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Since its establishment in 1983, the purpose of the Historical Archives Service of the European Commission has been to communicate, in accordance with the rules, the European Commission’s historical heritage as part of the common cultural heritage. There are 40 people working there. The reading room, located in Brussels, is easily accessible.
The tasks of the Historical Archives Service are:
Thus the Historical Archives Service is the bridge between the Commission on the one hand and the research community and the public on the other hand. This is shown by the diversity of its users: staff from the Commission and the Institutions, as well as national authorities, academics, journalists, lawyers, etc. The requests made by researchers are varied: some want one specific document, others need numerous files to enable them to carry out extensive research. This service can be considered the guardian of the European Commission’s documentary heritage and therefore makes a vital contribution to building the future of the European Union.
Archiving process:
The legal basis for the archive services of the European institutions is Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83, amended by Regulation 1700/2003 and Regulation 496/2015.