Wikimedia Deutschland/2013 annual plan/projects/p18

All 2013 projects | Key theme 3: Establishing free knowledge in society – Goal 4: Cooperations – Change 4.3: Representing our interests at EU level

Project description: Roadmap to Brussels

• Wikimedia Deutschland will create the basic requirements for jointly representing the interests of the Wikimedia chapters at EU level. (P18)

Contact / Project Manager

Jan Engelmann (Politics & Society)

Total budget

€20,000

Implementation period

January 2013 – August 2013. (We plan to continue the project in the long term.)

What is the project about?

In order to be in a good position as an NGO network with regards to topics that are central to our work (e.g. copyright law), it is important to improve the way we pool the resources and political strengths of the chapters in the Wikimedia movement in the future and to shift our monitoring activities to the European level.

The first step will involve discussing the working methods of an EU Policy Group made up of employees and volunteers. The second step will be to agree on and address our needs as regards the right sort of representational model in Brussels (e.g. integration of the association and our own liaison office).

How will this project help us meet our annual goals?

The annual goal is to find a form of joint representation for the Wikimedia network so that we can react more professionally to policy and communication requirements in the future. In order to achieve this, we first need to create a regular flow of information and contacts with the EU in Brussels.

To this end, it is important that we contact the relevant actors in Brussels and lay the foundations for a united stance and joint activities based on practical experience. Our aim is that this will lead the EU to take collaborative voluntary projects into account to a greater extent than before in the medium to long term.

What are the key milestones along the way and by when should we reach them?

No.	When	What
1.	First quarter 2013	We will commission an external report to analyze how we deal with European regulatory processes and to list political arenas of relevance to us. We recently became a member of the Brussels-based NGO, European Digital Rights (EDRi). This will ensure that we have a constant flow of information on the status of particular dossiers and on possible intervention points. We are setting up a contact page in the international Meta-Wiki as a discussion forum for an international EU Policy Group. We will discuss the planned new set-up with employees, volunteers, and external practitioners via Google Hangouts and at face-to-face meetings.
2.	Second quarter 2013	We will set up a base in Brussels (e.g. by renting space at a co-working place) so that we can receive mail, hold networking meetings in the city, and attend appointments in EU institutions at short notice. We will appoint a contact person for coordination activities in Brussels. The Wikimedia network will gather preliminary ideas on the consultation process for the pending copyright law reform.
3.	Third quarter 2013	At Wikimania 2013, paid and voluntary Wikimedians will report on the steps taken so far and on current dossiers that require follow-up action. The EU Policy Group’s activities to date will be documented in order to keep the application process for recognition as a thematic organization in the Wikimedia network open.