The modernisation of the State archives
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Archives are governance and transparency tools which help to guarantee citizens’ rights, ensure that the government functions effectively, enable historical and scientific research and allow citizens to take ownership of their history.
The Prince's Government is keen to update its archive management policy. This will make administration more efficient and improve how the State functions. It will also help to protect the sources of Monaco's history.
Exemple de première et dernière page d'un Conseil de Gouvernement du début du XXeme siècle.
The wish of the Prince's Government to modernise the management policy of the archives contributes to administrative efficiency and helps improve the functioning of the State.
Until the 1911 constitution, the Sovereign and the State overlapped, as did their respective archives. The definitive public archives were long intended to be held in the Palace Archives, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 of the Ordinance N° 3864 of 25 September 1967 on the creation of a Central Archive Office.
In 2011, the Government of Monaco began the process of modernising the archives of the Administration, based on the Sovereign Ordinance n° 3.413 of 29 August 2011 concerning various measures pertaining to the relationship between the Government and its subjects.
In this regard, the Sovereign Ordinance of 29 August 2011 is a major step forward in this process. it:
- Sets out the current, intermediate and definitive records of Administrative department
- Specifies the conditions of access and public accessibility of the public archives
- Creates the Central Records Office which is charged with preserving the definitive archives of the executive services of the State
- Establishes a Consultative Commission on the State Archives
The action plan launched in 2011, aims to harmonise, rationalise and optimise the archives of the State departments while keeping a record of administrative activity and ensuring its traceability.
In 2021, the Prince’s Government decided to forge ahead with its policy on modernising the State archives, via Sovereign Ordinance n° 8.569 of 25 March 2021 on archives of public interest which, among other things, established a National Archives Preparatory Mission (MPAN) and transformed the Consultative Committee on the State Archives into the Public Interest Archives Consultative Committee, the scope of which is no longer limited to just the archives of the executive branch. The membership of the Committee has also been expanded to include the main public producers of archives.
In 2025, the National Archives Preparatory Mission was replaced by the National Archives Department and the Central Records Office was replaced by the Government Archives Section (SAG), The latter is fully integrated within the National Archives Department, which has scientific and technical authority over the archives of the State’s executive branch. The Department’s remit covers the Principality’s public interest archives and in addition to conserving and promoting the Principality’s permanent public archives, it is responsible for drafting relevant regulations and legislation, and for developing digital archives in partnership with the Interministerial Delegation for Digital Transition and Monaco Cyber Security Agency.
More information about the National Archives Department is available here
The Public Interest Archives Consultative Committee
Composition
Chairperson: Mr Jean-Charles CURAU
Members: the President of the National Council, the Archbishop, the Secretary of Justice, the Mayor, the Secretary-General of the Government, the Country Chief Digital Officer, the Director of the Department of Legal Affairs, the Director of the State Property Authority, the President of the Heritage Council, the Director of the National Archives Department (Deputy Chair), the Head of the Government Archives Section.
A group representing the producers referred to in Article 1 of Sovereign Ordinance N° 8.569, appointed by ministerial decree for a term of two years (renewable).
A group of recognised experts in the fields of archiving and history: three dignitaries appointed by the Minister of State (see focus below).
Role
The Commission is responsible for drawing up proposals and recommendations designed to contribute to the development of the major outlines of the Principality’s archiving policy. It may be consulted by the Minister of State on any issue relating to archives of public interest.
The expertise of the Commission is essential for guiding the work to be carried out by the teams from the National Archives Department and Government Archives Section. It is based on the multidisciplinary composition of its members and experts. It acts as a guarantor for decisions taken in the field of archiving.
A focus on the experts
Ms Evelyne VAN DEN NESTE, a graduate of the "École des Chartes" and the "École Nationale du Patrimoine", is Head of the Archives and Documentation Department at the Presidency of the French Republic.
Dr Edouard VASSEUR, who has a PhD in History, is a graduate of the "École Nationale des Chartes" and the "École Nationale du Patrimoine" and teaches the history of institutions, archival work and diplomacy of the contemporary era at the 'École des Chartes'. He is also president of the Association des archivistes français (French Archivists' Association).
Dr Thomas FOUILLERON, has a Ph.D. in History and is the author of numerous university studies and a manual on the history of Monaco. He is Director of the Archives and Library of the Prince's Palace.
Visit the website of the National Archives here.