PM: No government decision for exporting Dacian treasure artifacts

Ex-minister Raluca Turcan: Gov't Approval Not Needed to Move Dacian Treasure.

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The Dacian helmet and bracelets stolen from a museum in the Netherlands were taken out of the country without respecting the law, according to the first conclusion of the Prime Minister’s control body, which has already started checks at the Ministry of Culture.

According to the law, heritage objects can be borrowed, but the organization of the transport abroad  or in the country must be approved by a Government decision. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says that there was no GD to take the Dacian objects out of the country for the exhibition in the Netherlands.

PM Ciolacu stated that it is true that there was no such decision and added that we will find out all the details. The Romanian Prime Minister was asked by journalists why there was no Government decision to move the Treasure to the Netherlands, given that for the other exhibitions, in Rome or Lisbon, there were such decisions.

“It is true. We will find out all the details”, replied the Prime Minister, after participating in the ceremony dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Sunday the organization of a crisis cell at the Government level and that he is sending the Control Body to the Ministry of Culture to verify all the documentation regarding the exhibition of Dacian objects at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, from where the Golden Helmet of Coţofeneşti and three gold bracelets, part of the Dacian Treasure, were stolen on Saturday.

Ex-Culture minister Raluca Turcan: Gov’t Approval Not Needed to Move Dacian Treasure

Former Minister of Culture in the first Executive led by Marcel Ciolacu, Raluca Turcan, contradicts information according to which a government decision was needed to remove the Dacian treasure stolen from the Dutch museum from the country. She explains why she changed the law and accuses Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of giving “manipulative information.”

Raluca Turcan also refers to the former PSD Minister of Culture, Lucian Romașcanu, who said that the removal of the treasure from the country was done without respecting all procedures. “I took note of the pathetic attempt to politicize the theft from the Netherlands, carried out by the former PSD Minister of Culture, Lucian Romașcanu,” Turcan wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“Humanly, I can understand Lucian Romașcanu’s frustration that after he was no longer a minister, we managed to unblock many outstanding projects, including the cinematography support scheme, as well as many other beneficial projects for people of culture in Romania. But the unsubstantiated statements he makes cannot remain unanswered,” the former minister continued.
She says that the PSD is trying to politicize the theft from the Dutch museum.As in Lucian Romașcanu’s mandate, the minister does not deal with the security of exhibitions abroad. The contract between the National Museum of History of Romania and the Drents Museum is very clear from this point of view, and it precisely regulates the legal obligations related to ensuring the security of the exhibits,” says Turcan.
She adds that there was no need for a government decision to remove the Dacian treasure from the country.The new regulations, introduced at my own proposal, in 2023, refer to the need for a government decision if MORE authorities and institutions are involved. This paragraph was introduced to regulate the involvement of military institutions, for example, in the transport of exhibits, as was the case with the exhibition in Rome,” explains Raluca Turcan.
She further argues that the only institution involved in the project with the Dutch museum was the National Museum of History, under the Ministry of Culture. And finally, I would like to make one more clarification. It is regrettable that a prime minister would give manipulative information about a former member of his cabinet, just to cover NOTHING from the mandate of a friend, Lucian Romașcanu. We are in a governing coalition and it is deeply harmful and immoral for a partner, a sitting prime minister, to orchestrate a lynching against a former PNL minister. I have complete confidence that the truth will come out like oil on water. Only thieves should be afraid,” the former Minister of Culture concludes.
The clauses in the contract under which the artifacts were sent to the Netherlands
The contract concluded between the National Museum of History of Romania and the Drents Museum in Assen stipulates that the security of the loaned artifacts is ensured 24/7, and the responsibility for the safety of the heritage objects falls on the Dutch institution once they enter the territory of the Netherlands. The National Museum of History of Romania has lent over 600 Dacian artifacts to the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, under a strict contract.
The act provides for safety conditions regarding the transport, storage and exhibition of the Dacian treasure. According to the contract, the Dutch were obliged to request the help of the local police or a local company to develop a surveillance, guard and alarm plan. The exhibits were to be monitored 24/7, with the doors closed at night and security personnel available in case of emergency, the cited document also states.
The transfer of the objects stipulated in the loan contract was made during May 2024, the document signed by the two cultural institutions being valid from June 15, 2024 to February 15, 2025. This period included the transportation, assembly and dismantling of the Dacia exhibition, in addition to the duration of the exhibition.The loan period begins when the cultural goods leave the MNIR headquarters and ends when they arrive back at the MNIR headquarters,” the document states.
According to the contract, the exhibition period was between July 6, 2024 and January 26, 2025, the Dacian treasure being stolen the day before the end of the presentation. The over 600 artifacts were insured for the amount of 30 million euros, during the contract, and were part of the “national movable cultural heritage of Romania”. The contract also provided clauses related to the theft or loss of heritage objects, with the insurer being responsible for covering any possible damages. The Drents Museum was obliged to report the theft of the objects by telephone and in writing within a maximum of 24 hours.
“In the event of theft/loss of cultural property and receipt of payment for the theft/loss by the MNIR from the insurance company, if the cultural property is subsequently found, the insurer cannot retain ownership of it and will be obliged to return it to the MNIR, which will refund the compensation previously received,” the contract states.
From the moment the artifacts crossed the border into the Netherlands, the entire responsibility for the security of the cultural property belongs to the Drents Museum, according to the document signed by the two cultural institutions.
“The Drents Museum will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the cultural property in the exhibition location throughout the loan period. The storage and exhibition spaces of the Drents Museum will be equipped with an adequate microclimate control system, an anti-theft system and a fire protection system,” the document also states.
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1 Comment
  1. Panagiotis Spyridis says

    WOW!!! Impressive.

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