Mission
In an era where free access to information constitutes a fundamental democratic right, the General State Archives (GSA) do not simply preserve documents. We promote open access and manage information stored on various media, safeguarding the rights of both the state and citizens.
We play an important role in the fields of historical research, administrative information, public service, and more broadly in the field of culture.
We safeguard the national memory, as our primary responsibility is the appraisal, selection, protection and utilization of all historical records of the Greek state.
Extroversion and outreach constitute a strategic objective for us. We seek collaborations and an active role within the international archival community, monitoring and contributing to global developments.
We adopt the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration on Archives, as approved by the International Council on Archives (ICA) and endorsed by UNESCO.
The mission, main responsibilities and operational framework of the GSA are described in detail in the new Law 4610/2019 (article 168).
The mission, main responsibilities and operational framework of the GSA
Mission of the GSA
The mission of the GSA is the identification, collection, rescue, preservation, and supervision of the country’s archives, the safeguarding of equal access to them, and the cultivation of a national archival awareness.
Responsibilities of the GSA
- Preservation of records concerning the political, administrative, economic and social development of the Greek state.
- Supervision of the archives of ministries, municipalities, public institutions and independent authorities.
- Safeguarding the integrity and authenticity of archival records.
- Ensuring unrestricted scientific research.
- Promoting the cultural heritage of the Greek nation.
Means of action of the GSA
- Rescue, documentation, classification and conservation of archives.
- Identification and inventory of public archives.
- Cooperation with public sector bodies for records management.
- Cooperation with holders of private archives for their preservation.
- Publication of scientific studies and research tools.
- Participation in research programs.
- Acceptance of donations and enrichment of archival collections.
- Development of standards and specifications for archival policy.
- Use of archival material in educational activities.
- Strengthening the outreach and visibility of the GSA.
At a time when the Free access to information It is a fundamental democratic right, in the General Archives of the State (GAS) we do not just keep documents, but we encourage open access and manage information stored on a variety of substrates, ensuring the rights of the state and citizens.
We play an important role in the areas of historical research, administrative information, citizen service and, in general, culture. We preserve our national memory since our main obligation is to take care of the liquidation, selection, protection and utilization of all the historical documents of the Greek state.
In addition, as a national archival body, our role is to co-shape policies and be the best advisor to the administration, following the evidence in all phases (from their creation to their destruction or perpetual preservation).
the extroversion It is our strategic goal. We pursue partnerships and active role in the international archival community, monitoring and co-shaping international developments, through our participation in the respective international institutions.
We are working in the direction of cultivating archival consciousness throughout the public administrationbut also highlighting the importance and utility of archives to citizens, adopting the basic principles of the World Archives Declaration (English & Greek), as adopted in 2010 by the General Assembly of International Archives Council (ICA) and were endorsed in 2011 by the General Conference of unesco.
In detail, the mission, the main responsibilities and the means of action of the General Archives of the State are reflected in the new N.4610_2019 of the Service (see article 168, p. 120).
The mission, the main responsibilities and the means of action of the General Archives of the State
Mission of the GAPs are the identification, gathering, rescue, preservation and supervision in perpetuity of the country’s archives, ensuring equal access to them with a view to freedom of knowledge, information and research and the cultivation of national archival consciousness.
Responsibilities of the GHCs are:
(a) the preservation of all kinds of evidence relating to the political, administrative, economic and social course of the Greek State and to the general individual and collective memory;
b) The supervision of the records of the Council of Ministers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Ministries, Municipalities and Communities, public bodies and independent authorities, as well as church and private archives, as long as they do not Privacy is covered. This supervision consists in identifying and maintaining records,
(c) maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the records;
(d) ensuring uninterrupted scientific research;
e) The promotion of the cultural heritage of the Greek nation.
The mission and responsibilities of the GAS Service They are mainly achieved by:
(a) rescue, gathering, recording, sorting, documentation, maintenance, reproduction, record storage and the development of relevant research tools;
(b) the labeling and inventory of public records, their selection and introduction to the GAS and preparation for their availability to the public;
c) The cooperation with public sector bodies that have not submitted their files to the GAS, regarding the alignment of the declassification and opening practices of their files to the public. The liquidations of all types of files of the above bodies are done after the approval of the GIS, the agencies cooperate with the GAS for the planning of the management of the active and semi-active files,
d) the cooperation with the bodies of par. 1 of article 164 and the owners of private files for the rescue, preservation and management of their records,
(e) the supervision of the special historical records and the custody and management bodies of private archives;
f) The publication of publications (printed and electronic), serving the historical knowledge and the promotion of archival sources preserved in the GIS,
(g) participation in research projects in collaboration with other national or foreign scientific bodies;
(h) the enrichment by purchasing or accepting a donation of archival material by their owners and copies of archival material located in foreign countries, organizations or individuals;
(i) the creation of standards and specifications for the formulation and exercise of archival policy;
j) The use of archival material in the educational process with specialized actions in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs,
k) The development and strengthening of the extroversion of the GAS
