Council Recommendation of  14 November 2005  on priority actions to increase cooperation in the field of archives in Europe
Date: 2005-11-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: archives, cultural policy, data processing, document management

29.11.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 312/55

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 14 November 2005

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

(2005/835/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(6)

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)

(3)

(4)

(5)

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
archives (1), and the Council Conclusions of 17 June
1994 concerning greater cooperation in the field of
archives (2),
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 States (3) 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.

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.

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

The Commission highlights the work done by the insti-
tutions of the Union in the specific field of film archives
including the Council Resolution of 24
in Europe,
November 2003 (4) on the deposit of cinematographic
works in the European Union and the Recommendation
of the European Parliament and of the Council on film
heritage and the competitiveness of related industrial
activities which will be adopted before the end of 2005.

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

‘Report on archives

In its 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
in the
enlarged European Union’, which was drawn up by a
group of experts from the Member States and adopted
in February 2005 (5),
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. A European Archives Group, comprising experts designated
by the Member States and the institutions of the Union,
should ensure cooperation and coordination on general
the work
matters relating to archives and follow-up of
referred to in the ‘Report on archives in the enlarged
European Union’ of February 2005, and in particular the
priority measures referred to in point B of this Recommen-
dation. Where and when appropriate, the European Archives
Group should also cooperate with other relevant European
networks such as the National Representatives Group on
Digitisation and the European Bureau of Library,
Infor-
mation and Documentation (EBLIDA).

B. The following measures in the field of archives:

1. preservation of and prevention of damage to archives in

Europe:

— development of a model action plan by the European
Archives Group to promote damage prevention
measures for documents and archives in the context
of natural catastrophes and other harmful incidents,

— promotion by the European Archives Group of
Community-wide actions for the preservation and
restoration of damaged documents and archives,

services of

and promotion, by

— establishment
the national
the Member States and the
archives
archives services of the institutions of the Union, of
standards and specifications for the construction of
new purpose built premises for archives;

(5) COM(2005) 52 final.

L 312/56

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

29.11.2005

2. reinforcement of European interdisciplinary cooperation
on electronic documents and archives to be further
framework of
developed,
the
Council Work Plan for Culture,
in particular regarding
the coordination of digitalisation (1):

including within the

— increase in cooperation on safeguarding the authen-
ticity, long-term preservation and availability of elec-
tronic documents and archives,
in particular by
updating and extending the current requirements for
archive
setting
up
management
(Model
such
requirements for electronic documents and archives
management systems), which promote better public
to organise
administration,
DLM (2)
and
archives;

and by
forums on electronic

and
as MoReq

electronic
systems

documents

continuing

document

3. establishment and maintenance of an Internet portal for

documents and archives in Europe as a priority:

— provision, through the national archives services of
the Member States and the archives services of the
institutions of the Union, of an Internet portal which
would give
to
documents and archives of the Member States and
institutions of the Union. That Internet portal could
the European Union
be hosted either on one of
computer servers or by the national archives service
of a Member State;

and cross-border

access

easier

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 identifying best practices especially with regard to
requirements for the management of and access to
documents and archives,

take into account the work undertaken within the
framework of
the European legal data project,
promoted by the European branch of the Interna-
tional Archives Council, EURBICA, as indicated in
the ‘Report on Archives in the enlarged European
Union’ (priority action 4.2);

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 facilitate the
recovery of stolen documents.

the work of

framework of

take account of

set up within the

C. 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 February 2005 and referred to in
point B of this Recommendation. The implementation of
the
priority measures will
groups
the EBNA
(European Board of National Archivists), notably with
respect to cooperation in the fields of security and conser-
vation of archives and putting into place a European infor-
mation access portal. The adoption of this Recommendation
and the implementation of these measures do not in them-
selves imply a commitment of new budgetary resources by
either the European Union or the Member States. Where
possible and in accordance with the relevant procedures,
the
existing
programmes, to support projects aimed at the implemen-
tation of those measures.

European Union will

endeavour, under

D. At the latest three years after the date of publication of this
the European Archives Group should
the
report on implementation of

Recommendation,
present
priority measures referred to in point B.

a progress

— 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 either on one of the
European Union computer servers or by the national
archives service of a Member State. It is advisable to

Done at Brussels, 14 November 2005.

For the Council
The President

T. JOWELL

(1) Council conclusions on the Work Plan for Culture 2005-2006 (doc.

13839/04).

(2) DLM = Document lifecycle management.