[ripe-list] Updating the RIPE Policy Development Process (PDP)

Dear colleagues,

The following two documents have now been published as RIPE documents:

Review of the RIPE Appeals Procedure (ripe-760)
https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-760

Evolution of the RIPE Policy Development Process (ripe-761)
https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-761

The documents contain a number of recommendations, some of them
related to the Policy Development Process
(https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-710). Please find those
recommendations below together with a suggested way forward.
For more context and background, please refer to the two documents above.

We would like to hear your feedback so that we can then update the PDP
document accordingly.

In a second mail, we will discuss recommendations that are specifically
related to the appeals procedure as currently described in the PDP.

Kind regards,
Mirjam Kühne & Niall O'Reilly
RIPE Chair Team

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1. To clarify how the policy development process should be amended.

The PDP is a community governance document that describes how policy is
made within RIPE. Changes to the PDP are presented on the ripe list and
discussed during a RIPE Community Plenary. A consensus call is then
issued on the ripe-list by the RIPE Chair.

Question to the community: Do you agree to add this to the PDP document?

2. To clarify or omit the identification of the RIPE Chair as "author
and owner" of the policy development process.

The community owns the PDP. The RIPE Chair is listed as the author of
the document and oversees the community consensus process.

Question to the community: Do you agree with this statement?

3. To discuss an idea for a policy proposal on the relevant mailing list
before it is submitted as a formal policy proposal.

Since the discussion phase is now part of the PDP, we recommend to add
another step before a formal policy is submitted: It is recommended that
an idea for a new policy or a change of an existing policy is sent to
the relevant mailing list before it enters the formal PDP. Also, the
relevant WG chairs are encouraged to work with the proposer in preparing
a policy proposal.

Question to the community: Do you agree with this approach?