Hi, Okay, I’ll bite. The plan shows a 1.7M EUR operating deficit, partly offset by 0.6M EUR in budgeted financial income, leaving a net deficit of 1.1M EUR. When does RIPE NCC expect operations to return to balance, and what changes will get them there? If I have the figures right, RIPE NCC had 182 FTEs and four EoR staff in 2024. The 2027 budget puts the combined figure at around 208. What accounts for that increase, and how much of it is temporary staffing for the infrastructure project? The infrastructure renewal may be justified, but I have more questions about its cost after reading the draft than I did before: * Page 17 mentions expected savings of 27K EUR. Surely it can't be all. Is that per month or per year? * The plan includes 7.7M EUR in capital expenditure for infrastructure renewal. What additional data center and IT capital expenditure is expected in each year from 2028 to 2031? * The associated operating expenditure appears to be 1.2M EUR in 2027 and at least 1.4M EUR in 2028. What is projected for each year through 2031? Which existing costs will this spending replace? * What resilience does the proposed design provide beyond the lower-cost 5M EUR option? If the proposed approach proves unworkable, what is the fallback? * Page 18 discusses using Clearing House reserves. As I understand it, these reserves were built largely from past membership fees (while the same paragraph implies there are plenty of alternatives to raising it via membership fees.......) Is that correct, and what would using them leave as a reserve buffer? * What is the opportunity cost for this proposed project? I would also like a bit more color on the 2.2M EUR office renovation. * What kind of work does it cover? * Will the landlord contribute, or will RIPE NCC pay the full amount? * What would be the cost per sqm? Spreading the cost over nine years for accounting purposes does not change the upfront cash requirement. The quoted 12 EUR per LIR per year describes the annual depreciation, not what RIPE NCC must spend on the renovation. The same distinction applies to the infrastructure project: allocating its cost across LIRs over five years does not show how it will be funded or what it will cost to operate. Depreciation is relevant to the income statement and the asset's carrying value on the balance sheet, but it does not show when the cash is spent, which is much more interesting in my opinion. Finally, I am concerned about the prospect of another membership fee increase. If members are asked to vote on higher fees again next spring, how does RIPE NCC expect to fund these plans without raising fees year after year? What tangible benefit will members receive in return for the additional cost? Please don't take it the wrong way, but I'm very concerned that the membership exists for RIPE NCC and not NCC existing for us. Kaj ________________________________ From: Hans Petter Holen <hph+announce@ripe.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2026 22:08 To: ncc-announce@ripe.net <ncc-announce@ripe.net> Subject: [ncc-announce] [News] Draft Activity Plan and Budget 2027 Published Dear members, The Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2027 is now available for your review at: https://www.ripe.net/s/gm/oct-2026-supporting-docs/ This document begins our 2027-2031 strategic cycle and introduces a more streamlined approach to the Activity Plan. Key budget points for 2027 include: - Income of EUR 42.5 M - Operational costs of EUR 44.2 M - Deficit from operations at EUR 1.7M EUR - Financial Income and Expenditures at EUR 0.6 M - Deficit at EUR 1.1 M - Combined FTE and Employer of Record (EoR) count increasing by 2.5% The overall budgets for Registry, External Engagement & Community, and Organisational Sustainability remain at the same level as 2026. General personnel increases and inflation have been incorporated, with savings made within these divisions through continuous cost optimisation and control. The main change is the investment required to renew our technical infrastructure. This project has already started in 2026 and will run until 2028. As a result, capital expenditure will increase from 930 kEUR in the 2026 Budget to EUR 10.5 M in 2027. Included in this total is EUR 2.2 M for repairs and renovations to our offices. Our budgeted income also reflects the Charging Scheme approved by the membership at the General Meeting in May 2026, including the EUR 1,894 membership fee, the introduction of fees for legacy IPv4 resources and changes to ASN fees. We have budgeted to start 2027 with 20,000 LIR accounts, the same as in 2026. RIPE NCC expense per LIR is expected to be EUR 2,056, a 7% increase compared to the 2026 Budget. Please read the document and share any feedback on members-discuss@ripe.net<mailto:members-discuss@ripe.net>. The document was approved for publication by the Executive Board at its 196th meeting: https://www.ripe.net/about-us/executive-board/minutes/executive-board-minute... The Draft Activity Plan and Budget 2027 will be discussed at the General Meeting (GM) alongside RIPE 93 and in the RIPE NCC Services Working Group on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The Executive Board will consider all feedback on our activities before approving the final version that will be published in December 2026. If you would like to participate or vote in the GM, you will need to register. You can find all information about the GM, including the draft agenda and how to register, at: https://www.ripe.net/s/gm/oct-2026/ Kind regards, Hans Petter Holen, Managing Director and CEO RIPE NCC