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Source published: 27 May 25

Temporary Provision of War Archive Opens on July 1

On July 1, the digitized part of the Central Archive for Special Legal Proceedings (CABR) will be searchable at the National Archive (NA) in The Hague. People with a research interest, such as relatives of victims, can conduct research in the reading room under certain conditions. Currently, this concerns one third of the total war archive. On June 23, a week before the opening, interested parties can reserve a spot at the computer via the NA website. The National Archive has taken various measures to protect the privacy of possibly still living individuals present in the files.

The CABR is the largest and most consulted archive on World War II in the Netherlands. The archive includes files of individuals who were investigated after World War II because they were suspected of collaborating with the German occupier. Until now, research in the CABR has only been possible by consulting the paper files.

Minister Eppo Bruins (OCW): The digitization of our war archive is very important. The paper archive, which is four kilometers long, has been formed with files by name. Only by digitizing the archive and making it fully searchable is it possible for, for example, relatives of victims or neighbors of people who helped hide others to search in the archive. For the first time, they can search by the names of victims or places. This opens new possibilities to uncover the fate of family or other loved ones during the war years after 80 years.

The temporary provision has a limited capacity with 5 computers in the reading room of the National Archive. More is not feasible for the National Archive. It is expected that there will be more interest than there are spots available at the NA. Therefore, there are discussions with the Regional Historical Centers to make digital research possible in the region later this year. The Ministry of OCW is allocating a one-time €5.1 million for the technical development of the temporary provision, the setup of the facility at the NA, and eventually at the Regional Historical Centers throughout the country.

Sufficient Protection of Personal Data

In developing the temporary provision, careful consideration has been given to sufficient protection of personal data. The consortium War for the Judge (National Archive, WO2Net, NIOD, and Huygens Institute) has taken various measures to safeguard the privacy of still living individuals. Visitors who discover documents during their research that should not be shown can indicate that. This may involve personal data of a living person, a photo subject to portrait rights, or personal documents such as a letter or diary. These documents will not be shown for the time being, and an independent committee will subsequently assess whether the request to not show a document is justified.

The minister has sought advice from the Personal Data Authority (AP) regarding the temporary provision. He has also consulted the consortium War for the Judge and the general national archivist. The measures already taken largely align with the advice of the AP. Additionally, several extra measures will be incorporated into the system before it opens on July 1.

The minister believes it is very important that visitors are made aware of the requirements that the GDPR imposes on processing and disseminating personal data, and various measures have been taken for this. The terminals are secured against the dissemination of digital materials, and it is not permitted to make copies of the digitized archive.

The only advice from the AP that the minister does not fully adopt is the registration of visitors search behavior. He considers it an invasion of privacy to track, record, and monitor the search behavior of visitors conducting research on the fate of their family or conducting research from a scientific perspective.

Legislative Amendment

The temporary provision is a stopgap solution. To enable access to the CABR via the internet, the minister has proposed an amendment to the law. This amendment should make it possible to find a better balance between the importance of protecting personal data and the importance of access to government information and cultural heritage.

Various organizations, such as the AP, the Advisory Board on Public Access and Information Management, and the general national archivist, have already provided advice on the legislative proposal. Individuals and other stakeholders have been able to respond through an online consultation. This advice and feedback are being studied and processed, after which the legislative proposal will be submitted to the Council of State, the highest advisory body of the government. Subsequently, the legislative proposal will be presented to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

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Source last updated: 27 May 25
Published on Openrijk: 27 May 25
Source: Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap
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Education, Culture and Science | Temporary Provision of War Archive Opens on July 1