Wikimedia Europe/Strategy/Strategic approach

Strategic approach

Other languages:

English

1. Why this document exists

The purpose of this document is to set a strategy of Wikimedia Europe that ensures effective and impactful fulfillment of its mission as decided by its member network and expressed in the statutes of the organisation. It confirms its role as a platform supporting three work streams that converge but have distinct strategic characteristics:

public policy
collaborative community development
fundraising and resource development

This document aims at surfacing the coherence across all workstreams. Organisational approaches guide these work streams in a way that the different strategic frameworks can reinforce one another. This analysis draws from the following parts of the renewed strategy:

2. The environment we operate in

Wikimedia Europe operates in a complex and fast-changing environment shaped by European policy developments, technological change, and shifts in the digital ecosystem. Legislative and policy decisions taken at the European level increasingly influence how information is created, shared, and governed across countries, making coordination at this level essential.

At the same time, power in the digital space is concentrated among a small number of large technology actors shaping how public debate is structured. Rapid technological developments, particularly in artificial intelligence, are further transforming how knowledge is produced and accessed. In this context, community-governed knowledge infrastructures like Wikimedia projects play an important role in supporting open participation, transparency, and collaborative knowledge creation. It is also crucial that they carry out joint advocacy that supports the flourishing of community-governed online spaces.

These developments are accompanied by a shrinking civic space, threats to information integrity, and increasing pressure on civil society resources. Organisations and communities need support to become resilient, well-equipped, and able to respond to change.

Together, these dynamics highlight the need for a network organisation that can coordinate action across countries, strengthen capacity, and ensure that the perspectives and practices of free knowledge communities are represented in European discussions.

3. Wikimedia Europe’s organisational DNA

In fulfilling its mission, Wikimedia Europe brings together several workstreams that ensure desired impact and operate in different ways. To ensure that this diversity does not lead to fragmentation, we anchor all our work in shared approaches to how we work across the workstreams. This helps us maintain strategic coherence, avoid mission drift, and make effective use of synergies across our work.

This part explains the shared approaches drawing from the other parts of this strategy. Each subsection addresses a different strategic dimension: what WMEU is, how work is done, who leads, where focus lies, and how the organisation positions itself.

Section	Core question
3.1 An umbrella organisation	What organisational role does WMEU play?
3.2 Collaboration as a strategic method	How does WMEU work with affiliates and partners?
3.3 Leadership & collective direction	Who leads within the network?
3.4 Strategic focus & risk awareness	In what areas WMEU chooses to act?
3.5 Position in the movement	Where does WMEU sit in the global Wikimedia ecosystem?
3.6 Looking ahead	How WMEU prepares for change

3.1 An umbrella organisation

(追記) (追記ここまで)

Key strategic message: WMEU acts as a hub for collaboration and coordination across the network and its partners.

Rather than delivering all activities on its own, WMEU strengthens the ability of organisations in the network to work together and engage at the European level. This reflects the nature of Wikimedia as a distributed movement, where expertise and action are spread across different actors.

This role is visible across all workstreams through:

enabling connections and activities across affiliates and partners
facilitating shared learning and capacity building that reflect the diverse linguistic, cultural, and organisational contexts across the network
representing the network in European discussions
connecting communities with partners, policymakers, and funders

Through this approach, WMEU helps create the conditions in which the European Wikimedia ecosystem can operate effectively, while member organisations continue to lead work in their own contexts.

3.2 Collaboration as a strategic method

(追記) (追記ここまで) Key strategic message: WMEU advances its goals by enabling collaboration that responds to the needs of its network. Collaboration is not only a value, but a practical way of achieving impact.

WMEU creates the conditions for collaboration by providing spaces and structures where organisations can work together, with deliberate structures to lower barriers for communities with varying capacities and contexts. This includes both network-wide exchanges and smaller, targeted collaborations around specific opportunities.

This is visible across workstreams:

in public policy work, WMEU creates opportunities for input and exchange, ensuring that advocacy work is informed by the experiences of the network
in collaborative community development, WMEU facilitates spaces for exchange and learning, based on the needs and priorities expressed by members
in fundraising and resource development, WMEU supports joint learning, connects organisations to opportunities, and facilitates collaboration on funds acquisition and partnerships

Collaboration allows WMEU and its network to:

combine expertise from different actors and ensure that diverse perspectives are reflected in shared outcomes
share resources and knowledge
strengthen collective capacity
amplify the impact of joint action

Through this approach, WMEU ensures that collaboration is purposeful, relevant, and grounded in the realities of its network.

3.3 Leadership and collective direction

(追記) (追記ここまで) Key strategic message: Leadership within WMEU’s network is shared and dynamic. It is not divided between actors, but shaped through collaboration between WMEU, member organisations, and partners. It may also shift depending on the context and capacities of the involved parties.

WMEU provides leadership where coordination at the European level is needed, while member organisations lead where expertise and action are strongest in their national or thematic contexts. However, the value of the network lies in how these roles interact.

In all work streams shared leadership has a role as it leads to outcomes shaped by the network rather than by a single actor. Any actor in the network can contribute by:

sharing knowledge and experience
strengthening the evidence base
amplifying messages and outcomes
providing feedback and strategic direction

In practice, this dynamic is visible across workstreams:

in public policy, WMEU coordinates European advocacy, while affiliates contribute national expertise and relationships. They are supported by WMEU where they need understanding of policy implications or training in effective advocacy, etc.
in collaborative community development, members specify their needs and experiences, while WMEU leads on structuring and delivering the processes that support them
in fundraising and resource development, WMEU connects opportunities and builds access, while members lead on project development and delivery

This continuous interaction between coordination and contribution ensures that WMEU can provide direction while remaining grounded in the expertise, needs, and initiative of its network.

3.4 Strategic focus and risk awareness

(追記) (追記ここまで) Key strategic message: WMEU focuses its work on areas where collective action at the European level can have the greatest strategic impact.

Because resources are limited, WMEU does not attempt to engage in every policy debate or programme area. Instead, we:

prioritise topics, opportunities, and activities where developments could significantly affect free knowledge and the contributing communities
concentrate efforts where coordinated action can make a difference considering the finite resources (including time) of members and partners
monitor the policy, funding, and civil society environment, staying connected to broader advocacy spaces and bringing relevant emerging issues into the network
factor issues affecting underrepresented or at-risk communities, into the prioritisation

Leadership determines who acts, while strategic focus determines where and when WMEU directs its efforts.

3.5 Position in the Wikimedia movement

(追記) (追記ここまで) Key strategic message: WMEU contributes to the Wikimedia Movement by connecting European perspectives and opportunities with its global ecosystem.

WMEU works alongside other movement structures, including the Wikimedia Foundation and regional affiliates with particular attention to hubs.

Our role includes:

representing European perspectives in movement discussions when explicitly mandated by the members
supporting affiliates in engaging with European institutions
connecting the wider Movement with European opportunities such as policy engagement, partnerships, and funding
articulating within the global Wikimedia Movement the strategic importance of European regulatory, funding, and institutional contexts, and the role of European affiliates in advancing free knowledge globally
representing the interests of WM projects and the movement towards the European Union stakeholders

Through this role, WMEU helps bridge the global Wikimedia communities with European institutional environments. In the global Wikimedia movement it acts as an enabler in identifying and benefiting from Europe's relative privilege in access to resources, political impact, regulatory significance and leadership, as well as potential in positively impacting social justice and advancing knowledge equity.

3.6 Looking ahead

(追記) (追記ここまで) Key strategic message: WMEU prepares the network not only to respond to change, but to proactively shape reality and influence how political, technological, and social developments evolve.

Rather than predicting specific developments, WMEU focuses on strengthening the network’s capacity to understand and interpret change across different contexts. This enables the network to engage at earlier stages of policy and technological development, where assumptions, narratives, and directions are still being formed. In this way, WMEU supports the network by identifying opportunities to engage before emerging trends are translated into policies and practices. This includes:

responding to technological shifts such as developments in artificial intelligence
being prepared to shape changes in digital governance and policy frameworks
leveraging the network effect in access to funding and opportunities at the European scale
reinforcing the network’s collective capabilities to identify and understand trends and risks
strengthening partnerships and alliances that help leverage systemic change

By strengthening collaboration and capacity across the network, WMEU helps ensure that the Wikimedia ecosystem remains resilient, agile, and able to respond to future challenges and opportunities.