TYPO3 Association Members Approve New Governance Structure

TYPO3 Association members voted online from 21–29 October 2026 on bylaw amendments proposed by the TYPO3 Association Board. Of 272 votes cast, 204 were in favor (75.00%), above the two-thirds majority required. Of the rest, 66 (24.26%) were against and 2 (0.74%) were blank.

Voting closed at 11:59 CET, and an extraordinary General Assembly followed at 13:00 CET the same day. The meeting was originally called to verify the vote, but the TYPO3 Association’s legal advisors deemed this step unnecessary. Instead, the meeting formally took note of the final result.

The bylaws now include two new bodies. Units are self-managed groups of contributors. Each Unit is responsible for one area of the project, such as features, knowledge, or community. The Unit Cooperation Panel brings together representatives from every Unit and the Board. It coordinates priorities and acts as product owner for the TYPO3 Product Roadmap.

This creates a three-way division of responsibilities:

• Units and the Unit Cooperation Panel are responsible for the TYPO3 product and its related services and infrastructure.
• The TYPO3 Association Board represents the Association externally, manages its finances, and oversees the general framework.
• The Business Control Committee (BCC) audits the finances and ensures compliance with the rules.

The amendments also implement five petitions that members adopted at the ordinary General Assembly on 22 April 2026. The Board now decides on admitting new members and informs the General Assembly about its decisions. Board elections have a runoff procedure with a maximum of three voting rounds.

Board and BCC members are limited to two re-elections. The Board must publish decisions, protocols, and half-yearly reports. Outdated, duplicated, and inconsistent wording has also been removed from the bylaws.

In a legal assessment dated 28 October 2026, BDO, the TYPO3 Association's legal advisor, concluded that the online vote was the binding decision. Under Article 14 of the bylaws, the electronic vote (in German, Urabstimmung) fully replaces a vote at a meeting. It is not a preliminary round, so the amendments were adopted as soon as the online vote reached a two-thirds majority.

The assessment also ruled out a confirmation vote at the meeting. Bylaw changes require a two-thirds majority, so a confirmation by simple majority would have no legal standing. A second vote could also produce contradictory meeting minutes, which would block registration of the changes with the Commercial Register.

The extraordinary General Assembly therefore formally took note of the final result (Kenntnisnahme) without holding a separate vote.

The amended bylaws take effect immediately. Work on setting up the Units continues next week, when the inaugural Unit members meet in person to get the new structure up and running provisionally. This first group is a starting point. The Units are designed to grow over time as new Unit Supporters and Unit Members join. The Board aims to have the units fully established within nine months, with regular elections held within them.

The amended bylaws are in German. As a Swiss organization, the German version is legally binding for the TYPO3 Association. A non-authoritative English version of the amendments is also available.

The next General Assembly is scheduled for 13 April 2027.

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