level system for the protection of movable cultural heritage will be established: the 1995 UNIDROIT and the EU Directive 2014/60. This article critically discusses how such a complex system is going to be introduced to the existing legal framework in the area of cultural heritage. It also endeavours to foresee how both instruments will practically operate together.