F.E.N.A.P. The Federation of European Professional Numismatic Associations.

It was F.E.N.A.P. (The Federation of European Professional Numismatic Associations) that persuaded Martin Zeile to expose Bavaria's lack of readiness to combat the flow of illegally exported coins across its borders and to take on the US government. Who are they? Despite its pretensions to have numismatic clout, it seems they are a relatively secretive organization, having no obvious website of their own, setting out its organizational structure, aims and whether or not it has a Code of Ethics. According to the BNTA website FENAP is an organisation for numismatic trade associations in EC countries formed in 1991.

The purpose of this new (sic) body is to work together for a common system of value added tax on coins within the EEC, to pass on details of stolen property and counterfeits, to liaise on auction and coin fair dates and other matters which would be appropriate for such a group following the opening of the single European market on 1st January 1993.

...it apparently considers one of these other matters to be attempting to prevent the US government applying measures laid down in the 1983 CCPIA (the legislation enacted in 1983 to implement the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970). I think we may conclude from this that FNAP does not consider such means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property particularly helpful for the coin trade.

FENAP's members are given on one website as: the Verband Österreichischer Müntenzhändler (VOM); Association Belgo-Luxembourgeoise des Numismates Professionels (ABLNP), the Danish 'Monthandler-Sammenslutningen af 1975' (MSA-75); France is represented by the Syndicat National des Experts Numismates et Numismates Professionnels (SNENNP); Then there is the VDM (Verband de Deutschen Munzenhandler); Numismatici Italiani Professionisti (NIP); the Nederlandse Vereniging van Munthandelaren (NVMH); Asociacion Española de Numismaticos Profesionales (AENP); the Sveriges Mynthandlares Förening (SMF); Britain is represented by the BNTA (British Numismatic Trade Association) while the Swiss VSM (Verband Schweizer Munzenhandler) is an associate member since Switzerland is not a mamber of the EU.

Oddly there seems to be nobody from European Union Member States: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, in FENAP. Perhaps many of them are treated as source countries for dugups and it would be problematic giving them a voice.