About BeLibre

BeLibre is a Belgian civil society organisation working on digital autonomy and sovereignty. We help citizens, public institutions and policymakers understand what is at stake in the digital choices our society makes, and we contribute to a digital infrastructure that serves the public interest.

# Why we exist

In most European countries there are civil movements around the impact of tech on society. In Belgium, most movements shift to the European level.

And that is the right level to address this topic. Yet, there’s an important caveat: European guidelines need to be implemented in national laws by local (federal or regional) governments. So it’s important to have politicians with a good understanding of this matter. Furthermore, European delegates get elected locally. This means that if we want the topic to be addressed in a smart way, we need skilled candidates, and then need to elect these politicians to represent our country.

# What we do

Research. We map digital dependencies in the Belgian public sector and produce sourced analyses on topics ranging from cloud procurement to data transfer law. We publish methodology alongside conclusions, so others can verify our work and build on it.

Community. We connect people across language communities, sectors and political perspectives who share a concern about digital autonomy. The network includes civil servants, academics, IT professionals, lawyers, journalists and elected officials. We also connect with organisations in the country with aligned values, and movements in other European countries that follow similar goals.

Public information. We translate complex policy and legal questions into accessible Dutch, French and English, for citizens, policymakers and the press.

# Our principles

• Society first. We look at digital choices through their consequences for people, communities and the public interest. Technology should improve life for all (individual, society, ecology).
• Constructive, factual, respectful. We work with sourced evidence, not fear. We are willing to be wrong and to update. We critique design choices and mechanisms, not individual people or organisations.
• Questions before conclusions. We test assumptions instead of imposing them. We start from what works before introducing what doesn’t.
• FOSS as a means, not the goal. Free and Open Source matters because it enables scrutiny, autonomy and trust: it strengthens confidentiality, integrity and availability of digital systems.
• Stronger together. Digital sovereignty is too big for one organisation, one language community or one country. We collaborate across Belgium, Europe and beyond.

# Working with us

Alongside our public mission, BeLibre can take on commissioned work that contributes to the same goal. As a non-profit, any income from these activities flows back into the association’s purpose — there are no shareholders and no distributions.

We are available for:

• Advice. Sourced, neutral input on concrete digital-sovereignty questions, from procurement decisions to policy drafting.
• Training and workshops. Sessions for staff, elected officials or member organisations on the legal, technical and economic dimensions of digital autonomy, open standards and free software licensing.
• Measurement tools and methodologies. Datasets, scoring frameworks and reference material that organisations can use to assess their own digital posture and that of their suppliers.
• Talks and events. Contributions to study days, panels and public debates on the societal impact of digital technology.

We also collaborate, on a non-commercial basis, with like-minded organisations in Belgium and abroad (civil rights groups, academic institutions, public services and international networks).

# Become a member

BeLibre is in the process of becoming a non-profit association (vzw). There are several ways to support the work:

# How?

• Become a member. Subscribe to our principles and pay an annual contribution. Members have a vote in the general assembly and can be listed publicly as supporters of the movement.
  • Individuals: from €20 per year
  • Non-profits: from €20 per year
  • Businesses: from €50 per year
• Volunteer. We welcome people who want to write articles, do research, translate or proofread (NL, FR, EN), speak about BeLibre, or help shape the organisation. Two additional board members would be especially welcome.
• Donate. Financial support helps with hosting, legal setup and basic operations. People who donate now will receive their first year of membership once BeLibre vzw is legally established.

# Bank details

• Account holder: Jurgen Gaeremyn (separate temporary account for the founding of BeLibre)
• IBAN: BE77 5231 4241 2142
• Reference for membership payments: MEMBERSHIP <your name or organisation>

# Why?

We need people interested in helping the organisation

• write articles, do research (base article can be NL, FR, EN)
• help translate (or proofread translations)
• people willing to/interested in talking about BeLibre or help think about digital sovereignty

Why you should become a member:

• To add another voice to the movement
• To help volunteer
• To see the name of you(r organisation) on the list of public members
• To financially support the movement
• To have one vote at the table during general assembly

For questions, collaboration proposals or press enquiries use the contact form below.

# How to reach us

Your name

Your email address

Subject

Message

Leave this field empty

Send message

We use your email address only to reply to you. We do not share it and do not use it for marketing.

Friends of BeLibre

BeLibre is not alone. Across Belgium and Europe, organisations work on the same questions of digital autonomy, free software and public-interest technology, each from their own angle. The cards below introduce the groups we collaborate with, learn from and point people toward.

Members of BeLibre

Our members give BeLibre its base: people and organisations who subscribe to our principles, contribute their voice, and back the work financially. They appear here with their consent.