The Pirate Party of Germany has tabled some amendments to make some important changes to the statutes of Pirate Parties International (PPI).

The full wording of the amendments can be seen in the conference section of the PPI wiki.

There are five changes being proposed:

1.  Admittance of Members
   This amendment will mean that a member of PPI no longer need to have “Pirate” in the name. This has caused legal problems for parties like PPRU and PPTW and it allows existing parties that wish to join with full membership privileges to do so without having to change their name.
2. Supportive Membership
   This amendment will allow for individuals and organisations to become members of PPI for a membership fee of EURO 10.00 per year. This will give people a sense of identity with the international organisation and allow them to contribute financially directly as well a through their party if it is a member.
3. Termination of Membership
   Up to now parties wishing to leave PPI were required to send a registered letter. This was seen as rather absurd in the age of electronic communication and some of the parties that left in recent months declined to do so. It also makes provisions so that parties that terminate membership can have no legal claims on PPI.
4. One Chair, one vice-Chair
   Previously there have been two co-chairs – generally a woman and a man. This has not worked well and in fact the last two women co-chairs left before their terms were completed. PPDE puts the reasons down to conflict of responsibilities.
5. Term of Office
   With the complete board being elected anew every year there is the fear that organisational memory can be lost, especially if a complete new board was elected. The proposal is to elect board members for a two-year period to facilitate a rotation system, where half of the board is elected one year and the other half the following year. This is the system that is currently used in PPSE.

If you are not an international coordinator, you might wonder why this should be of interest to you.The international Pirate Movement is important, as many of the issues we fight on a national level are being implemented internationally.

If you want your party to vote for,against or for a change to any of the changes being proposed above, or if you would like to change or add to the other PPI statutes, contact your international coordination officer.

Let your voice be heard in the PPI GA in Lodz, Poland on 04-5 July 2015.

Featured image: CC BY-SA Pirate Times from work by PPI and Pixabay.com

About Andrew Reitemeyer

I joined the Pirate Party of Lower Saxony in Germany in April 2012, once I found out that non citizens were welcome to join and become active members of the Party.
I joined the Pirate Times soon after it was started as a proof reader and am now an editor and author. Since then I have returned to my native New Zealand and joined the Pirate Party of New Zealand.
Politically I come from the libertarian left and have, up to now, not regarded any political party as having a solution for the democratic deficit that envelops the world. With the advent of the Pirate Party, which truly embraces grass roots democracy, I have found a political home. The Pirate Times is a way I can contribute to furthering the Pirate Movement around the world.
Skype: frithogar

 

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The Pirate Party of Germany has tabled some amendments to make some important changes to the statutes of Pirate Parties International (PPI). The full wording of the amendments can be…