The European Network of Official Authorities in Charge of the Secret-Police Files was formed in December 2008 as a cooperation platform connecting the institutions holding the archival collections of the former communist state secret police forces.

The network consist of eight members – the primary national institutions holding the records of the communist security services of Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania and five associate members (observers): Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovenia.

The idea, which initially guided the founders, was to simplify the procedures related to conducting research and exchanging documents. Over time, however, the cooperation has taken on a more complex form. The Network's activities are primarily aimed at raising public and political awareness in the context of settlements with the past. Both education on, and the popularization of this knowledge are important elements of the Network’s activities.

In April 2024, the IPN Archive launched the securityarchives.eu website containing information provided by the Network's member institutions. The website will be the primary, publicly accessible, source of information on the activities of the European Network of Official Authorities in Charge of the Secret-Police Files as well as individual member organizations.

The site provides information about the Network, current events, past initiatives, individual member organizations, their archival holdings, and rules for accessing records.

The "Documents on-line" tab directs you to a site published in 2016 containing documents from institutions dealing with the archival legacy of the communist Secret Services. We hope that the Network's website will be systematically developed and enriched by new sections and the latest information.