15. 2. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 43/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC, EURATOM) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 203 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commis- sion (), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (3), Whereas, in carrying out their task, the institutions of the European Economic Community and the Euro- pean Atomic Energy Community have accumulated a vast collection of archives; whereas these archives constitute the property of these Communities, each of which has legal personality ; Whereas it is standard practice, both in Member States and in international organizations, to make archives available to the public after a number of years has passed; whereas common rules concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Communities should be laid down Whereas some of the documents and records emana- ting from institutions of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community are held physically in the archives of the Member States; whereas the Member States apply different rules to determine when and on what condi- tions their archives may be made available to the public; whereas classified documents and records emanating from Community institutions should be prevented from being released to the public through national archives on terms less strict than those provided for in this Regulation ; () OJ No C 132, 2. 6. 1981, p. 6. () O] No C 327, 14. 12. 1981, p. 45. Whereas the processing and critical analysis of Community archives is not only of value to historical research in general but can at the same time facilitate the activities of bodies involved in Community affairs and thereby contribute to the better attainment of all the Communities’ objectives ; Whereas the Treaties have not provided for any specific powers of action regarding the establishment of common rules for this subject; Whereas certain essential principles alone need to be determined, adoption of the requisite rules for the implementation, at internal level, of such principles being left to each Community institution, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 1. The institutions of the FEuropean Economic Community and of the European Atomic Energy Community (hereinafter referred to as ‘the institu- tions’) shall establish historical archives and open them to the public on the terms provided for by this Regulation after the expiry of a period of 30 years star- ting from the date of the creation of the document or record. For the purposes of this Regulation the Economic and Social Committee and the Court of Auditors shall be treated in the same way as the insti- tutions referred to in Article 4 (1) of the Treaty esta- blishing the European Economic Community and Article 3 (1) of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community. 2. For the purposes of this Regulation : (a) ‘Community archives’ means all those documents and records of whatever type and in whatever medium which have originated in or been received by one of the institutions or by their representa- tives or servants in the performance of their duties, which relate to the activities of the European Economic Community and/or the European Atomic Energy Community (hereinafter referred to as ‘the European Communities’);