Posted on 25 February 2019
The European Free Trade Association’s (EFTA) audio-visual collection is now available for consultation. It covers the full forty years of EFTA history from the Stockholm Convention in 1960 through to the year 2000.
EFTA is an intergovernmental organisation which promotes free trade and economic integration between its members. Its main objective is the formation of a free trade area for the movement of goods among its member states.
Its audio-visual collection consists of over 8,909 items including positives, negatives, video tapes, films and cartoons. They were received by the HAEU separately from the paper fonds, which were deposited at the HAEU in two separate transfers in 2014 and 2016 . The original system of classification was respected, but it was supplemented with the creation of new series to facilitate greater access and retrieval for the user. The dossiers are organised chronologically and its photographs are linked to paper documents where possible, to maintain the wider context. To meet long-term preservation standards, the photos have been digitised and are stored in acid-free and lignin-free plastic enclosures.
This audio-visual collection offers researchers a greater insight into the history of EFTA. It contains a comprehensive record of the governance of EFTA including images of meetings; portraits of EFTA leaders and staff members; historic photographs of EFTA headquarters; signing of agreements; conferences, exhibitions and visits. Additionally, researchers can access corporate videos from the 1980s, TV debates, interviews and documentaries on EFTA’s accession to the European Economic Area.
The complete EFTA audio-visual fond can be accessed here.