WIKIMEDIA CEE HUB

Regional hub covering Central and Eastern Europe

The internal governance of the CEE Hub is described in the document CEE Hub Steering Committee Internal communication & governance. It explains how the Steering Committee works and communicates, including its size and role, the responsibilities of its members, decision-making processes, and how meetings are organized. The document also outlines cooperation between the Steering Committee, Hub staff, and thematic working groups. It was created and adopted by the Steering Committee 2024/2025.

Steering Committee (SC) structure

The SC can have up to 10 members, chosen through a selection process. From these members, a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected. They lead the SC, organize meetings, and take care of internal communication.

Responsibilities of SC members

The SC:

selects and supervises the CEE Hub Coordinator, making sure the work follows rules, is transparent, and protects the Hub’s reputation,
approves the hiring of staff, the annual budget, activity plans, and the long-term direction of the Hub,
makes important decisions such as approving bylaws, accepting donations, and allowing large unexpected expenses,
represents the Hub publicly and builds connections with communities and partners.

How decisions are made (governance)

Agenda setting: The Chair prepares the agenda for each meeting. Anyone can suggest topics until 24 hours before the meeting.
Voting: Most decisions need more than half of the votes (a simple majority). Voting happens either in live meetings or by email. For live votes, most SC members must be present (quorum). Email votes last 7 days or until all members have voted. Every topic for voting must be announced at least 24 hours in advance, with all needed information.

SC meetings

The SC meets at least once a month. This is the main time for making decisions. Meetings are usually chaired by the Chair or Vice-Chair. Within 7 days, public results (minutes and resolutions) are shared with the CEE Hub group. Some agenda items may be private, and those minutes are kept separately.

Communication

There are official ways for SC members to communicate:

with each other – through the SC email list (for important matters) and a Telegram group (for quick, informal messages),
with Hub staff – mainly through Asana and the SC email list.

The SC recognizes that the Coordinator manages staff work. Members should not micromanage staff and should always make clear in what role they are speaking.

Expectations for SC members

Members should:

attend meetings or give notice if they cannot,
lead or join thematic working groups,
inform the SC if they will be absent for more than one month,
always follow Wikimedia’s Universal Code of Conduct.

Thematic Working Groups (WGs)

The Hub carries out part of its work through WGs. Each WG has a designated SC member who:

reports on WG activities to the SC,
passes on SC decisions to the WG,
helps with communication between the SC and the wider Advisory Group.

Read the CEE Hub Steering Committee Internal communication & governance document here