TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTS SERIES 14-114

________________________________________________________________________

CULTURAL PROPERTY

Memorandum of Understanding

Between the UNITED STATES OF 

AMERICA and BULGARIA

Signed at Sofia January 14, 2014
 NOTE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 Pursuant to Public Law 89—497, approved July 8, 1966

(80 Stat. 271; 1 U.S.C. 113)—

“. . .the Treaties and Other International Acts Series issued

under the authority of the Secretary of State shall be competent

evidence . . . of the treaties, international agreements other than

treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and

international agreements other than treaties, as the case may be, 

therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and of maritime

jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the

United States, and of the several States, without any further proof

or authentication thereof.”
 BULGARIA

Cultural Property

 Memorandum of understanding signed at 

 Sofia January 14, 2014;

 Entered into force January 14, 2014.

 
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

AND

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

CONCERNING THE IMPOSITION OF IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

ON CATEGORIES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL

AND

ECCLESIASTICAL ETHNOLOGICAL MATERIAL

OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of

Bulgaria;

Acting pursuant to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting

and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property,

to which both countries are States Party; and

Desiring to reduce the incentive for pillage of irreplaceable archaeological and

ethnological material representing Bulgaria's rich cultural heritage;

Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE I

1. The Government of the United States of America, in accordance with its

legislation entitled the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, shall restrict

the importation into the United States of (1) archaeological material ranging in date from

7500 B.C. to approximately 1750 A.D. including categories of stone, metal, ceramic,

bone, ivory, other organics, wood, glass, faience, paintings and mosaics, and (2)

ecclesiastical ethnological material ranging in date from 681 A.D. to approximately 1750

A.D. including categories of stone, metal, bone, ivory, textiles, wood, glass, parchment,

painting, mosaics, and other material identified on a list to be promulgated by the United

States Government (hereinafter referred to as the Designated List), unless the

Government of the Republic of Bulgaria issues a license which certifies that such

exportation was not in violation of its laws.

2. The Government of the United States of America shall offer for return to the

Government of the Republic of Bulgaria any material on the Designated List forfeited to

the Government of the United States of America.

3. Such import restrictions shall become effective on the date the Designated List is

published by the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. Federal Register, the

official United States Government publication providing fair public notice.

ARTICLE II

1. The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the

Republic of Bulgaria shall seek to publicize this Memorandum of Understanding and the

reasons for it, through various means available including social media.

2. The Government of the United States of America shall use its best efforts to

facilitate technical assistance to Bulgaria on the subjects of site security, cultural resource

management, prevention of looting at museums and other institutions, and prevention of

smuggling, as appropriate under existing programs in the public and/or private sectors.

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3. The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall continue its efforts to identify

and register cultural property, with particular attention to the ethnological materials in the

stewardship of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria and other registered religious groups, as

a means of increasing the protection against pillage and facilitating the recovery of stolen

objects.

4. The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall use its best efforts to

document, track, and publicize incidents of theft and looting, and promptly report them to

national and international authorities.

5. Regarding export permits, the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall

(1) gather and track statistics on the number of such permits requested and issued for both

temporary and permanent export of cultural property pursuant to existing laws and

regulations; and (2) ensure that the process of applying for such permits of export and

temporary export is accessible and clear.

6. The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall expand its educational and

outreach initiatives in support of the importance of protecting and preserving the cultural

heritage of Bulgaria into schools and to the general public. Noting that Bulgaria's

museums are well-placed to undertake these initiatives, the Government of the United

States of America shall use its best efforts to facilitate training in museum education to

Bulgaria, as appropriate under existing programs in the public and/or private sectors.

7. Both Governments agree that, in order for United States' import restrictions to be

successful in deterring pillage, the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall

strengthen enforcement of its own cultural heritage protection laws, aiming: (1) to

increase the overall number of prosecutions; (2) to hand out meaningful sentences or

punishments; and (3) to put into effect and implement the necessary administrative and

punitive measures against the unauthorized use of metal detectors in archaeological

reserves and other areas known to contain cultural assets.

8. The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria shall use its best efforts to

encourage its museums to lend archaeological and ethnological materials of the types

covered by this Memorandum of Understanding to U.S. museums and institutions for the

exhibitions and for other scholarly or cultural initiatives, for the maximum time currently

allowed under Bulgarian law.

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ARTICLE III

The obligations of both Governments and the activities carried out under this

Memorandum of Understanding shall be subject to the laws and regulations of each

Government, as applicable, including the availability of funds.

ARTICLE IV

1. This Memorandum of Understanding shall enter into force upon signature. It

shall remain in force for a period of five years, unless extended.

2. This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended through an exchange of

diplomatic notes.

3. The effectiveness of this Memorandum of Understanding shall be subject to

review in order to determine, before the expiration of the five-year period of this

Memorandum of Understanding, whether it should be extended.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized by their respective

Governments, have signed the present Memorandum of Understanding.

DONE at Sofia, this 14th day of January, 2014, in duplicate, in the English and Bulgarian

languages, both texts being equally authentic.

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: THE P BLIC OF BULGARIA:

<A.A._ &C.:-

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