Aware of the confusion of users regarding the “maquis” represented by the right of access to public documents, the Interdepartmental Service of the Archives of France has designed a digital orientation tool, @docs, whose principle is to provide a simple answer, fast and innovative, far from administrative or legal jargon, with specific questions, such as: "Can I consult and have a copy of the cadastral plan of my municipality?" or “Can I have a copy of my parents’ divorce judgment?”
So far, the administration has not offered any comprehensive tools in this area. @docs is the only service that can guide the public in all areas of State intervention (taxation, environment, justice, urban planning, etc.), more than a hundred typologies and several thousand cases.
At the end of an interdepartmental one-year project, @docs is now available online, on smartphones and tablets at https://francearchives.en/@docs. As a scalable tool, @docs will be supplemented and adjusted as new documentary typologies are created or new legislation or regulations are adopted.
By launching @docs, the Ministry of Culture, guarantor of the sovereign policy of collection, preservation and communication of public archives, takes part in the government’s programme of administrative simplification and better intelligibility of the right of access to public information, which guarantees democratic transparency.
Franck Riester, Minister of Culture said The @docs tool aims to enable everyone, including users who are not familiar with the archives, easy and quick access to public documents and I am delighted that the Ministry of Culture is taking part in this general drive to simplify administrative and legal procedures.”