European Commission goes Open Source: New Project Kohesio uses Wikimedia’s Software Wikibase

EU Cohesion Policy contributes to strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion in the European Union. It aims to correct imbalances between countries and regions. It delivers on the Union’s political priorities, especially the green and digital transitions.

“We are very proud to have supported such an important project with our open source software Wikibase. With Kohesio, everyone can now access the information about EU funding in their region, be it the parks in their neighborhood, cultural institutions or infrastructure projects. This aligns with Wikimedia’s mission to make information accessible for everyone,” says Franziska Heine, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Software Development at Wikimedia Deutschland.

Kohesio.eu: An open platform for all EU funded projects

“Every year, EU Cohesion Policy supports tens of thousands of regional development projects across Europe through funding programmes. Kohesio will allow everyone to easily access information about these projects everywhere in the EU. This leads to more transparency and trust in EU institutions,” says Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms of the European Commission.

The project Kohesio is developed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and DG for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). In cooperation with the national authorities, Kohesio aggregates and standardizes information for more than 1.5 million projects and related beneficiaries from over 300 operational programs.

Kohesio offers user-friendly navigation and efficient searches throughout all projects funded in the context of Cohesion Policy. Currently, Kohesio covers projects financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) from all twenty-seven EU Member States.

Wikibase as enabler for Open Data

Wikibase, the software behind Kohesio.eu, is produced and maintained by Wikimedia Deutschland and an international community of volunteers. It is used by an increasing number of cultural heritage and science institutions around the world. Other institutions that use Wikibase include the German National Library, the Library of Congress and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. With the project Kohesio.eu, Wikimedia Deutschland embarks on a strategy for increased collaboration with governmental institutions.

About Wikimedia Deutschland:

Wikimedia Deutschland is a non-profit association with over 90,000 members that promotes free knowledge. Since its founding in 2004, the association has supported various Wikimedia projects – first and foremost Wikipedia. The association advocates free access to Free Knowledge and is thus committed to a fundamental human right to education. Wikipedia, like other sister projects, is independent and free of advertising and only possible through volunteer work and donations.

Contact: 

Elisabeth Giesemann

elisabeth.giesemann@wikimedia.de