176th Executive Board Meeting Minutes

24-25 June 2024, Amsterdam

Author: Fergal Cunningham
Publication date: 24 July 2024
Status: Final

Attendees:

Ondřej Filip (OF), Chair
Maria Häll (MH), Member
Raymond Jetten (RJ), Treasurer
Remco van Mook (RvM), Member
Sander Steffann (SS), Member
Piotr Strzyżewski (PS), Secretary
Harald A. Summa (SU), Member

Mirjam Kühne (MK), RIPE Chair

Daniella Coutinho (DC), Executive Assistant, RIPE NCC
Fergal Cunningham (FC), Head of Membership Engagement, RIPE NCC
Athina Fragkouli (AF), Chief Legal Officer, RIPE NCC
Simon-Jan Haytink (SJH), Chief Financial Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 3-8)
Hans Petter Holen (HPH), Managing Director, RIPE NCC
Felipe Victolla Silveira (FVS), Chief Technology Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 4)
Carolien Vos (CV), Chief Human Resources Officer, RIPE NCC, attending remotely (topic 8)
Hisham Ibrahim (HI), Chief Community Officer, RIPE NCC, attending remotely (topic 4-7)

Day 1: 24 June 2024

1. Welcome and Agenda

The Executive Board Chair, Ondřej Filip, welcomed everyone and opened the meeting at 12:07.

1.1 Apologies, New agenda points

There were no apologies or new agenda items. Ondřej welcomed Sander Steffann to the Board and congratulated Piotr Strzyżewski on being re-elected. The Board expressed its gratitude to Job Snijders for the time and effort he put into being a Board member for the past three years.

The Board also paid respects to RIPE NCC member, fellow RIPE community participant and friend, Erik Bais, who passed away after the recent RIPE 88 Meeting.

1.2 Approval of minutes

Resolution EB#176-R-01

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the minutes of EB#174 and EB#175.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

1.3 Conflict of Interest

None of the Board members noted a conflict of interest regarding the topics on the agenda.

Athina Fragkouli noted that Sander has already stepped down as a RIPE NCC Arbiter. This was acknowledged by the Board and everyone thanked him for his services as an Arbiter. It was noted that a call for new arbiters could be made before the next General Meeting. Athina will review whether or not this is necessary at the present time.

1.4 Dates of next meetings

19-20 September 2024, Amsterdam
25 October 2024, Online
30 October-1 November 2024, RIPE NCC General Meeting, Prague
11-12 December 2024, Amsterdam

The Board agreed to do the preparation meeting for RIPE 89 online the Friday morning before the RIPE Meeting as this scheduling had worked well for RIPE 88.

1.5 Conference calendar

The Board discussed upcoming meetings and conferences of the RIPE NCC and the industry, and they agreed on who would be attending which event.

1.6 Action list review

Ongoing action items

Action EB453 / 25/03/2024 / HI

The RIPE NCC to work with the Board to arrive at a future-proof structure and funding model.

Status 24/06/2024: Ongoing, On the agenda for EB#176, topic 7.4.

1.7 Executive Board Duties and Liabilities

There was a presentation from Athina that clarified the duties and liabilities of Executive Board members.

There were questions on what constitutes the Management Team as defined in the Articles of Association, and Athina confirmed this meant Hans Petter Holen solely at the present time.

It was noted that under the management regulations, the Executive Board shall not give any instructions to RIPE NCC employees without prior notice to and consultation with the Managing Director. It was accepted that the Board only instructs Hans Petter rather than the staff generally. There was general discussion on how the Board needs to act when discussing work with staff, and there was agreement that care needs to be taken in this area and that Hans Petter should be aware of any instructions from Board members to staff.

On termination of SSAs, Hans Petter noted that this action would need to be reviewed by the Managing Director before it is effected according to the current board-approved procedures. He said this would also need to be aligned with the risk management framework.

There was a question on the responsibilities of the Board Treasurer, and Athina noted that financial responsibilities were legally delegated to the whole Board but that the Board could internally assign specific responsibilities to the Treasurer.

There was a question about whether the member proposal system for the GM was in compliance with the RIPE NCC Articles of Association (AoA), and Athina confirmed that it was. Hans Petter informed the board that we will review the membership system supporting the GM to ensure that all aspects of the requirements in the Articles of Association are fully implemented in the system to avoid manual processes and fortify the GM processes.

There was also discussion on the signing powers within the RIPE NCC, and Hans Petter explained how the financial governance works and the technical mechanisms in place to facilitate that governance.

1.8 Roles of the EB

The Board discussed the roles the Board members would take for the coming year. It was

decided that the following positions would be assigned:

Chair - Ondřej Filip
Secretary - Piotr Strzyżewski
Treasurer - Raymond Jetten
Board liaison to RIPE Nominating Committee - Sander Steffann
NRO EC Meeting Observer - Remco van Mook
Academia and NRENs - Maria Häll
Selection Committee for the RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund - Harald A. Summa
Members-discuss moderator - Piotr Strzyżewski

2. Report from the MD

There was a presentation from Hans Petter giving an update to the Board on current topics of interest. These covered topics in the following areas:

The Registry
Technology
Community and Engagement
Legal
Security, Risk and Compliance
HR, Facilities and Admin

Following the presentation, Hans Petter explained in more detail the work involved in reviewing End Users for sanctions compliance. It was suggested that using new tools to help provide faster responses to members should be considered.

On police reports made by the RIPE NCC, Hans Petter confirmed that police reports are currently filed with the Dutch police. There was a request from the Board to look into the possibility of making police reports in the countries of the people carrying out fraud or other criminal activity.

The Board discussed the transfer market and the implications of organisations securitising their IPv4 holdings. There was also discussion of where liability lies in the case of disputed transfers.

There was a question on reporting about CO2 emissions and Hans Petter noted this would come into Dutch regulations in 2025.

Hans Petter explained how the organisation was saving money this year on data centre and data storage costs.

Hans Petter explained how the NIS2 Directive will affect the RIPE NCC and its services.

A RIPE NCC staff survey was carried out before the Board meeting, but the results were not yet available. Hans Petter will share the results with the Board once they are available.

2.1 Risk & Compliance

This topic was included in the presentation given at item 2. The high risks will be taken into account when making the Activity Plan for 2025. Hans Petter noted that assessing the risks listed in the RIPE NCC’s risk framework was an area where he would like to see more Board involvement.

2.2 APNIC-RIPE NCC Joint Action Status

There was a presentation from Hans Petter on the status of actions agreed between the APNIC EC and the RIPE NCC Board.

3. Finance

3.1 Financial status May 2024

Simon-Jan Haytink gave a presentation on the financial status from May 2024.

There was a general discussion on the waiting list and the number of members who might sign up for the rest of the year. Hans Petter noted that we budget based on the number of members rather than LIR accounts in order to be somewhat conservative.

3.2 Charging Scheme 2025 Implementation

There was a presentation from Simon-Jan on the implementation of the Charging Scheme 2025 that was approved by the members at the General Meeting May 2024.

There were comments that we need to monitor the situation with ASNs and their return, given the introduction of an ASN charge.

3.3 Treasury Status Report

Simon-Jan gave the Treasury Update May 2024.

3.4 Treasury Statute Annual Review

Simon-Jan provided the annual review of the Treasury Statute. During the discussion, there was a question on why it must be approved every year, given there is no change, and it was pointed out that annual review and approval is part of the Treasury Statute itself.

Resolution EB#176-R-02

The RIPE NCC Executive Board reviewed and approves the RIPE NCC Treasury Statute, according to the agreed yearly review cycle.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

3.5 Exchange Traded Funds

Simon-Jan presented a proposal on exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which he is making because the return on the investment of ETFs has been significantly worse, with higher variations, than the return on the professionally managed portfolio. The proposal would mean selling the current ETFs and investing the income from this sale, along with funds of two cash deposits, with our investment partner to increase our returns and further diversify our investment portfolio. The exact timing of the sale will be determined by the CFO in cooperation with our investment partner to get the best returns in a reasonable timeframe.

There was a question about whether this proposal would contradict the Treasury Statute resolution that the Board just approved. Simon-Jan carried out a thorough check on this and informed the Board that the proposal was within the parameters set out in the Treasury Statute.

Resolution EB#176-R-03

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to sell the Exchange Traded Funds owned by the RIPE NCC.

Further, the RIPE NCC Executive Board, considering:

Their previous resolution to approve an initial investment of EUR 10 million with an investment partner, in accordance with the Treasury statute (Resolution EB#168-R-03), and
The initial results of the investment portfolio presented by the investment partner during the EB#174 meeting,

resolves the addition of EUR 5.7 million to the investment portfolio managed by this investment partner.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

3.6 Clearing House

Simon-Jan presented on the goal of the Clearing House reserve and noted that he was looking for guidance from the Board rather than a decision at this point.

There was a discussion on the origins and history of the RIPE NCC reserves and the interactions with the Dutch authorities about the tax ruling we received from them. The current ruling is expiring this year, and we have applied for a renewal.

Simon-Jan asked if the goal of the Clearing House Reserve should be based on a time period, on a risk-based approach, or on a project approach.

There was a discussion on the risks the RIPE NCC faces in terms of its ability to collect income and the liabilities the RIPE NCC might face in relation to the value of transfers it facilitates.

It was noted that regardless of what you want to do with the reserves, it is still up to the members to approve additions to the reserves. It was argued that having a good, substantial reasoning behind the reserves should be made clear.

The Board asked Simon-Jan to clarify the risks and reasonings for the goals of the RIPE NCC reserves, based on different scenarios and (where possible) anticipated risks to the operation of the RIPE NCC.

Action EB454 / 24/06/2024 / SJH

To list the main risks and the related substantive reasoning for the goals of RIPE NCC reserves.

3.7 Cost Budget 2025/2026

Simon-Jan presented an indicative cost budget for 2025/2026 and noted that he was asking for guidance from the Board. Specifically, he asked if we wanted a decreased budget, a neutral budget, or an increased budget.

There was a comment that it would be a mistake to spend all the forecast income we would receive. We have always tried to give back money via the surplus redistribution, and we should try to do that again. We shouldn’t be cutting services without proper analysis in 2025/2026 but should instead be critical on how we spend our money, for example, on data centres. Reaching the lowest possible budget should not be a goal, rather, we should aim for a surplus and try to achieve budget optimisation and gain efficiencies without cutting services. It was suggested to look at specific items rather than using the approach of cutting by a set percentage across all services.

There was a discussion about charging members for the specific services they use, and the point was raised that this could mean the end of the services, which requires a much broader discussion.

Hans Petter noted that insight from the measurement services such as RIPE Atlas help us to defend the registry system and gives us access to government discussions. He said that we do have sponsorship opportunities for things like RIPE Atlas. He did explain that there has been a reduction in sponsorship since COVID, and there appears to be less sponsorship available in Europe, as the sponsors focus their spending on growing and emerging Internet markets in the Middle East and Central Asia. There was a suggestion that it might be worth investigating hiring someone who has good expertise in this area. A general discussion followed, focusing on the various difficulties with attracting sponsorship. It was also suggested that certain activities could be dependent on sponsorships.

There was a comment that there should be better storytelling about the RIPE NCC’s services, specifically about why we have them and their value.

Hans Petter said Security and Compliance and Registry Accuracy need further focus and investment, so the question is where to cut to accommodate that. It was pointed out that we could operate within budget with the current charging scheme until 2026, aligning with the five-year strategy, at which point there should be a new scheme in place.

There was a question about receiving income from ultra-high-risk countries, and Simon-Jan said we continue to work with the banks on this, and we hope to get a positive outcome.

Simon-Jan summarised that we would aim for a budget surplus in 2025 of 1-1.5 million euros, and we should aim for 1 million for 2026. The Board agreed with this aim, and Hans Petter said we would still work to make savings where possible.

4. Activity Plan 2025

Hans Petter presented on the Activity Plan 2025 and his thoughts on the direction it should take. He said in general we should look at five-year strategic plans rather than three-year plans so we look long-term and don’t have to revisit halfway through each strategic plan. He also presented the results of the PESTLE analysis we carried out last year and that it still applies today. The Board agreed with the analysis and stated that a five-year cycle for strategic plans is a good approach.

There was a question about what the registry accuracy work would entail, and Hans Petter said it’s partly about how we measure accuracy. He also noted that it should also involve increased automation where possible.

It was suggested that the additional work involved in supporting potentially two new task forces on the charging scheme and on the future state of the RIPE NCC should be incorporated as there is overhead in carrying out this work. There were further suggestions to include items related to the promotion and explanation of RIPE NCC services and specifically the elements that would be focused on in the Activity Plan and Budget.

Hisham Ibrahim said that registry accuracy is very important for our members and community, but it is also very important on the political side.

There was a comment that being ahead on security and compliance was very important and if we don’t fund this work we would regret it down the line. Hans Petter agreed and said this is standard everywhere, but it involves a staff cultural change as much as anything.

Hans Petter summarised by saying he saw general support for the direction he outlined with increased emphasis on the promotion of RIPE NCC services and the increased secretariat work for various task forces.

The Chair adjourned the meeting at 17:00.

Day 2: 25 June 2024

5. RIPE

RIPE Chair Mirjam Kühne gave an update on the developments in the RIPE community:

Review of RIPE 88. There was lots of positive feedback, especially from newcomers, and there was appreciation for taking feedback on previous meetings into account. The content at the meeting was very good and there were constructive discussions.

There are efforts to forge stronger relationships with law enforcement agencies, which is a positive development. And the RIPE NCC will offer agencies a training session after the summer.

RIPE Meeting Planning is going well - RIPE 89 will be in Prague, and there is a solid option for RIPE 90, and we have options for subsequent meetings. There was a discussion about making sure that the meeting dates do not clash with other industry events and to communicate these dates clearly so that members can plan their travel. After COVID, the planning of future RIPE Meetings has been only one or two meetings in advance. It is the intention to go back to planning RIPE Meetings further ahead.

Mirjam attended the TNC Conference in France after the RIPE Meeting and it was a good opportunity to connect with the NRENs, and there was lots of relevant content for the RIPE community including on IPv6.

Mirjam also presented at EuroDIG and had an opportunity to speak at the opening plenary.

Mirjam is looking at improving the RIPE Document Store to make information easier to find and to make clear the status of documents, and to make better use of categories and tags. She noted that a lot of history and documentation is there that explains everything, but currently, it is not too accessible, so she will work with the RIPE NCC on this.

Further, at the EuroDIG conference, contact was established between Mirjam and the Deputy Secretary-General of the ITU, and there were discussions about enhancing cooperation and capacity building.

5.1 Community Project Fund Review

Hisham presented on the Community Project Fund (CPF) and explained the history and development of this initiative, which started in 2017 with the purpose of supporting projects that helped the development of the Internet. He said that roughly 230K has been allocated annually to the project since it started. He said there have been notable successes, but other issues have been raised, such as issues with funding allocation, accountability and post-funding sustainability that have sparked discussion around the future of the CPF. Actions have been taken to mitigate these issues, but Hisham proposed to pause the CPF for 2025 so that there can be a full review and some issues can be addressed. He asked for guidance from the Board on the CPF.

It was suggested that the CPF does provide value, and the resolution should suspend the initiative for a year while work is carried out to review and improve it rather than deciding to discontinue it fully. It was noted that the initiative's review should be the responsibility of the CPF committee, together with the RIPE community, with support from the RIPE NCC.

There was a general discussion about measures that could be taken to improve the CPF, including comments that strict requirements must be in place before funding can be allocated to recipients and that the work that is funded should be better promoted.

Hisham said that the deadline for this year’s submissions is the end of July and work would continue on the CPF for the rest of the year. He added that he would connect with other organisations that are running similar programmes and that this could help with refining the CPF and that he would publish a RIPE Labs article about this topic.

Resolution EB#176-R-04

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to suspend the activity “RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund” for 2025.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

6. Corporate Governance

6.1 Review General Meeting

Fergal presented a review of the General Meeting May 2024, including the preparations, the member proposal system that was created for this GM, the voting results, and the feedback received from members throughout the GM process. Fergal noted that there was work ongoing to produce a detailed analysis of the voting and this would be published as a RIPE Labs article for all members to see.

Hans Petter suggested that this was a good time to review the GM processes and the registration rights associated with members as well as the Articles of Association, and potentially propose amendments in order to fortify the processes around the GM. There was a general discussion on ensuring that members are also taking responsibility in terms of such matters as correctly identifying themselves and which members they represent.

It was noted that during the charging scheme discussions, nearly 500 people unsubscribed from the members-discuss mailing list, which hinders our ability to involve these people in future conversations about the organisation. It was pointed out that the Board candidates' mailing list sees very little traffic, and it might be time to review whether this is worth pursuing. Having candidates engage on the members-discuss list is likely to be more productive and to be seen by more voting members.

Fergal noted that the voter turnout was smaller than last year’s May GM, and there was discussion around the possible reasons for this. It was suggested to reach out to similar organisations to compare voter turnout, although this has difficulties as there are few organisations set up like the RIPE NCC with members in so many countries.

There was a general discussion on the feedback received during the GM, and it was noted that we are dealing with a different environment and more diverse set of interests than we have in years past, and the Board will need to work to engage appropriately in that environment. It was agreed that plans to have a charging scheme task force that involves a diverse set of members more directly would be a good step in this regard.

6.2 RIPE NCC Middle East FZ-LLC

Hans Petter gave an update on the establishment of RIPE NCC Middle East FZ-LLC, the legal entity in Dubai. He shared the purpose of the entity, what has been done already and what the next steps are. Hans Petter said the target date to have everything fully up and running is 1 January 2025.

There were comments that paying close attention to the tax implications of this set-up, adhering to principles of transfer-pricing would be advisable. Hans Petter agreed with this and said expert external advice had been engaged to help with this process.

6.3 Role of CoC Team on members-discuss mailing list

Athina explained that the RIPE Code of Conduct Team asked about the role they might need to have regarding the members-discuss mailing list. She outlined the legal basis for the moderation of the members-discuss list, which is based on resolutions approved by the Board, and also the legal basis for the RIPE CoC Team. She noted that the RIPE CoC Team was established after the establishment of the rules applied to the moderation of members-discuss mailing list. She asked the Board if they wanted to keep the current process where moderation and CoC breach evaluation is carried out by a Board member and a staff member; or allow only the RIPE CoC process where actions are taken upon report to the CoC Team.

Mirjam said in the community, the chairs of working groups can moderate lists and are authorised to take action. Moderation comes with power and responsibility, but the responsibilities are well defined. She added that the chairs and CoC Team are establishing closer links to make this relationship smoother.

After general discussion about issues with moderation, the Board decided to keep the existing process in place for moderation of the members-discuss mailing list. It was also suggested that the RIPE NCC should inform the RIPE Code of Conduct Team about this outcome.

6.4 Unmoderated Archive Retention

Athina explained that for every mailing list that is hosted by the RIPE NCC, public archives are available for the purpose of openness and transparency. In 2020, the members-discuss mailing list “members-discuss” was put under moderation (Resolution EB#139-R-02). In order for the membership to be confident that the RIPE NCC does not abuse this moderation, an unmoderated archive is also maintained that includes all approved and rejected emails, next to the archive with approved emails. It was proposed to automatically remove emails from the unmoderated archives after a certain period of time. Mirjam explained that this was also considered for the unmoderated archives of the RIPE List.

Mirjam said the main purpose of unmoderated archives was to show that moderators were doing their work properly. It was suggested that 90 days would be sufficient for this purpose. Mirjam said she would align the RIPE List unmoderated archives with this decision.

Resolution EB#176-R-05

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to retain emails for no longer than three months in the archives of the unmoderated members-discuss mailing list.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

7. Resilience of Joint Internet Number Registry

7.1 Updates to “Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet Registries” (ICP-2)

Athina gave an update on the ASO AC’s work on a principles document for the update to ICP-2. She said there would be input from the NRO EC and the RIR legal teams before anything is published. The ASO AC will also liaise with ICANN on this. She said the ASO AC wanted to launch a survey in August on principles, and they also would like representation at the RIR meetings from September onwards in order to update the communities.

Hans Petter shared the timelines for this work, and he said that the NRO EC discussed how to involve the Boards of the RIRs and ensure their comments are taken into consideration.

Mirjam said she was pleased that work on principles would take place before specific text around requirements is added.

Sander highlighted the importance of staying involved as different RIR regions have different organisational structures, and what would seem self-evident in one region might conflict with how things are done in another region. It is therefore important to keep an eye on potential unintended consequences for the RIPE NCC. Sander said that as a recent member of the ASO AC, he would still be involved and attend meetings as an external observer.

7.2 AFRINIC

Hans Petter gave an overview of the legal issues facing AFRINIC and there followed a general discussion on the situation. He also talked about two community events taking place in Africa in the coming months and he said we would try to have representation at both. There was a general discussion on the difficulties with sending Board, ASO AC or staff members to certain events. And there was also acknowledgement of the work AFRINIC staff are doing to maintain the Registry there in the face of a very difficult situation.

7.3 Harnessing Community Power

At the previous physical Board meeting (EB#174), it was discussed how community power could be harnessed and it was agreed that a series of community engagements would be designed to address the matter. This was also shared in the Community Plenary during RIPE 88. Hans Petter would like a more concrete action and linked the matter back to open issues from the Accountability Task Force. Two of the four remaining actions involve the RIPE NCC, and Hans Petter suggested that he take on these actions together with the RIPE Chair. Hans Petter said that describing the relationship between the RIPE community and the RIPE NCC is important and is something that should be done.

Regarding the other remaining recommendations listed on the agenda, Mirjam noted that she is working on reviewing the RIPE Document Store, and there are two further actions the community can resolve - working group chair selection alignment and semi-regular review of the RIPE community’s accountability.

Mirjam said that work was ongoing on aligning working group chair selections, and there is support for aligning the processes from the newer working group chairs and the wider community. However, she had heard concerns from some chairs that they didn’t want to lose independence.

7.4 Aligning RIPE NCC's Strategic Objectives with Funding

Remco gave a review of the BoF “Building A Stable Future for the RIPE NCC” that took place at RIPE 88 and the work involved in reviewing the structure and governance of the RIPE NCC to make sure it is set up adequately for the landscape it now operates in. He said there was good discussion and feedback points, and a lot of ground was covered. He will summarise everything in a RIPE Labs article that will be published in the coming weeks.

In his article, he will ask what the collective purposes and goals of the community and RIPE NCC are, and he will propose a task force to formulate the problem statement and the purposes of its work. He said the exercise is not to come up with solutions initially.

Mirjam said the problem statement wasn’t clear to many people, and Remco said it was a question of whether we are fully fit for purpose, and we need to understand that and do a self-evaluation.

Remco said there was a good summary from a community member that outlined the entire process, and he will rely on that. He said the timeline was something that would need to be discussed among the Board members, and he noted that we needed a new strategy for the organisation for 2027 and beyond.

Hisham said that clarifying that this would be a community task force while the charging scheme task force would be a membership task force was an important point to make. And he advised that the charging scheme task force should work on principles that can work for the future. He said working the problem space from two perspectives would be helpful.

Remco said financially we should be fine for 2025 and 2026, but the structure of the organisation from 2027 was still an open question that needed to be resolved.

There was a discussion on how the work on ICP-2 would fit into this project, and it was generally agreed that this work would align well with Remco’s work on a sustainable model for the RIPE NCC. Mirjam recommended that we carefully manage the many different elements and engagements here, as it can become difficult to align them all.

Hisham said this is all similar to our compliance work and we are expected to mature and to be able to defend our structures and governance model.

7.5 Charging Scheme Task Force

Following discussions in the build-up to and at the General Meeting on the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2025, there was discussion on having a new charging scheme task force that represented the diversity of the membership to the extent possible. The Board agreed this was a good idea. Fergal will work with Ondřej on a finalised call for volunteers based on comments from the Board.

There was discussion on who and how many people should be involved, and it was agreed that around ten members, with involvement of representatives from the Board and RIPE NCC staff, would be appropriate. It was also agreed that the task force should focus on the principles that would apply for future charging scheme proposals rather than propose specific charging schemes. Hans Petter said that it would be good to get volunteers with expertise in finance, product pricing, and market mechanisms who could contribute to the work.

On the timeline, Ondřej suggested that an end date should not be decided upon until the task force had a chance to meet and assess the work that lay before it. The Board suggested that giving members until mid-July to apply would be reasonable, and Fergal will work with Ondřej on the call for volunteers.

Resolution EB#176-R-06

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to set up a Charging Scheme Task Force, involving representatives from the RIPE NCC membership, to work on the principles that should apply to future RIPE NCC Charging Schemes.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

8. Proposed Executive Board Training

Carolien Vos gave a presentation on proposed education options for Board members that could help to ensure the Board has the expertise necessary to work efficiently with best practices in mind. The Board all agreed that training would be useful and selected two education options. Carolien will work on scheduling the education.

9. AOB

Handling Sensitive Documentation

There was a question on how the Board should manage sensitive Board documents, and Athina said she would come back to the Board on the best way to manage all this.

The Chair closed the meeting at 14:56.

Resolutions

Resolution EB#176-R-01

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the minutes of EB#174 and EB#175.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Resolution EB#176-R-02

The RIPE NCC Executive Board reviewed and approves the RIPE NCC Treasury Statute, according to the agreed yearly review cycle.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Resolution EB#176-R-03

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to sell the Exchange Traded Funds owned by the RIPE NCC.

Further, the RIPE NCC Executive Board, considering:

Their previous resolution to approve an initial investment of EUR 10 million with an investment partner, in accordance with the Treasury statute (Resolution EB#168-R-03), and
The initial results of the investment portfolio presented by the investment partner during the EB#174 meeting,

resolves the addition of EUR 5.7 million to the investment portfolio managed by this investment partner.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Resolution EB#176-R-04

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to suspend the activity “RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund” for 2025.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Resolution EB#176-R-05

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to retain emails for no longer than three months in the archives of the unmoderated members-discuss mailing list.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Resolution EB#176-R-06

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

Actions

Ongoing action items

Action EB453 / 25/03/2024 / HI

The RIPE NCC to work with the Board to arrive at a future-proof structure and funding model

Status 25/06/2024: Ongoing. At RIPE 88 a BOF ‘Building a stable future for the RIPE NCC’ was organised and actions from the summary include writing RIPE Labs articles with a summary of the BOF and an article with updated proposed objective for the RIPE Compact and establishment of a task force or working group to that investigates what to keep and what to amend.

New action items

Action EB454 / 24/06/2024 / SJH

To list the main risks and the related substantive reasoning for the goals of RIPE NCC reserves.