The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine reported.

"On February 25, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine on ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property [hereinafter referred to as the Law], developed by the Ministry of Justice and introduced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Draft Law No. 0297 was adopted as a basis and in its entirety," the report on the Rada's website said on Friday.

The Council of Europe Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property was opened for signature on May 19, 2017 in Nicosia and entered into force on April 1, 2022. Thus, Ukraine became the eighth state in the world to ratify the so-called "Nicosia Convention." The multilateral treaty has also been ratified by such states as Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia and Mexico.

The basis of the Nicosia Convention is Chapter II, which defines the offences to be criminalized by the States Parties to achieve the objectives of the Convention, namely: theft and other forms of illicit appropriation of cultural property, illegal excavation and removal, illegal import and export, acquisition of ownership, placing on the market, forgery of documents, as well as destruction and damage to both movable and immovable cultural property.

The Convention provides for legislative and practical measures to be taken by States at the national and international levels to prevent and combat the illicit circulation of cultural property and its intentional destruction or damage.

It is noted that Ukraine ratified the Nicosia Convention with a declaration to Article 19 of the Convention. The purpose of the declaration is to recognize the Convention as a legal basis for extradition or mutual legal assistance in criminal matters in respect of the offences set forth in this Convention.