Export of cultural goods (amend. annex Regul. 3911/92/EEC)

OBJECTIVE: to amend Regulation No 3911/92/EEC on the export of cultural goods, with a view to solving the problem of watercolour, gouache and pastel pictures, which are classified in the Regulation both as paintings and as drawings. SUBSTANCE: for the purposes of Regulation No 3911/92/EEC, works done using watercolours, gouaches and pastels are to be classified either as paintings or as drawings, corresponding to categories 3 and 4 of the Regulation respectively. However, different financial thresholds apply to each of these categories and this could lead to serious differences of treatment of such works depending upon in which Member State they are situated and the differing national artistic traditions (which attach more or less value to one or another type of production). To resolve this problem, the Commission proposes determining which category such works belong to by creating a new separate category with a threshold of ECU 30 000, thus ensuring that: - on the one hand, works of this type that are of major significance will obtain an export licence, - on the other hand, any undue administrative load for the licencing authorities is avoided (too many export licences could in fact be issued despite the fact that this type of work is not always of significant market value). �