Council Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 amending Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 as regards the deposit of the historical archives of the institutions at the European University Institute in Florence

25.3.2015 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 79/1
COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2015/496
of 17 March 2015
amending Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 as regards the deposit of the historical archives of the institutions at the European University Institute in Florence
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 352 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,
Acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure,
Whereas:
(1) In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (1), the historical archives of the Union are preserved and are made available to the public wherever possible after the expiry of a period of 30 years.
(2) The obligation to establish historical archives and make them available to the public wherever possible is applicable to each of the institutions referred to in Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 (‘the institutions’) under the conditions set out therein.
(3) Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 provides that each institution may hold its historical archives in whatever place it considers most appropriate.
(4) In 1984, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission decided to deposit their historical archives at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence where they are made available to the public. A contract between the European Communities, represented by the Commission, and the EUI was signed for this purpose on 17 December 1984 (‘the deposit contract’).
(5) The European Economic and Social Committee and the European Court of Auditors have since agreed to adhere to the terms of the deposit contract. The European Investment Bank deposits its historical archives at the EUI under a separate Convention with the EUI which was signed on 1 July 2005 and under the Rules on historical archives which were adopted by the Bank's Management Committee on 7 October 2005 (2).
(6) The Italian government has made suitable premises available on a permanent basis and free of charge to the EUI to ensure that the deposited archives are preserved and protected in accordance with recognised international standards and to provide the possibility for on-site consultation.
(7) The purpose of the deposit of the historical archives of the institutions at the EUI is to provide access to these archives from a single location, to promote their consultation and to stimulate research into the history of European integration and the European institutions. The EUI is a renowned centre of academic research and learning with a focus on Europe and European integration. It has almost 30 years of experience in managing the historical archives of the Union, provides state-of-the-art repository and research facilities built expressly for the preservation and consultation of those archives, and has an international reputation as the centre for those archives.
(8) The continued deposit of the historical archives of the institutions at the EUI should be incorporated into Union legislation in order to reflect the role of the EUI as a partner of the institutions in the management of their historical archives.
(9) This Regulation should apply to all institutions, and should not alter their responsibility to open their historical archives to the public nor the ownership by each institution of its historical archives.
(10) However, the specific nature of the activities of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Central Bank (ECB) justifies their exclusion from the obligation set out in this Regulation to deposit their historical archives at the EUI. The CJEU and the ECB may deposit their historical archives at the EUI on a voluntary basis.
(11) The institutions and EUI should, where possible, make the historical archives available to the public in digitised and digital form, so as to facilitate their consultation on the internet.
(12) Personal data contained in the historical archives of the Union deposited at the EUI should be processed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (3).
(13) The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted by the Commission in relation to the legislation proposal that has led to this Regulation, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, and delivered an opinion thereon on 10 October 2012 (4).
(14) Detailed provisions for the management of the historical archives at the EUI, including their deposit, access and public consultation, as well as the mutual roles and responsibilities of the institutions and of the EUI, should be set out in a framework partnership agreement.
(15) The costs for managing the historical archives of the Union by the EUI should be financed from the general budget of the Union and those costs should be borne by all depositing institutions.
(16) Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 should therefore be amended accordingly,