Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Art Law and Arts Management at the International Hellenic University. This dissertation aims to examine possible legal and non-legal grounds of the due diligence obligation in cultural property transactions with a special focus on the antiquities trade. This will be achieved through a research on the characteristics of the illicit crime in antiquities and the role of institutions and professionals in the art world. In addition to that, this dissertation will proceed to a theoretical analysis of the due diligence obligation in international and European documents. Finally, there will be an examination of due diligence obligation in practice, as perceived by soft law provisions adopted by institutions and organizations, a brief reference to due diligence in jurisprudence and a discussion about the prospective of a more enforceable due diligence obligation based on EU studies and other initiatives.