PRESS RELEASE

Historical Commission and Archivists Discussed Cooperation

At the invitation of the Association of Austrian Archivists (ÖAV), the Historical Commission of the Republic of Austria last week discussed a number of fundamental issues for its future reseach work with members of the association. Access to archival holdings, cooperation between the archives and the Commission as well as legal issues were the main topics on the agenda.

Essential sources are in the Archive of the Republic at the Austrian State Archives as well as in state government, local authority and diocesan archives. Among the most important dossiers are the files on "Aryanisations", the papers of restitution and compensation commissions, the files on public assistance provided to victims and the holdings of regional directorates of finance (internal revenue service) and district administrative authorities. In this context, one of the needs stressed by the Commission was to preserve, for instance, company archives from the period concerned. The planned amendment of the Protection of Monuments Act provides that these archival materials may be placed under temporary protection by ordinance. Likewise the future Federal Archives Act should include provisions to ensure that the archives of former state-owned companies should without exception be treated as archivalia belonging to the Republic of Austria.

The representatives of the public archives promised unstinting support to researchers working for the Commission. The archivists stressed that they would follow a uniform policy in working with the Commission as regards essential access to files containing personal data. The legal problems which this may raise, especially in view of subsequent publication, were discussed against the background of the new Data Protection Act, which will probaby enter into effect on 1 January 2000.

In order to ensure an efficient approach, it was agreed to hold another workshop in autumn, where it is proposed also to involve all those persons in Austria who are currently researching the Nazi era and its aftermath under the auspices of other commissions, in the context of specific research projects or with a view to doctoral dissertations.

Enquiries:
(Ms.) Eva Blimlinger, Sekretariat der Historikerkommission, Wien 3, Nottendorfer Gasse 2 phone +43/1/79540 ext.180 or 181, fax +43/1/79540-186, eva.blimlinger@oesta.gv.at 17. Juni 1999