On 23 May, an exhibition organised by the EuDiA network – European Diplomatic Archives – was inaugurated in Brussels at Europa Lex, one of the official venues of the European Council. The exhibition is dedicated to the acts marking the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations between various European Union Member States. The Historical Diplomatic Archive of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) contributed a panel relating to the initiation of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Italy and Greece (1861), France (1861), Spain (1865), Germany (1871), and Sweden (1906).
The archives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the EU Member States have formed a working group to exchange ideas and best practices regarding the organisation, management and preservation of documentation produced by their respective administrations. One of the recurring topics addressed by the group concerns the precise identification of the date on which bilateral diplomatic relations were formally established. Years of verification and research on historical documents have revealed that there are multiple legal instruments and acts that can be regarded as the starting point of formal diplomatic relations.
In the coming months, the exhibition will be displayed at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Member States. The full database of information gathered during the project can be accessed via the website of the Historical Archives of the European Union (EUI) on the page: History of Establishing Diplomatic Relations Between the EU Member States (EUDIA)
