Requests for unprocessed files. Requests to consult records not yet open under the thirty-year rule. Requests requiring near-superhuman recall to navigate more than 130,000 linear metres of records.
How do colleagues from the Historical Archives Service of the European Commission (HAEC) in Brussels bridge the gap between depositing Directorates-General (DGs) and the internal and external users who need to consult archives not yet available at the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU)?
Staff at the HAEU gained valuable insights thanks to the visit by Paqui Ciudad Rodriguez and Flore Plisnier, archivists from HAEC’s Research and Communication team. In Florence, they outlined their work and exchanged views with their HAEU colleagues on user services, enhancing the visibility of archival resources, and strengthening public outreach. They also brought news from the HAEC about upcoming future deposits.
Peers and partners
As Paqui Ciudad Rodriguez noted, the HAEC and the HAEU share a mission: to promote and provide access to the archives of the European institutions. “Together, we are closest to the users,” she emphasised.
At the HAEC, those users include staff within the Institutions—who may request archival material for corporate governance, business continuity or contributions to Access to Documents requests—as well as scholars, journalists, lawyers and private citizens.
A key difference is that HAEC receives all files from the Commission’s DGs and Services designated for preservation and public consultation—massive transfers amounting to kilometres of shelving warehoused in a facility near Brussels. Not all files have been processed within thirty years, however, so it is the team’s cumulative knowledge and expertise that makes many requests possible to fulfil. “It is very important to have historians working in the archives,” stressed Flore Plisnier. Deep familiarity with institutional history is often essential to track down requested documents.
The archives–research connection
Paqui Ciudad Rodriguez and Flore Plisnier also underlined the importance of close collaboration between archivists and researchers and took the opportunity to meet academics on the EUI campus.
“It is important to work hand-in-hand with scholars, so we know what they need. Our treatment of archival fonds follows a yearly work programme; researchers’ input helps us decide which files could be processed first,” said Flore Plisnier. At the same time, the archivists are fundamental in helping scholars successfully navigate the fonds. “We can offer guidance if it becomes clear that their research approach is misdirected.”
While the HAEU is the single depository for the European institutions according to the thirty-years rule, the reading room services at the HAEC give users at least the possibility of consulting records that are open to the public but still not ready for transfer. “This is their only option, otherwise they have to wait for the transfer to Florence.”
As both visitors and HAEU colleagues agreed, true satisfaction comes when a thesis or book—shaped in part by archival research—is completed. “We keep them on a shelf in the reading room,” noted Flore Plisnier. “We are gratified by their success.”
Outreach
The Brussels team’s visit was also an opportunity to learn more about the HAEU’s outreach activities, from exhibitions and online dissemination to its education programme. Both organisations share the challenge of making archival work visible beyond the reading room, while also informing and engaging a broader public with the history of European integration.
The exchange in Florence offered a chance to reflect on these and other challenges, and sparked ideas for future collaboration on initiatives to reach wider audiences together, such as digital exhibits or conferences. It also underscored the value of meeting in person, which adds momentum to long-distance working relationships.