A guide to the export and import of cultural goods between Russia ...

The exhibition Europe-Russia-Europe. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, May-July 2007
International cultural cooperation can take place in the context of bilateral and multilateral
agreements between countries. Many of the EU countries in this book refer to such agreements
with Russia. These and other programmes managed by embassies and diplomatic
missions may be organised within the framework of cultural diplomacy and foreign policy
objectives. Cultural diplomacy also informs the funding of national cultural institutes, such
as the British Council, Goethe Institut, Italian Cultural Institute and Instituto Cervantes,
which promote cultural events and other projects abroad.
European Commission programmes in the cultural field, such as Culture 2000, have
funded many projects, networks and other actions to promote cultural cooperation over
recent years. These have involved numerous artists, cultural operators and heritage professionals
across the EU and in candidate countries. The mobility of artworks and artists
is a current programme objective for the new Culture Programme (2007–2013). A new
programme to support EU Russia cultural cooperation initiatives was launched in 2007
through the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia.
The art trade relies on the movement of art works, antiques, furniture and other artefacts
across international borders. Auction houses will frequently receive an object in one
country, place it in a sale in a second country and then organise transportation of the
object to a third country where the buyer is located. The same is true for international
art and antique dealers who sell work through specialist fairs around the world. At the
top level, the international art trade knows no borders, although buyers and sellers must
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