Sandrine Bonnet and Julie Urbain from the European Commission, and Chiara Casadio and Miriam Jurisova from the European Council, came to Florence on 16 and 17 October for in-person meetings at the Historical Archives of the EU. As partners in the archival workflows that ensure the public’s eventual access to the historical archives of the European institutions, the archivists used the meetings to share information, tackle problems and resolve pending issues, not to mention visit the deposits and reading room of the HAEU at Villa Salviati.
A shared agenda
Julie Urbain, who is Archives Manager at the Historical Archives of European Commission, explained that the Commission and the Historical Archives are currently working together on a reorganization project involving the Commission’s fonds. The reorganization is complex on both sides, but Julie was pleased with the outcome of the visit, which had been delayed due to the pandemic. “The archivists at the HAEU are friendly, well-prepared and motivated to understand and resolve specific problems related to the Commission’s fonds,” she said.
In addition to the satisfaction of making inroads on the reorganization project, both Julie and Sandrine appreciated the chance to visit the HAEU in Villa Salviati, where the archives are made available to the public. In speaking with them, it is clear that the importance of archives for history continues to inspire them. “It gives meaning to our work,” explained Sandrine, who is in charge of the processing team in Brussels and takes care, with Julie, of the Commission’s relationship with the HAEU.
The big picture
For both Chiara Casadio and Miriam Jurisova, the October visit is the first time they have had the chance to visit the HAEU and meet their HAEU contacts in person. While Miriam has worked in the Council for nearly two decades, Chiara is a relative newcomer, having joined the Council’s archives services in 2022. Both are involved in a large recently launched concerning the reorganisation of the structure of the Council's archive fonds, which allowed Miriam to shift her main tasks from digitalization to the archive processing area.
Regular exchanges like this are essential for the success of ongoing and future projects of the Council in collaboration with the HAEU. For both archivists, the visit to the HAEU was an encounter with the end-product of their work, an effort that permits researchers and the public to access the history of the European institutions.
Pictured, from left: Sandrine Bonnet (European Commission), Gherardo Bonino (HAEU), Dieter Schlenker (HAEU), Juan Alonso (HAEU), Mary Carr (HAEU), Agnès Brouet (HAEU), Julie Urbain (European Commission), Miriam Jurisova (European Council) and Chiara Casadio (European Council).