Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)
1. Session / Séance. Experiences gained, current Situation, future Prospects / Expériences acquises, Situation actuelle, Perspectives futures - Körmendy, Lajos: International Cooperation in Europe. A Survey / Programmes de Coopération internationale des archives en Europe. Un bilan (english 13 - français 27)
1. Session/Séance: Körmendy, International archival Cooperation ween the two countries. The latter solution has several advantages: for one, it can facilitate the funding of visits out of the foreign ministry budget, and for another, if the wording of the text is not specific, the relations established are not limited to a single institution within a given country. The most ambitious and highly developed from of bilateral relations is a permanent office in a foreign country, when the archives of a given state delegate one or more , ambassadors1 to another. It is worth setting up an office in a country whose archives contain vast numbers of documents dealing with the history of the other country which call for scrutiny. In Europe, Canada has two offices, one in Paris and another in London, and Hungary has three archivists in post in Vienna. Multilateral relations differ from bilateral contacts. Generally, the cooperation involved is often much more complicated and requires a permanent organization. Let us consider some typical examples. The Lake Constance ,archive forum“ (Bodensee-Archivare) comprises archivists from three countries: Switzerland, Germany and Austria1. Strictly speaking, the forum consists of a regular exchange of views on practical problems facing the region’s archives. The organizers deliberately keep to this informal approach; there are no statutes, they do not draw up recommendations and conclusions after their meetings, and there is no managerial stmcture. The purpose of CIBAL (International Centre for Information on Balkan and Mediterranean Historical Sources) is more complicated, and for that reason CIBAL set up a permanent organization. The centre, which was set up in 1976, is concerned with collecting sources (publications, documentation and archives on microfilm), publishing research tools and source, organizing meetings and, with the aid of Italian archives in particular, organizing courses and seminars on diplomatic affairs and paleography. CIBAL headquarters in Sofia has become a research centre for Balkan history and culture1 2. The two organizations already referred are regional in character. The Maribor Archive Information Centre (Slovenia) is organized around a professional programme. The centre was first set up in 1985 and its purpose is to collect and disseminate information concerning archive technology, particulary with regard to buildings, storage facilities, preservation and security. Mention must be made of the largest professional organization in Europe, the International Council on Archives (ICA). Its role in international relations is far greater than many of us might think. Out of the 28 countries, only one said that it did not take part in the work of the ICA (which does not mean that that country is not a member). On the other hand, 18 (!) countries replied that the forums provided by the ICA were the only ones where they could exchange ideas with colleagues from other countries, because they were not members of any other multilateral organiza1 Burmeister, Karl Heinz: Zusammenarbeit der Archivare im Bodenseeraum, in: Scrinium 39 (1988) p. 371-374. 2 Seetheinformation B u 11 e t i n published by CIBAL in Sofia. 18
