Code_of_conduct

# Code of Conduct

Last updated: 21.08.2026
Version: 1.1

Our Pledge

We, as members of the EuPN, pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free, inclusive, and respectful experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual orientation.

In keeping with our community’s purpose, we commit to acting and interacting in ways that foster an open, welcoming, diverse, and evolving space.

Our Standards

Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our
community include:

• Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people

• Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences

• Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback

• Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes,
  and learning from the experience

• Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall
  community

  Examples of unacceptable behavior include:

• The use of sexualized language or imagery, and sexual attention or advances of
  any kind

• Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks

• Public or private harassment

• Publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or email address,
  without their explicit permission

• Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a
  professional setting

Self-Managed Conduct and Reporting

As a community grounded in self-management, each member is encouraged to foster and uphold our Code of Conduct.

Where appropriate and where you feel comfortable doing so, you may first address a concern directly and constructively with the person involved.

You may report a potential Code of Conduct violation without first confronting the person involved.

Please contact us confidentially at our contact form. All reports will be reviewed promptly, with care for privacy and impartiality.

Nobody is required to confront another person directly where they feel unsafe, uncomfortable, where there is a power imbalance, where the behaviour is serious, or where direct discussion would otherwise be inappropriate.

Safety and confidentiality take priority in potential misconduct cases.

Responsibility for the Code of Conduct process

The Advisory Team is responsible for stewarding the Code of Conduct process.

This is a specific and limited responsibility. It does not give the Advisory Team general governance authority.

The entire Advisory Team should not automatically receive the details of every case.

For each case, normally a small group of approximately 2-3 suitable Advisors should handle the matter.

This group may:

• receive and review the report
• speak with relevant people
• gather necessary information
• interpret the Code of Conduct
• support restorative or corrective processes
• determine or recommend appropriate responses within the scope of the Code of Conduct

Sensitive information is shared on a need-to-know basis.

Conflicts of interest in conduct cases

Advisors directly involved in or significantly conflicted by a case must recuse themselves.

This includes Advisors who are:

• directly involved in the case
• closely connected to one of the parties
• organisationally conflicted
• financially conflicted
• otherwise unable to act impartially

If too few suitable Advisors remain, other trusted neutral people may be invited to support the process.

These people may come from elsewhere in the network or externally where appropriate.

Relationship with ordinary governance

Disagreement and governance conflict are handled through the conflict-resolution process.

Potential misconduct is handled through the Code of Conduct process.

The Advisory Team handles conduct matters independently from ordinary network governance.

The Network Circle should not act as a political appeal body that re-decides the substance of Code of Conduct cases.

Some outcomes may require implementation by another responsible part of the network, for example:

• changing access to a technical platform
• changing a governance role
• replacing a representative
• applying a network-wide restriction
• implementing an action requiring legal authority

Where this is necessary, the relevant responsible body should implement the required action without unnecessarily reopening confidential details of the case.

The Network Circle should receive only the information necessary to perform its governance role.

Enforcement Guidelines

To ensure the Code of Conduct is meaningful yet flexible for a small group, we follow these simplified guidelines:

1. Friendly Reminder
   • Community Impact: Minor issues or misunderstandings that may unintentionally misalign with community values.
   • Consequence: A respectful, private message to clarify expectations and encourage alignment with community standards.
2. Constructive Dialogue
   • Community Impact: Repeated minor issues or a single incident that disrupts the community’s harmony.
   • Consequence: A collaborative discussion (either one-on-one or with a small peer group) to openly discuss the impact of the behavior, fostering mutual understanding and positive ways forward.
3. Restorative Agreement
   • Community Impact: Significant impact on community well-being or trust, especially following previous reminders.
   • Consequence: A formalized agreement outlining steps to rebuild trust. This may include temporary limitations on participation, with the shared goal of making things right.

Evolving and Living Document

Our Code of Conduct is a living document, designed to grow with our community. We invite members to share suggestions to ensure it reflects our evolving purpose and values. We will review it periodically, adapting it as needed to best serve our community.

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant,
version 2.1, available at
https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html.
Community Impact Guidelines were inspired by
Mozilla’s code of conduct enforcement ladder.
For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the FAQ at
FAQ. Translations are available