National Archives Preparatory Mission

The scope of the National Archives Preparatory Mission covers all archives of public interest in the Principality, including:

• Public archives, defined in Sovereign Ordinance no. 8.569 of 25 March 2021 on archives of public interest as being documents and data resulting from the activity of the State’s executive branch, the administrative activity of the State outside its executive branch (National Council, Department of Justice, Diocese, independent administrative authorities and other public sector bodies which are not established as legal entities), the Commune, public institutions, private bodies who hold or have been granted a concession, responsibility for the provision of a public service or general interest remit, and the activity of court bailiffs and notaries in their capacity as public or legal officials
• Heritage archives, which fall under the scope of moveable cultural property as defined by Act No. 1.446 dated 12/06/2017 on the preservation of national heritage

The two types of archive overlap since public archives, once they become "definitive" (permanently retained "in the public interest, particularly for scientific, historical, heritage or statistical research purposes"), are considered to be heritage archives where they have "significance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science". Among other things. Act no. 1.446 of 12 June 2017 stipulates that the heritage archives in their entirety must be inventoried. The abovementioned Sovereign Ordinance sets out the content of these inventories.

Role

• Implementation of Sovereign Ordinance no. 8.569 of 25 March 2021 on archives of public interest, with operational assistance from the Central Records Office (SCADA), and the State’s executive branch
• Modernisation of the State archives and harmonisation of archiving practices
• Development of legislation and regulation on archives of public interest in the Principality, in partnership with the Department of Legal Affairs
• Creation of a National Archives Office with a remit to collect, conserve, classify, oversee, advise and communicate (including mediation and promotion)
• Development of digital archiving in partnership with the Interministerial Delegation for Digital Transition and Monaco Cyber Security Agency

The National Archives Preparatory Mission works with the Public Interest Archives Consultative Committee  an advisory body created by the aforementioned Sovereign Ordinance which is chaired by Mr Jean-Charles Curau and for which the Director of the National Archives Preparatory Mission acts as the Deputy Chair. The National Archives Preparatory Mission can offer recommendations to the Public Interest Archives Consultative Committee to "guide or improve management, conservation, maintenance of inventories, communication, sharing, reuse and promotion relating to archives of public interest".

The Sovereign Ordinance no. 8.569 of 25 March 2021 on archives of public interest also sets out additional aspects of the National Archives Preparatory Mission’s role, aimed at other producers and holders of archives of public interest:

• For the State’s executive branch, technical and scientific oversight of the public archives to "ensure the security of documents and respect for the unity and integrity of collections", with operational assistance from the Central Records Office:
  • Advice and recommendations, including on conditions for preserving documents and data, search tools, compatibility of processing systems and promotion of archival heritage 
  • Visits to the locations where documents and data belonging to retaining departments are produced and preserved 
  • Validation of archive standards (which define, for each type of document and data, the length of administrative value and disposal actions – destruction, sorting/weeding for permanent retention, full permanent retention) developed by departments within the executive branch for their current and intermediate archives with the Central Records Office 
  • Validation of archives belonging to departments within the executive branch which have been prepared for destruction with support from the Central Records Office 
  • Validation of inventories of permanent (heritage) archives produced by the Central Records Office
• For producers of public archives that are not part of the executive branch, and who have an obligation to properly manage, preserve and, where appropriate, communicate their archives:
  • Response to referrals of any questions relating to their archives: establishment of archiving procedures, development of premises for preserving archives, outsourcing of archive conservation, implementation of archive conservation measures, destruction, communication of archives, use of archives in publications, exhibitions or any other promotional media 
  • Methodological support and advice to help establish length of administrative value and implement archive standards 
  • If required, see paragraph below on holders of heritage archivess
• For holders of heritage archives, whether public or private:
  • Methodological support and advice on producing regulatory inventories, and scientific validation of such inventories, as detailed in Article 18 of Sovereign Ordinance No. 8.569
• For all producers and holders of archives of public interest:
  • Review and validation of requests to file archives of public interest with the State

Useful links

Site des anciens annuaires officiels