Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

2. Session /Séance. Regional (trans-border) Cooperation / Coopération régionale (transfrontaliere) - Rastas, Pirkko: Archival cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries / La coopération entre les pays Nordique et les pays baltes (english 161 - français 176)

2. Session/Séance: Rastas, Cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic Countries

The results of the journey and cooperation between Nordic and Baltic archives were discussed later when the Directors of the Nordic National Archives held their next meeting. A first agreement was made about financial help from the Nordic archival authorities to facilitate Baltic archival participation in the international archival congress in Montreal. Funds granted by the Nordic governments covered the expenses for one delegate from each of the Baltic countries. A meeting was arranged in Montreal during the congress for the delegates from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The delegates discussed future archival cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries. It was resolved that the Baltic countries should report on their needs in the field of cooperation and that each country would name a contact person for the development of future cooperation. Around New Year 1993, a meeting will be held with these contact persons and a joint plan will be made for cooperation and Nordic development of the Baltic archival institutions.

4. 1. Estonia

The Estonians have been more active in international cooperation than the archival authorities of other Baltic countries. Their contacts with Finland and Sweden are especially good, but they are also in contact with Germany, the United States and Canada.

The Estonian archival system is led by the Archives Department with Peep Pillak as General Director. The Office is directly controlled by the Estonian government. There are 6 Central archives, 4 Town archives and 12 Provincial archives. The structure of the Soviet epoch will apparently be maintained for the time being, while the Estonians are developing an archival law after the Finnish model. The archives preserve a total of 6, 5 million archival units (files). About 1, 6 million archival units are kept outside the archival institutions by creating authorities, museums and libraries. The staff of the archival authorities amounts to 330 persons.

As in the other Baltic countries the Estonian archives play a major role in reprivatizing property that formerly belonged to private persons. 19 000 certificates were ordered during 1990 from the archival authorities. In 1991, the number had risen to 85 000. 74 % of the ordered documents concerned ownership, 24 % pensions and 2 % other issues.

In Tallinn, we also had a opportunity to visit the former KGB archives. The documents are now kept and used by the Police Office. Archival material has evidently been destroyed in both Tallinn and Russia. Especially the records concerning Estonian foreign relations and the supervision of foreigners have been sent to Russia. The archives of the Estonian Communist Party is, nowadays, one of the Central Archives under the Archives Department.

Records of some institutions, such as the Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry were sent to Russia at the beginning of the Soviet epoch. They are still kept by the Russian archival institutions.

The Estonian archival authorities expect mainly information and educational cooperation from the international cooperation.

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