Public Money Public Code Campaign Ahead of Albania’s 2025 General Elections
Tirana, Albania 14.01.2025 – LibreLabs (known also as LLcc), the local Albanian community that has been promoting digital rights, free/libre open-source software and hardware, open knowledge, open data, and the public domain, is excited to announce the Public Money Public Code (PMPC) 2025 campaign. This campaign aims to bring transparency, accountability, and inclusivity to government technology by ensuring publicly funded software is made available as free and open-source.
What is Public Money Public Code?
Public Money Public Code is an international campaign advocating for governments to adopt policies requiring that publicly funded software be made available and released as free libre open source software. The principles behind PMPC are simple: if the public (taxpayers) pays for software, the public should have the right to use, study, share, and improve it. Open-source software enhances transparency, reduces vendor lock-in, and fosters local innovation and collaboration. Adopting these principles ensures governments can operate more efficiently, securely, and in the best interest of all of us.
Why PMPC Matters for Albania’s 2025 General Elections
As with any democracy, voters in Albania deserve to understand how political parties plan to address critical issues such as digital rights and technology governance. Technology is an essential part of modern governance, and decisions about its use impact every citizen. The 2025 general elections in Albania provide a vital opportunity for political parties to commit to the principles of the PMPC campaign, showcasing their dedication to transparency and accountability.
What We’re Doing
LibreLabs members have already established a dedicated working group to drive the PMPC campaign leading up to the 2025 elections. Our efforts include:
- Compiling the full list of political parties participating in the Albanian general elections in May 2025;
- Engaging directly with these parties to explain the PMPC campaign principles and asking for their stance on adopting them;
- Publishing their responses (or 'ghosting efforts) so that voters review their answers and take their decission when it comes to voting in May 2025.
While this marks the first time LibreLabs is officially the banner behing the PMPC campaign in Albania, many digital rights activists within our community have been actively involved in organizing and advocating for previous iterations of the campaign.
Get Involved
LibreLabs invites everyone passionate about digital rights and open-source software to join us in this critical campaign. Stay informed and get involved by visiting our forum at forum.librelabs.cc (registrations to contribute will open soon). Together, we can ensure that the principles of Public Money Public Code are a cornerstone of Albania’s digital future.
About LibreLabs
Founded in 2024, LibreLabs is a grassroots community in Albania dedicated to advancing digital rights, promoting free/libre open-source software and hardware, and advocating for open knowledge, open data, and the public domain. Through collaborative initiatives and community-driven campaigns, our community of long time tech activists aims to make digital rights a part of the public discourse.
Links:
Official website of the European campaign: https://publiccode.eu/ (shqip https://publiccode.eu/sq/)
FSFE, the entity that initiated the campaign: https://fsfe.org/
