About the Historical Archives

"The common European memory is best captured and preserved in the Historical Archives of the European Union, where documents of the Institutions of the European Union are kept along with the papers of pioneers and visionaries, of political leaders, and of the numerous European voices from movements, associations and political groups."

Dieter Schlenker

Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union

Key figures 2023

Archival deposits

In 2012, the HAEU moved into the historic Villa Salviati, a state-of-the-art archives facility with 11,000 linear meters of shelving available. The Villa offers magnificent views of the Tuscan countryside from Fiesole to Florence.

• 327 fonds, 10,100 linear meters for a total of 704,796 archival files.

Books and documentation

• 15,014 volumes
• 551 doctoral theses including some based on HAEU archival fonds
• E-Resources (DORIE, Agence Europe…)
• ‘Official Journal of the European Union’ (from 1952 to 1999 in all EU languages).
• ‘Debates of European Parliament’ (1952 until 1999).

Audio-visual and Artefacts collection

• 71,749 photographs, 2,257 posters and 800 maps
• 8,257 audio recordings and 963 oral history interviews
• 1,354 video recordings and films
• 334 digitised and described artefacts

Holdings

• 949,548 total items in the Digital Archives Management System
• 704,796 archival files
• 206,961 digitalised text files
• 20,858 digital images

Access figures

• 958 research sessions
• 263 new registered users in the reading room
• 448,006  visits on the archival database
• 77,700 visits on the Archives' public website
• 8,444 files requested in the reading room; 22,580 files downloaded

 

Find out more in our latest brochure:

Mission

Preserve and make accessible for research the archives deposited by EU institutions according to the thirty-year rule governing access to archival material, collect and preserve private papers of individuals, movements and international organizations involved in European integration, facilitate research on the history of the European Union, promote public interest in European integration and enhance transparency in the functioning of EU Institutions.

History

The HAEU was established in 1983 following the regulation by the Council of the European Communities and the decision by the Commission of the European Communities to open their historical archives to the public. A subsequent agreement in 1984 between the European Commission and the European University Institute (EUI) laid the groundwork for establishing the Archives in Florence, and the HAEU opened its doors to researchers and the public in 1986. Since then, a joint declaration by European Commission President Romano Prodi and EUI President Yves Meny on 27 September 2004 and a series of Framework Partnership Agreements since 2011 between the EUI and the European Commission reinforced the Historical Archives’ role in preserving and providing access to the archival holdings of the EU Institutions. In March 2015 the Council of the European Union amended the Archives Regulation 354 of 1983 by adopting a new Council Regulation. The most recent Framework Partnership Agreement was signed on 17 March 2023, setting the strategic frame for enhanced cooperation and partnership between the HAEU and the EU Institutions for a period of five years.

HAEU Quality Management System

The HAEU provides consistent and high-quality services to its users. In this view, it engaged in a project seeking certification to the ISO 9001 quality management standard. More information here.

HAEU Code of Archival Ethics

The HAEU outlines the principles of ethical behaviour to which it adheres regarding professional integrity, archival processing and accessibility to and use of its holdings in its Code of Archival Ethics.