Council conclusions of 20 November 2008 on the European digital library EUROPEANA
Date: 2008-11-20
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: access to information, cultural heritage, cultural policy, cultural transmission, digital technology, digitisation

C 319/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

13.12.2008

Council conclusions of 20 November 2008 on the European digital library EUROPEANA

(2008/C 319/07)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

cant disparities as to the progress of this process in the
Member States.

WHEREAS:

3. NOTES with satisfaction:

— the creation of

the European digital

library EUROPEANA,
which is an online common multilingual access point to
digital cultural material from the whole of Europe (books,
newspapers, photographs,
films and audiovisual works,
documents from archives, museum works, architectural and
archaeological heritage, etc.) provides an excellent opportu-
nity to showcase the cultural heritage of the Member States
and to provide access for everyone to that heritage,

— more generally, digitisation and online accessibility of
cultural material of the Member States and digital preserva-
tion are essential
to
inspire the creation of content and to encourage new online
services to emerge;
they help to democratise access to
culture and knowledge and to develop the information
society and the knowledge-based economy,

that cultural heritage,

to highlight

1. UNDERLINES:

— its commitment to the objectives, actions and timetables
defined, on the basis of the Commission Recommenda-
tion of 24 August 2006 (1),
in its conclusions of
13 November 2006 on the digitisation and online acces-
sibility of cultural material and digital preservation (2),

— the importance of undertaking work in the field of digiti-
sation, preservation and availability of content with full
respect for Community and international
legislation in
the field of intellectual property.

2. WELCOMES with interest:

— the European Parliament resolution of 27 September
2007 on ‘i2010: towards a European digital library’ (3),

— the Commission communication of 3 January 2008 on

creative content online in the single market, and

— the Commission communication of 11 August 2008
entitled ‘Europe's cultural heritage at the click of a mouse
— Progress on the digitisation and online accessibility of
the
cultural material and digital preservation across
EU’ (4), which stresses
the progress made in imple-
menting the Commission Recommendation and the
Council conclusions of 2006, while highlighting signifi-

(1) OJ L 236, 31.8.2006, p. 28.
(2) OJ C 297, 7.12.2006, p. 1.
(3) 2006/2040 (INI).
(4) Doc. 12580/08.

— the gradual establishment of the EUROPEANA European
digital library, reflected in the creation of the European
Digital Library Foundation in the Netherlands on
8 November 2007 and the launch of the prototype on
20 November 2008,

— the commitment of the Member States, cultural institu-
tions and more broadly those working on digitisation,
the online accessibility of cultural material, and digital
preservation,

— the Commission's support

for this project and more
in particular
the digitisation process,
generally for
through the eContent+ programme and the 7th Frame-
work Programme for Research and Technological Devel-
opment, the setting up in 2007 of the Member States'
Expert Group on Digitisation and Digital Preservation (5)
and in 2006 of the High Level Expert Group (6), and
indeed the launching of studies (7),

— the conclusion on 4 June 2008 by representatives of
libraries, archives, audiovisual archives and right holders,
under the auspices of
the Commission, of a Memor-
andum of Understanding on guidelines on diligent
search, as regards orphan works.

4. BELIEVES that the success and sustainability of EUROPEANA
and, more generally, the digitisation and online accessibility
of cultural material, and digital preservation processes under
way in the Member States will require:

— active sustained support for digitisation and the online
accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation,
so as to ensure that a diverse and high-quality range of
material
is available which represents the cultural and
linguistic diversity and the richness of intellectual heritage
of the Union,

— pursuing the elaboration of concerted practical solutions
respecting copyright and related rights, with a view to
the widest
contributing to the online accessibility of
range of cultural material,

(5) Commission Decision of 22 March 2007 (OJ L 119, 9.5.2007, p. 45).
(6) Commission Decision of 27 February 2006 (OJ L 46, 16.2.2006,

p. 32).

(7) Studies on progress in the digitisation of culture within the European
Union, on the socio-economic impact of long-term preservation of
digital resources, and on the socio-economic impact of public domain
resources.

13.12.2008

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 319/19

— the development of

technologies to ensure long-term
digital preservation, interoperability of the access systems
to content, multilingual navigation and availability of
content, and diverse and high-quality services to the
public,

— the definition of a sustainable economic model

for
EUROPEANA, and sustained support by all the parties
institutions, professionals, Member
involved — cultural
States and the Commission.

5.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES to:

— actively pursue in a sustained manner the implementa-
tion of their national strategies and targets developed in
line with the Council conclusions of 13 November 2006
on digitisation and online
cultural
material, and digital preservation,
in particular by the
definition, in this framework, of quantitative and qualita-
tive targets, and the mobilisation of the corresponding
resources,

accessibility of

institutions

— promote synergies between them and between the
various
involved in the digitisation and
online accessibility of cultural material and digital preser-
vation processes, in order to enrich the supply of digital
cultural material,

for

the

incorporation of digital

— continue their support, in the context of their national
cultural
strategies,
material in EUROPEANA, particularly by the promotion of
interoperability standards, the setting-up or improvement
of portals incorporating national content and, where
appropriate, by the definition of European themes for the
choice of such material, while respecting the priorities of
the cultural institutions involved in the project,

— take

into consideration the objective of

including
protected works in EUROPEANA and, to that end, while
respecting the
and Community
applicable national
systems of copyright and related rights, encourage the
conclusion of agreements — effective in a cross-border
context — between the parties concerned, with the aim
of contributing to the digitisation and online accessibility
of those works,

— establish mechanisms

to facilitate digitisation and
online access to orphan works and to out-of-print and
out-of-distribution works, while fully respecting right
holders' rights and interests.

6.

INVITES THE COMMISSION to:

— encourage and coordinate work to improve long-term
digital preservation and the interoperability of the access
systems to content,
inter alia through the exchange of
good practice and the dissemination of standards, and
support research and development regarding innovative
technologies, with a view in particular
to assuring
long-term preservation of digital cultural material, multi-
lingual navigation and access to that content, and the
development of new uses,

— examine the feasibility of

increasing financial support
through the existing Community programmes and within
the framework of the current financial perspective, for
the digitisation of cultural material from the Member
States with European added value and contributing to
EUROPEANA, while taking account as appropriate of
national strategies and targets,

— on the basis of reports from the Member States, evaluate
the progress of and prospects for EUROPEANA's develop-
ment, including economic and financial aspects, as well
as progress achieved within the Member States as regards
the digitisation and online
cultural
material and digital preservation, and report accordingly
to the European Parliament and the Council in 2010.

accessibility of

7.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION, within
their respective competences, to:

— encourage the development of EUROPEANA and work
alongside stakeholders, in particular through the Member
States' Expert Group on Digitisation and Digital Preserva-
to define an economic and governance model
tion,
ensuring its success and sustainability,

— actively promote EUROPEANA in Europe and through-
out
the world and encourage the establishment of
public-private partnerships which might help its develop-
ment, particularly as regards digitisation and the online
accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation.

8.

INVITES THE ‘EUROPEAN DIGITAL LIBRARY’ FOUNDATION to:

— work closely with the Member States, the Commission
institutions, while respecting their
and the cultural
various
responsibilities, with a view to defining an
economic and governance model ensuring the success
and sustainability of EUROPEANA.