May 10th, 2004

APRIL disassociates from FSFE

Today the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) complied with the explicit request to please remove the "Association for Promotion and Research in Libre Computing" (APRIL) from the list of associate organisations. The request was made by APRIL president and FSFE member Frederic Couchet along with his resignation from FSFE.

The reasons provided by APRIL were accumulated cultural differences that made it difficult to continue cooperation on such a close level. The Free Software Foundation Europe thanks the Association for Promotion and Research in Libre Computing for vital support in the first years and hopes this step will make it easier to look beyond what sets us apart and concentrate on what we have in common instead.

Both organisations wish to reaffirm strongly their firm cooperation. "This is parting as friends," says Frederic Couchet, president of APRIL. He continues: "When we decided to take this step, my feeling was that I should be consistent and not remain French representative of the FSFE while being president of APRIL."

"A European culture may be arising, but cooperating across cultural boundaries is still not something you get taught in schools. It is very, very difficult," says Georg Greve, president of the FSFE. "We understand that APRIL feels the need for more cultural autonomy and respect that decision."

There is no doubt that we will be working together in the future, whatever that may bring.