15 Dec
2025
15 Dec
'25
6:30 p.m.
Dear XSF Members,
The Board has revisited the topic of establishing a minimal EU-based
presence for the XSF, a subject with considerable history in our
discussions over the years. While no decision has been made to create a
European legal entity, we would like to move from open-ended discussion to
action by conducting a time-boxed investigation.
The goals of this investigation are:
- Explore one or two lightweight options for an EU presence.
- Identify potential benefits, estimated costs, administrative effort,
and key risks.
- Produce a short, public proposal suitable for member feedback, with a
clear recommendation (go / no-go).
Timeline: The investigation should report back within two Board meeting
cycles.
We are now seeking volunteers to help carry out this investigation. If you
are interested or have relevant expertise, please reply to this message or
contact the Board directly by January 7th.
This effort does not commit the XSF to creating an EU entity. Its purpose
is to gather sufficient information to make an informed decision in the
future.
Thank you for your attention and support.
Kind regards,
Guus
16 Dec
16 Dec
11:46 a.m.
Dear All,
I believe that the simplest and most cost-effective solution would be to establish a
representative office with an appointed person in charge.
In order to properly address the questions raised, we should first determine where the
representative office would be based, as this will define the applicable legal framework.
From my perspective, Brussels would be a suitable location for the representative office;
however, a thorough cost–benefit analysis should be carried out before reaching a final
decision. In this regard, the involvement of a lawyer with specific expertise in Belgian
law would be advisable in order to better assess the legal, regulatory and financial
implications of opening a representative office in Brussels.
In addition, it should be noted that engaging in lobbying or interest representation
activities within the European Union requires, or at least strongly recommends,
registration in the EU Transparency Register. Such registration is generally expected in
order to interact with EU institutions and to ensure transparency and compliance with EU
standards in institutional relations.
It should also be clarified that registration in the EU Transparency Register does not
formally require the representative office to be based in Brussels
(https://transparency-register.europa.eu/). However, having a presence in Brussels is
strongly advisable, as it significantly facilitates institutional relations and engagement
with EU bodies.
I am a lawyer and can give some help in this context, even though this is not my specific
area of expertise.
Kind regards,
Mario Sabatino
lunedì 15 dicembre 2025 19:31, Guus der Kinderen <guus.der.kinderen(a)gmail.com> ha
scritto:
Dear XSF Members,
The Board has revisited the topic of establishing a minimal EU-based presence for the
XSF, a subject with considerable history in our discussions over the years. While no
decision has been made to create a European legal entity, we would like to move from
open-ended discussion to action by conducting a time-boxed investigation.
The goals of this investigation are:
- Explore one or two lightweight options for an EU presence.
- Identify potential benefits, estimated costs, administrative effort, and key risks.
- Produce a short, public proposal suitable for member feedback, with a clear
recommendation (go / no-go).
Timeline: The investigation should report back within two Board meeting cycles.
We are now seeking volunteers to help carry out this investigation. If you are interested
or have relevant expertise, please reply to this message or contact the Board directly by
January 7th.
This effort does not commit the XSF to creating an EU entity. Its purpose is to gather
sufficient information to make an informed decision in the future.
Thank you for your attention and support.
Kind regards,
Guus
5:45 p.m.
Hallo Guus,
Thank you for re-starting this discussion.
As we know from the last round of conversations, there are several options:
1. Keeping the U.S. entity and also forming a European "branch" or
"subsidiary".
2. Moving the entire organization from the U.S. to Europe.
3. Deciding not to make any changes (U.S. entity only).
If we are going to make changes, I would like to advocate for option 2.
I have several reasons for saying so:
- Maintaining two organizations could be two times as much work, and I
doubt that we have enough volunteers for that.
- Most (all?) of our activities and all of our current sponsors are in
Europe or the U.K. The same is mostly true of XMPP-related software
projects and developers.
- I continue to be concerned about the "bus factor" here in the States
(specifically, I see no likely replacement for myself in my role as the
XSF's Treasurer).
I realize that moving the Foundation from the U.S. to Europe would
entail some expense, and that most likely we would need to ask for
special donations to fund this project.
I am willing to help with this project from the U.S. side and with my
Treasurer hat on.
Peter
On 12/15/25 11:30 AM, Guus der Kinderen wrote:
Dear XSF Members,
The Board has revisited the topic of establishing a minimal EU-based
presence for the XSF, a subject with considerable history in our
discussions over the years. While no decision has been made to create a
European legal entity, we would like to move from open-ended discussion
to action by conducting a time-boxed investigation.
The goals of this investigation are:
* Explore one or two lightweight options for an EU presence.
* Identify potential benefits, estimated costs, administrative effort,
and key risks.
* Produce a short, public proposal suitable for member feedback, with
a clear recommendation (go / no-go).
Timeline: The investigation should report back within two Board meeting
cycles.
We are now seeking volunteers to help carry out this investigation. If
you are interested or have relevant expertise, please reply to this
message or contact the Board directly by January 7th.
This effort does not commit the XSF to creating an EU entity. Its
purpose is to gather sufficient information to make an informed decision
in the future.
Thank you for your attention and support.
Kind regards,
Guus
25
days inactive
26
days old
2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
Guus der Kinderen -
Mario Sabatino -
Peter Saint-Andre