MEP Georgiana Teodorescu calls for investigation into stolen Dacian artifacts

AGERPRES special correspondent Tudor Martalogu reports: MEP Georgiana Teodorescu (European Conservatives and Reformists - ECR) said in a statement for AGERPRES on Tuesday that an analysis of the contractual, safety and security conditions under which the artifacts from Romania's treasure recently stolen in the Netherlands left the country is necessary."First of all, we need to see under what contractual, safety and security conditions the stolen artifacts left the country, because (...) it is one thing to send something like this to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where very good security is provided, and another to send the Romanian treasure to stay for six months in a small town of 60,000-70,000 people, somewhere in the Netherlands, where ultimately the visibility of this treasure is reduced and where security measures have proven to be practically non-existent," the MEP said.She drew attention to the responsibility of ''those involved in this decision-making process from the top of the Romanian government, which had to issue a government decision, and down to the last official, part of a commission within the Ministry of Culture, not to mention the museum manager, who were involved in the decision to send Romania's treasure to such a place and without guaranteed safety conditions''. In her opinion, if there were safety conditions contractually assumed by the Dutch authorities and they did not fulfill the contract, then it is a question of ''a fault on the part of these authorities who practically deceived the Romanian authorities''. "In fact, it is simply about the indolence, the carelessness of the Romanian officials who allowed themselves to play with the treasure and send it wherever they want, without caring about what might happen. And yes, we expect the Romanian authorities to start a criminal case and to conduct a very serious investigation regarding the European institutions," the ECR MEP continued.She also insisted on the inestimable cultural value of the artifacts in question, which "matter a lot to the Romanian people.""I would also be curious about which insurance company the insurance contract was made with for something like this and, furthermore, whether a reinsurance policy was also taken out, because that is how it is done in such cases, that is, the insurance company went and reinsured itself with another insurance company in case of theft. Because, if that is the case, the insurance company, although it currently owes money to the Romanian state, receives its money back through reinsurance," emphasized Georgiana Teodorescu. The golden helmet from Cotofenesti, dated to the 5th-4th centuries BC, and three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, from the second half of the 1st century BC, some of the most important artifacts in Romania's national heritage, were stolen from the Drents Museum in the Dutch town of Assen, at the end of last week.According to information provided by the management of the Drents Museum and the Dutch authorities, the break-in was carried out by using an explosive on the only exterior wall of the building. All the stolen pieces had been secured in accordance with Romanian legislation and international standards regarding the organization of exhibitions. The Romanian General Prosecutor's Office reported on Saturday that a criminal case had been drawn up ex officio in the case of the theft of the pieces from the Dacian treasure exhibited at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands.

MEP Georgiana Teodorescu calls for investigation into stolen Dacian artifacts

CITEȘTE ȘI / PE ACEEAȘI TEMĂ