Europe Meets eArchiving!
On 3 - 4 December 2019, eArchiving specialists and enthusiasts attended the workshop "Meet eArchiving" in Brussels, Belgium. Visit the workshop's webpage to see the agenda, speakers and see the presentations and (soon) recordings.
Meet eArchiving provided an opportunity for those interested in data archiving and preservation to learn how to apply eArchiving standards and specifications beyond National Archives. This workshop looked specifically at the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) eArchiving Building Block.
Over 120 people joined for the two-day workshop including 21 speakers and
538 participants via the live stream from places like Australia, Canada, the U.S., Singapore & Georgia.
The CEF eArchiving Building Block provides long-term information assurance by providing core specifications, reference software, training and service desk support for digital archiving, including digital preservation. The eArchiving Building Block is based on the outcomes of the E-ARK project (2014 - 2017). After the successful conclusion of the E-ARK project in 2017, the European Commission included its outcomes into the CEF programme to become the basis of the eArchiving Building Block.
Through the CEF programme, the European Commission promotes the reuse of strategic digital infrastructure - known as Building Blocks - that enable key capabilities across borders, such as electronic achieving, user authentication or electronic procurement etc.
During this workshop, participants reiterated their support for the adoption of eArchiving under the CEF programme, which took place in 2018. Participants noted that the adoption of this Building Block marked a milestone in driving forward eArchiving across the EU Member States, promoting the sustainable long-term management of data within organisations and fostering a single European data space, underpinning a Digital Single Market in Europe.
Participants provided detailed feedback in breakout sessions
Participants also remarked on how the standards promoted through the eArchiving Building Block are being used in National Archives and other public institutions. This is a significant boost for all kinds of Data Producers meaning they do not have to develop their own standards.
However, during the workshop participants informed representatives of the Commission that they felt there is a need for EU-level legislation on eArchiving. Several participants also noted that SMEs are not aware of the potential benefits of developing software products based on the eArchiving standard.
If you are interested in using eArchiving for a project of your own, we would be happy to help you get started.
The CEF programme supports a number of Building Blocks: Big Data Test Infrastructure, Context Broker, Archiving, eDelivery, eID, eInvoicing, eSignature and eTranslation. A European blockchain infrastructure (the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) will soon become a fully operational Building Block, and the Once Only Principle (OOP) is a preparatory action under CEF.