EU Member States recognise the contribution of the Social Economy to sustainable job creation and social innovations

05 Dec 2016 

Ten EU Member States have signed the Bratislava Declaration, calling for an increased recognition of the importance of the Social Economy and urging the Member States to use the recommendations of the GECES General Report 2016. Presented on the 1st of December at the International Conference on Social Economy in Bratislava, the declaration also calls for the enhancement of legislative and financial tools for creating a suitable environment and commends Social Economy for its contribution to sustainable job creation and social innovations.

CECOP, together with Cooperatives Europe that sent a press release welcoming the Bratislava Declaration, agrees the declaration is particularly positive as it builds upon and encourages Members States to consult and implement the recommendations presented in the recent GECES (Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship) Report released on 15th of November.

A paragraph of this report refers to cooperatives and mutual societies’ legal framework, calling upon the Commission and Member States to stimulate cross-border operations which would enable cooperatives to use the full potential of the Internal Market to expand their activities. Cooperatives Europe has reminded in its communication that social economy “does not only touch upon social issues – cooperatives, for example, are also active in industry, production and services”.

More information here Bratislava Declaration