Proposal for a Council recommendation on priority actions to increase cooperation in the field of archives in Europe
Date: 2005-02-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: archives, cultural policy, heritage protection, information technology

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.02.2005 
COM(2005) 53 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 

on priority actions to increase cooperation in the field of archives in Europe 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

On  6  May  2003  the  Council  of  Ministers  of  the  European  Union  issued  a  resolution  on 
archives in the Member States.1 This resolution invited the Commission to convene a group of 
experts,  which  was  also  to  be  representative  of  the  new  Member  States,  with  the  aim  of 
examining a number of issues concerning the situation of archives in the European Union and 
to  present  a  report  to  the  Council  that  would  include  orientations  for  increased  future  co-
operation on archives at the European level. 

The  Resolution  of  6  May  2003  builds  on  an  earlier  Council  resolution  on  archives  of  14 
November  19912.  This  resolution  of  14  November  1991  led  to  a  report  from  a  group  of 
experts,  Archives  in  the  European  Union3,  which  was  presented  to  the  Council  in  1993. 
Further to this report the Council, in its Conclusions of 17 June 19944, stressed the importance 
of archives as part of Europe’s cultural heritage and agreed on the importance of greater co-
operation  in  the  field  of  archives.  These  Council  conclusions  were  an  important  catalyst  in 
promoting co-operation between archives services in Europe during the past ten years. 

Since  1993  information  and  communication  technologies  have  made  continuous  and  rapid 
progress  with  direct  effects  on  document  and  archives  management.  Moreover  during  this 
period  the  European  Union  expanded  from  12  to  25  Member  States.  Many  of  the  Member 
States  and  indeed  the  Institutions  of  the  European  Union  itself  have  enacted  numerous 
legislative  changes  with  a  view  to  granting  citizens  greater  access  to  information  and 
documents.  The  importance  of  the  flow  of  information  across  borders  has  also  greatly 
increased. These developments have had significant consequences for document and archives 
management and have led to a greater awareness for the need to increase co-operation in this 
field between the Member States and the EU Institutions. 

The Commission therefore welcomed the Council resolution of 6 May 2003 as an opportunity 
to  address  the  issues  facing  document  and  archives  management  in  the  enlarged  European 
Union. In response to the Council resolution a group comprising of experts from each of the 
25  Member  States  assisted  the  Commission  in  preparing  the  Report  on  Archives  in  the 
enlarged European Union. This Report is presented to the Council together with the attached 
draft  Commission  proposal  for  a  Council  recommendation  concerning  priority  actions  for 
increased co-operation on archives in Europe. 

The  Report  describes  the  current  situation  of  public  archives  in  the  Member  States  and  the 
Institutions  of  the  European  Union  as  well  as  the  probable  evolution  of  document  and 
archives management and the role of archive services in the 21st century. 

In accordance with  the  Council  resolution of 6 May  2003, the Report includes a  number of 
orientations for increased future cooperation on archives as well as suggestions for concrete 
actions in the field of archives at the European level.5  

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OJ C113 of 13.5.2003 
OJ C314 of 5.12.1991 
OPOCE, 1994, ISBN 92-826-8233-1 
OJ C235 of 23.8.1994 
For more details, see the attached Executive Summary of the Report 

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The proposed priority actions mentioned in the Report include measures to prevent, limit or 
restore  damage  to  documents  or  loss  of  archives  through  natural  and  other  catastrophes 
drawing on the lessons from natural catastrophes such as the flooding that recently occurred 
in different European countries. It is also proposed to improve the preservation of documents 
and  archives  including  measures  to  promote  standards  and  specifications  for  archival 
buildings and repositories. Co-operation on archives should be strengthened especially in the 
area  of  authenticity,  long  term  preservation  and  accessibility  of  electronic  documents  and 
archives.  There  are  also  suggestions  that  measures  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  theft  of 
archives  and  putting  in  place  arrangements  for  the  recovery  of  stolen  documents.  It 
furthermore proposes the creation of an EU gateway to the archival heritage of the enlarged 
Union  in  order  to  provide  easier  and  trans-border  access  to  archives  for  citizens  of  the 
European Union. 

These priority actions are to be implemented through enhanced co-ordination, information 
sharing and exchange of good practice at the European level. To this end the Report proposes 
the creation of an Archivists Group of the EU Member States and EU Institutions. This Group 
would ensure the exchange of information and seek further co-operation in the field of 
archives on the basis of consensus and in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity. It would 
focus on the concrete actions indicated in the report and in particular on the priority actions 
mentioned above. The Archivists Group envisages to produce, after a period of three years, a 
first progress report on these priority actions on archives in Europe. 

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 

on priority actions to increase cooperation in the field of archives in Europe 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular  the 
second indent of Article 151(5) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

As  a  result  of  the  Resolution  of  the  Council  and  the  Ministers  of  Culture  meeting 
within the Council of 14 November 1991 on arrangements concerning archives6, and 
Council  Conclusions  of  17 June  1994  concerning  greater  cooperation  in  the  field  of 
archives7,  initial  progress  has  been  made  towards  greater  cooperation  between  the 
Member States in the field of archives. 

The Council Resolution of 6 May 2003 on archives in the Member States8 stressed the 
importance of archives for the understanding of the history and culture of Europe and 
for the democratic functioning of society within the framework of the enlargement of 
the Union on 1 May 2004. 

(3)  Multidisciplinary  forums  have  been  held  within  a  Community  framework  on  the 
problems  involved  in  the  management,  storage,  preservation  and  retrieval  of 
machine-readable  data,  with  the  participation  of  public  administrations  and  national 
archives services, as well as representatives of industry and research. 

(4) 

(5) 

The Council Resolution of 6 May 2003 stressed the need for further development of 
information  and  communications  technologies  applications  and  solutions  in  the  field 
of archives. 

The  Commission  underlines  the  work  done  by  the  institutions  of  the  Union  in  the 
specific  field  of  film  archives  in  Europe,  including  the  Council  Resolution  of  24 
November 2003 9 on the deposit of cinematographic works in the European Union and 
the  Commission  Proposal  for  a  Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of 
the Council on film heritage and the competitiveness of related industrial activities of 
16 March 2004. 

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OJ C 314, 5.12.1991, p. 2. 
OJ C 235, 23.8.1994, p. 3. 
OJ C 113, 13.5.2003, p. 2. 
OJ C 295, 5.12.2003, p.5. 

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(6) 

In the Resolution of 6 May 2003 the Council also invited the Commission to submit a 
report  on  the  current  situation  and  future  development  of  archives  in  the  enlarged 
Union. The “Report on archives in the enlarged European Union”, which was drawn 
up by a group of experts from the Member States and was completed in June 2004, is a 
sound  basis  for  the  further  development  of  archives  in  Europe.  It  includes,  at  the 
Council’s  request,  proposals  for  practical  actions  and  guidelines  with  a  view  to 
increasing cooperation at European level in the field of archives, 

HEREBY RECOMMENDS: 

A. 

The following measures in the field of archives should be carried out by the Member 
States  and  the  institutions  of  the  Union  over  the  next  few  years,  in  the  order  of 
priority indicated: 

(1)  Preservation of and prevention of damage to archives in Europe: 

– 

– 

– 

development  of  a  model  action  plan  to  promote  damage-prevention 
measures  for  documents  and  archives  in  the  context  of  natural 
catastrophes and other harmful incidents. 

promotion  of  Community-wide  actions  for 
restoration of damaged documents and archives. 

the  preservation  and 

establishment  and  promotion,  by  the  national  archives  services  of  the 
Member States and the archives services of the institutions of the Union, 
of  standards  and  specifications  for  the  construction  of  new  archives 
purpose built buildings. 

(2)  Reinforcement  of  European 
documents and archives: 

interdisciplinary  cooperation  on  electronic 

– 

increase  in  cooperation  on  safeguarding  the  authenticity,  long-term 
preservation  and  availability  of  electronic  documents  and  archives,  in 
particular by updating and extending the current requirements for setting 
up electronic document and archive management systems such as MoReq 
(Model requirements for electronic documents and archives management 
systems), which promote better public administration and by continuing 
to organise DLM10 Forums on electronic documents and archives. 

(3)  Establishment  and  maintenance  of  an  Internet  Gateway  for  documents  and 

archives in Europe: 

– 

provision,  through  the  national  archives  services  of  the  Member  States 
and the archives services of the institutions of the Union, of an Internet 
Gateway which would give easier and cross-border access to documents 
and  archives  of  the  Member  States  and  institutions  of  the  Union.  That 
Internet  Gateway  could  be  hosted  by  the  national  archives  service  of  a 
Member State. 

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DLM= Document Lifecycle Management 

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(4)  Promotion  of  best  practice  with  regard  to  national  and  European  law  on  the 

management of, and access to, documents and archives: 

– 

– 

the  national  archives  services  of  the  Member  States  and  the  archives 
services  of  the  institutions  of  the  Union  should  monitor  new  draft 
legislation in that field to be enacted in any of the Member States, with 
the aim of seeking best practices especially with regard to requirements 
for the management of and access to documents and archives. 

link  data  on  archival  legislation  and  other  related  laws  at  national  and 
Community  level  and  facilitate  consultation  thereof  by  setting  up  a 
database  in  order  to  encourage  dissemination  of  that  legislation.  That 
database  could  be  hosted  by  the  national  archives  service  of  a  Member 
State. 

(5)  Adoption of measures to prevent the theft of archival documents: 

– 

development  of  an  action  plan  and  common  guidelines  by  the  national 
archives services of the Member States that will allow for the exchange 
of information and best practices in order to combat the theft of archival 
documents and to promote the recovery of stolen documents. 

B. 

C. 

D. 

The  Member  States  and  the  institutions  of  the  Union  should  jointly  promote  the 
implementation of the priority measures identified in the “Report on archives in the 
enlarged  European  Union”  of  June  2004  and  referred  to  in  point  A  of  this 
recommendation.  It  is  not  expected  that  the  implementation  of  those  measures  will 
have budgetary implications for the Union. 

A  European  Archives  Group  comprising  experts  from  the  Member  States  and  the 
institutions  of  the  Union  should  be  set  up  in  order  to  ensure  cooperation  and 
coordination  on  general  matters  relating  to  archives  and  follow-up  of  the  work 
referred to in the “Report on archives in the enlarged European Union” of June 2004, 
and in particular the priority measures referred to in point A of this recommendation.  

At  the  latest  three  years  after  the  date  of  publication  of  this  recommendation  the 
European Archives Group should present a progress report on implementation of the 
priority measures referred to in point A. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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