The new Archives Act requires you to ensure that information about your charging stations remains accessible in the long term. This includes information you receive from the CPO.
What does the Archives Act have to do with charging stations? More than you might expect. The Archives Act of 2026 will take effect on January 1, 2027. The questions we receive from municipalities directly relate to this law:
- How long is the remaining service life of this charging station?
- Where can we find the SAT documents for the charging stations in preparation for an upcoming acquisition?
- How do we respond to a Woo request or a council question regarding the installation of this charging station?
- Should we request documentation regarding the project's completion from the CPO or the contractor?
What the law requires of you
The Archives Act of 2026 is intended to make the government more transparent . The text of the law is clear on this point:
- You must take appropriate measures to ensure that your documents are and remain accessible in the long term (Section 4.1).
- A document is any piece or collection of recorded data that you create or receive in the performance of your public duties (Article 1.1). This therefore also includes data and documents you receive from the CPO or the contractor.
- You establish public management rules: who is responsible for management, what measures apply to each category, and how you periodically evaluate management (Article 4.2).
When it comes to deploying charging stations, this means you must be able to show, for each location, what information is available, where it is located, and how you manage it. This covers three topics.
1. Management from the outset
What this means: Sustainable accessibility begins the moment information is created. The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) refers to this as “archiving by design,” following the model of “privacy by design.” You determine in advance how archiving will take place, not afterward.
What You Need to Do: Establish functional requirements before purchasing and implementing a system or beginning development. What information will you record, how long will you retain it, where will it be stored, and who will have access to it? Document this in your management policies.
How EVTools Ensures This: The EVTools platform, which includes Workflow and EVMaps, automatically records for each case who performed which action and when. Communication with the CPO, internal colleagues, or residents is also recorded: the request for a charging station, the response via email, the decision to approve or reject the request, and the date of installation.
2. Accessible in the long term
What this means: The draft Archives Decree defines what “sustainable access” entails. Information must be findable, available, readable, interpretable, and reliable within a reasonable period of time, and must not be lost.
What you need to do: Ensure that the information for each charging station is centralized in one place—including what you receive from the CPO—and that you retain control over your data, for example, by storing it in your own systems.
How EVTools Ensures This: The EVTools platform consolidates the documents, decisions, and communications from the municipality and the CPO for each charging station. The data is stored in ISO 27001-certified data centers within the EU, is backed up daily in encrypted form, and is covered by a disaster recovery plan that is tested periodically. You can export your data yourself to Excel at any time, or via the API as JSON to your own system.
3. Migrating Without Vendor Lock-in
What this means: According to the draft Archives Decree, when switching to a different system, you must transfer the content and metadata accurately and completely, based on a migration plan. The explanatory notes emphasize that vendor lock-in must be avoided.
What You Need to Arrange: Specify in contracts the format and timeframe within which you will receive your data back. Choose software that works with industry standards.
How EVTools ensures this: You can retrieve all your information in common formats via the API. Our public API documentation explains how this works. At the end of the contract, you’ll receive all your data upon request. For data exchange with supply chain partners, we use the OCPI standard. Where this standard doesn’t yet exist, we work with supply chain partners to establish agreements in line with OCPI. This ensures you retain ownership of your information, even if you decide to switch providers in the future.
Involve information management, IT, and legal professionals early on in the process design. This ensures that your work procedures, systems, and management policies are aligned from the start.
Would you like to know how your municipality can use the EVTools platform to comply with the 2026 Archives Act?
