Happy Birthday Pirate Parties International!
We are delighted to share that this weekend marks 11 years since the founding of Pirate Parties International!
A little bit about the history:
After the founding of Piratpartiet in Sweden on January 1, 2006, other pirate parties emerged throughout Europe, and later worldwide. In the same year, a loose network of these parties was formed. In June 2007, representatives of the pirate parties of Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Poland, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, and Finland met for the first time at an international conference in Vienna. In 2008, further conferences followed in Berlin and Uppsala and the “Uppsala Declaration” was adopted.
Since October 2009, the PPI has the status of a non-governmental organization based in Belgium.
Finally, the official constitution of the PPI took place at a conference in Brussels from April 16 to 18, 2010, in which 22 national pirate parties participated. The federal party conference of the German Pirate Party in Bingen (Rhine) on May 15-16, 2010 officially confirmed the accession of the German party. The first official general assembly of the PPI took place on March 12 and 13, 2011 in Friedrichshafen.
The second General Assembly was held in Prague on April 14 and 15, 2012. The third General Assembly was held in Kazan (Russia) on April 20-21, 2013. In 2017, she was granted consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It has been the patron of the Pirate Security Conference held in Munich since 2015.
Since then, general meetings have been largely held online. Since 2016, the PPI has been seated in Geneva, Switzerland. The so-called headquarters remained in Brussels and this is entered in the register there.
Since 2018, a number of Standing Committees have been formed and support the work of the Board.
Currently, 56 organizations are member of PPI. Individuals can become supporting members.
The goals of the association are:
a) to act according to the major interests and goals of its Members,
b) to raise awareness and widen the spread of the pirate movement, and
c) to support the pirate movement and strengthen its bonds internally and externally,
d) to promote and support Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
To accomplish these objectives the association shall, among other things:
a) provide for and extend communication between the Members of the association,
b) assist in the foundation of new pirate parties,
c) organize and coordinate global campaigns and events,
d) act as mediator or arbitrator for any disputes between Members if requested to do so,
e) share information and coordinate research on the core pirate topics,
f) contact NGO’s, administrations and international organizations, and
g) act as a contact centre for the pirate movement.
The Membership to Pirate Parties International is open to parties and other organizations.
While PPI is not (and probably never will be) a perfect organization, we are proud of our members and what we have accomplished together so far, and we continue to look ahead with optimism. We thank you for all of the work you have put in over the years and we know that through more collaboration, cooperation and passion for our common goals and values, the international Pirate movement will only grow stronger. As time goes on, Pirate values become more relevant and necessary in this chaotic, yet fascinating and beautiful world. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
